Health Buzz: FDA Nominations Expected and Other Health News

News Reports: Top FDA Nominations Expected to Be Announced Soon

The Washington Post and the Associated Press are reporting that President Barack Obama plans to tap Margaret Hamburg, former New York City health commissioner, as the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Hamburg and Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein have been considered top candidates for the FDA's top two jobs, with Sharfstein serving as the deputy commissioner. Sources told the Post and the AP that an announcement is expected soon, but White House and Department of Health and Human Services sources would not comment on the nomination, according to the AP.

President Obama has called for a review of the FDA in the wake of the ongoing salmonella outbreak. This salmonella outbreak may be the scariest one yet because it involves peanut butter and peanut paste mixed into hundreds of products on supermarket shelves. Here's how to reduce your risk of becoming ill.

U.S. News Presents 'America's Best Nursing Homes'

In a typical year, about 3.2 million Americans will spend at least some time in a nursing home. Many of them, and their friends and families, need more help to find a home that is a good choice from among the more than 15,500 available nationwide. That's why U.S. News has created "America's Best Nursing Homes." The new rankings are built atop the data and ratings found on Nursing Home Compare, a federal website created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The agency collects and analyzes information on nursing homes that accept Medicare or Medicaid residents, and it rates the facilities on numerous measures, from safe food preparation to the amount of nursing care per resident. U.S. News has added major new features of our own that boost reliability, speed, and flexibility in a search for the right home. All of the information will be updated quarterly.

Features of 'America's Best Nursing Homes': An Honor Roll lists homes at the very top of the heap. Our package of advice and tips will help anyone grappling with the endless stream of difficult decisions that must be made. Recommended steps include determining whether it is truly time to move Dad or Mom to a nursing home, whittling down the nursing home universe to a handful of decent prospects, visiting the homes that made the cut, and regularly following up to see that the choice was a good one. U.S. News also offers valuable information about paying for care, a close look at homes with a particularly bad track records, and a daughter's poignant story of her family's struggle to find her father humane care as he lost his battle with Alzheimer's disease.