Childrens Health : Emergency departments improve readiness for children ♦ Identifying teens at risk for hashish use ♦ Injury prevention programs in high school

Emergency departments improve readiness to care for children Pediatric emergency care coordinators in the nation's emergency departments are strongly linked with improved readiness to care for children, according to a new study. Nearly 50 percent of the nation's emergency departments have a physician or nurse dedicated to address staff training, equipment availability and policies for the care of children -- a three-fold increase since 2003.

Identifying teens at risk for hashish use One in ten high school seniors has used hashish, a highly potent form of marijuana. Teens self-described as "hooked" on pot were twice as likely to use hashish.

HPV vaccination of adolescent boys may be cost-effective for preventing oropharyngeal cancer A new study indicates that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the human papilloma virus may be a cost-effective strategy for preventing oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer, a cancer that starts at the back of the throat and mouth

Injury prevention programs not widely used in high school Injury prevention programs can help reduce ankle, knee and other lower extremity injuries in sports, but the programs are not being widely used in high schools. Researchers surveyed 66 head soccer and basketball coaches from 15 Oregon high schools and found that only 21 percent of the coaches were using an injury prevention program, and less than 10 percent were using the program exactly as designed