Rule would let Mass. hospitals require masks for vaccine-refusing workers; Colorado hospitals seek to improve food options;

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> Proposed state regulations in Massachusetts would allow hospitals to require healthcare workers to wear surgical masks around patients during flu season if they refuse a flu vaccine, the Eagle-Tribune reports. Article

> A new program beginning this week seeks to improve food options in Colorado hospitals, KVNF reports. Article

> Positive relations between health workers and local community leaders increase their ability to care for vulnerable populations, according to a dissertation from Umeå University based on research conducted in rural Guatemala. Abstract

Health IT News

> Telemedicine is an underused technology in pediatric emergency settings, where it could "in theory, improve the quality of ... care at small hospitals, facilitate effective triage ... and reduce costs by eliminating unnecessary transport," according to researchers from RAND and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, whose work was published this month in Telemedicine and e-Health. Article

> The American Medical Association this week pledged its support for a compact developed by the Federation of State Medical Boards to make it easier for physicians to obtain licenses in multiple states. Article

And Finally… Consolation prize. Article