ProfNet Experts Available on Halloween Safety, Women's Sexuality, HIPAA, More

NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing.

If you are in need of additional experts, you can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network. You can filter your request by institution type and geographic location to get the most targeted responses. The best part? It's free! Just fill out the query form to get started.

If you have any questions or need assistance with any aspect of ProfNet, please drop us a note at [email protected].

EXPERT ALERTS

• Women's Sexuality
• Increasing Conception Odds
• New Income Caps Provide Extra Child Support
• Shutdown Means Slowdown for New HIPAA Regulations
• Halloween Health and Safety Tips
• Health Insurance Law, Mental Health Parity and Eating Disorders

MEDIA JOBS

• Reporter – Beverly Hills Weekly (CA)
• Night Editor – Wall Street Journal (NY)
• Managing Editor – Hispanic Executive (IL)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Blog Notes: Knitting, Parenting & Geology Blogs
• Assumption College Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple
• Media 411: Journalists Affected by Government Shutdown

EXPERT ALERTS:

Women's Sexuality
Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Professor Emerita and Certified Sexuality Educator/Counselor/Researcher
Rutgers University
"This is an increasingly important issue as we now have a higher population of women past the average age of menopause than ever before. But fortunately, science has shown us a variety of treatments that can help."
Dr. Whipple is available to discuss why regular sex is so vital to a women's health, medical reasons behind a low sex drive and what can be done to improve one's sexual fitness as they age. She can discuss what women can do for some of the sexual changes that occur at mid-life, both traditionally and alternatively. She can also discuss natural, study-backed sexual wellness supplements, and how effective they are in treatment.
She has delivered over 800 talks and keynote speeches, published over 180 research articles and book chapters as well as six other books on sexual health including "The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality;" "Safe Encounters: How Women can say Yes to Pleasure and No to Unsafe Sex;" "Smart Women, Strong Bones;" "Outwitting Osteoporosis;" "The Science of Orgasm;" and the "Orgasm Question and Answer Guide." She is the recipient of the Masters and Johnson Award from the Society of Sex Therapy and Research as well as the Gold Medal from the World Association for Sexual Health. She was named one of the 50 most influential scientists in the world by The New Scientist. She is a foremost authority in the U.S. on women's sexual health.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/beverly-whipple
Media Contact: Paula Page, [email protected]

Increasing Conception Odds
Dr. Lynn Westphal,
Director
Stanford Center for Health Research on Women and Sex Differences in Medicine
"Infertility is not an uncommon problem at all, and I see couples on their fertility journey every day. Fortunately, science has given us incredible information about creating a fertile environment in one's body, both for men and women."
Dr. Westphal is available to discuss how couples can increase their conception odds, as well as IVF techniques, fertility preservation and third party reproduction. She has done research on natural fertility supplements, and can discuss their safety effectiveness.
She holds a medical degree from Stanford University, and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at University of California, Los Angeles and Stanford University. She received fellowship training in endocrinology-molecular biology from Stanford University, and completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at University of California, San Francisco. She is board certified in both obstetrics and gynecology, and in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She has served on the faculty at Stanford University, starting in 1991. In 1999, her interest in fertility preservation for cancer survivors led her to set up one of the first oocyte cryopreservation programs in the country. She is a recipient of a grant from the Breast Cancer Research Program to study chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage: prevention and impact.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/lynn_westphal
Website: http://wsdm.stanford.edu
Media Contact: Paula Page, [email protected]

New Income Caps Provide Extra Child Support
Brad LaMorgese
Family Law Attorney
McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing, L.L.P. in Dallas
"Some divorced parents may begin receiving slightly larger child support payments under a revision to the Texas Family Code that went into effect Sept. 1. The Texas Legislature raised the monthly income cap, the amount from which child support payments are calculated, from $7,500 to $8,550. The parent paying child support typically pays 20 percent of his or her monthly net income (up to $8,550) for one child, with 5 percent added for each additional child, up to 40 percent for five or more children. Adjustments can be made if the non-custodial parent has children from other marriages or relationships. This could mean an extra $210 a month for one child, which is a lot to parents struggling to make ends meet. Of course, there are possible exceptions to the child support guidelines, so be sure to talk to your attorney if your needs exceed those envisioned by the Family Code."
Media Contact: Amy Hunt, [email protected]

Shutdown Means Slowdown for New HIPAA Regulations
Susan Murphy
Health Care Attorney
Thompson & Knight in Houston
"A new federal rule enhancing the protection of individuals' health information took effect last month, including stringent compliance and audit programs for health care providers and increased liability for their business associates. While this new HIPAA rule has wide-ranging implications, the government shutdown and suspension of the online tool to manage complaints has dampened the new rule's expected effects. There was a lot of saber-rattling over the past several months, but the audit program was always meant to roll out a little more slowly, allowing regulators to identify, prioritize and monitor compliance issues, not just enforce them. Although the complaint portal will likely double the number of reported privacy breaches, that increase should occur gradually. However, since the program is funded primarily by fines from enforcement actions, those breaches with the strongest supporting evidence and greatest potential for recovery likely will be the initial focus."
Media Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]

Halloween Health and Safety Tips
Dr. Mellissa Barnett
California Optometric Association
"Colored contact lenses are a popular topic this time of year as many people prepare their Halloween costumes. Most people do not realize that contacts worn for cosmetic purposes still pose a potential health risk for the eye if not properly fitted. This is true even if there is no prescription on the lens.  Contact lenses are classified as 'medical devices' with the FDA.  Regardless of a corrective prescription, contacts are plastic on the surface of the eye and need to be fit properly and be taken care of properly to lessen the chance of vision threatening infections such as corneal ulcers."
Dr. Barnett, California-based optometrist, is available to discuss tips on how to keep the eyes safe this Halloween.
Media Contact: [email protected]

Health Insurance Law, Mental Health Parity and Eating Disorders
Lisa S. Kantor, Esq.
Founding Partner
Kantor & Kantor, LLP
"I encourage Michelle Obama to re-evaluate her participation with 'The Biggest Loser,' and to collaborate with weight-stigma advocates, eating-disorder organizations, and research and treatment professionals on the healthiest ways to advance the Let's Move message."
Kantor, an authority on health insurance law and mental health parity, represents people denied health benefits for treatment of both physical and mental illnesses. Most recently, she has focused her efforts litigating insurance company denials of coverage for residential treatment of eating disorders. Kantor & Kantor is the only law firm in the country with a distinct eating-disorder practice staffed with lawyers and other professionals experienced in the specific needs of people who have been denied benefits for eating disorder treatment. Kantor sues health plans that refuse coverage, or agree to pay for treatment for a short period of time, forcing patients to be discharged before their health is restored. In 2007, Kantor won the first published eating-disorder decision in California in which the court applied the state's mental health parity law to beneficiaries who sought treatment outside California. In August 2012, she won the first federal court ruling that determined health plans must pay for all medically necessary treatment for mental illnesses, including residential treatment. For her achievements, she was recently nominated by the White House as a "Champions for Change" leader helping communities focus on prevention and public health by tackling everything from childhood obesity, reducing health disparities, fighting healthcare acquired infections, to taking various innovative steps to move us towards a healthier America -- based on wellness and prevention, rather than sickness and disease.
More info: http://tinyurl.com/mpu3x3h
Website: http://www.kantorlaw.net
Media Contact: Rachel Teicher, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: http://bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Reporter – Beverly Hills Weekly (CA)
• Night Editor – Wall Street Journal (NY)
• Managing Editor – Hispanic Executive (IL)

See more listings here.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• BLOG NOTES: KNITTING, PARENTING & GEOLOGY BLOGS: Blog Notes is a weekly helping of blogs recently reviewed on PR Newswire for Bloggers. In this installment, Christine Cube reviews blogs relating to knitting, parenting and geology: http://bit.ly/19w0zma
  
  
• ASSUMPTION COLLEGE TAKES A BITE OUT OF THE BIG APPLE: Congratulations to ProfNet member Lorraine U. Martinelle, director of media relations at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. who was featured in Times Square as part of our Facebook promotion! Want to see your face in Times Square? Details: http://bit.ly/19hdDxS
  
  
• MEDIA 411: JOURNALISTS AFFECTED BY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The government shutdown has interrupted the lives of millions of Americans including the lives of those responsible for providing us with necessary information such as reporters. There are alternatives, however, that provide limited information for journalists who need data: http://bit.ly/18ylw2N  

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