Here’s a dose of health news from WellCommons, around town and elsewhere:

Bullied: We can make a difference

A workshop on bullying will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, in the Lawrence Public Library’s auditorium, 707 Vt.

It will feature the showing of the film, “Bullied” from the Southern Poverty Law Center, followed by discussion with a local panel. The film chronicles one student’s ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies.

The panel will include youth from area Gay-Straight Alliances, adult mentors, and staff from Headquarters Counseling Center and USD 497.

The workshop is free and open to the community. The focus is on bullying of gay students, but would apply to bullying of all types of students.

According to a study by George Washington University:

• Of children in sixth through 10 grades, more than 3.2 million — nearly one in six — are victims of bullying each year.

• Compared to their peers, kids who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed.

• Bullied boys are four times more likely to be suicidal; bullied girls are eight times more likely to be suicidal.

Lawrence resident Ansib Chaudhry has his vitals taken by Health Care Access volunteer Nan Wang before being checked out by a doctor for some potentially fractured facial bones Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010, at Health Care Access, 330 Maine. The clinic provides medical care for low-income, uninsured Douglas County residents. by Nick Krug

$10,000 for safety net clinics

Douglas County Dental Clinic and Health Care Access were among 14 community health clinics to receive $64,000 in grants from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation.

The dental clinic, 316 Maine, received $5,000 to expand the Friendly Smiles children’s dental health program, which provides sealants and fluoride varnish, to five additional counties.

Health Care Access, 330 Maine, received $5,000 to purchase electronic medical records software, which will allow better connection with Lawrence Memorial Hospital and other providers in order to improve quality of care and decrease duplication of services.

Advocates of a statewide ban on indoor smoking in public places gather in February 2010 on the east steps of the Capitol. They placed 380 pairs of shoes to represent those Kansans who die annually from second-hand smoke. by Scott Rothschild

Smoke-free law working

A new study of air quality at Kansas bars and restaurants showed a 94 percent decrease in indoor air particle pollution since Kansas restricted public smoking July 1.

According to the report, this reduction in exposure to toxic tobacco smoke will result in improved quality of life and health outcomes for Kansas workers and residents.

Indoor air quality was sampled in bars and restaurants in six Kansas communities before and after the Kansas Clean Indoor Air Act was enacted. Samples were taken in Wichita, Topeka, Pittsburg, Emporia, Kansas City, Great Bend and Liberal.

The study analysis was conducted by indoor air-quality researcher Mark Travers, of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute on behalf of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition.

The study measured fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. Burning cigarettes emit massive numbers of these particles over 300 times smaller than the width of a human hair. This toxic pollutant produced by cigarettes can penetrate deep inside the lungs.

The study showed employees working full time in the locations with indoor smoking before the law were exposed to levels of air pollution 4.4 times higher than safe annual levels established by the Environment Protection Agency.

Testing done after the law went into effect found that 97 percent of the bars and restaurants had good or moderate air quality.

For the full report, visit http://tobaccofreekansas.org.

In this 2008 file photo, Sally Brandt, left, a volunteer with the Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas, helps Glenda Brenton with Medicare Part D enrollment paperwork at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt. by Richard Gwin

Help with Medicare drug costs

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that 35,764 Medicare beneficiaries in Kansas, and 3 million people nationwide, have received prescription drug cost relief through the Affordable Care Act.

These beneficiaries fell into the drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” during 2010 have been mailed a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check.

Starting this year, eligible beneficiaries in the coverage gap will receive a 50 percent discount on covered brand name medications while in the donut hole. Also, Medicare will begin paying 7 percent of the price for generic drugs during the coverage gap.

The law provides new benefits to Medicare beneficiaries when they visit their doctor this year:

• Original Medicare no longer charges out-of-pocket costs for the “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam and, for the first time since the Medicare program was created in 1965, Original Medicare now covers an annual wellness visit with a participating doctor, also at no cost.

• Most people with Medicare can now receive preventive services, including certain cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, for free.

• The law will provide qualifying doctors and other health care professionals providing primary care to people on Medicare a 10 percent bonus for primary care services.

People with Medicare can learn more by calling 1-800-633-4227 or visiting www.Medicare.gov.

— Know of something happening on the health beat? Send me a tip at kbritt@ljworld.com.