Health Care

A Reagan blood auction has the former president's charitable foundation in an uproar. A British auction house is currently selling a vial of the Republican leader's blood to the highest bidder.

The Reagan blood auction could not have been possible without the 1981 assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr., who shot the President in front of the Washington Hilton Hotel. The specimen is alleged to be from his hospital visit after his wound, and Reagan supporters have condemned the auction, calling it "craven."

"If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act, and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation executive director John Heubusch said in a statement. more >>

The smallest artificial heart has been successfully used on a 16-month-old baby in Rome, Italy according to doctors, who say the baby is now doing well. The infant has now received a permanent heart transplant and "is in good health," a statement by officials said.

"In March, the smallest artificial heart in the world was implanted at the Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome," official Antonio Amodeo said in public statement. Amodeo refused to give any identifying information about the infant in order to protect the family's privacy.

"The device, a titanium pump weighing only 11 grams and that can endure a flow of up to 1.5 liters per minute, was used in an emergency case of a 16-month-infant suffering from dilated myocardiopathy with a serious infection of the ventricular assistance device that had been implanted previously," Amodeo explained. more >>

A blind man has earned support from the public after he claimed that a hospital carved his body during an open-heart surgery.

Vernon Traversie, a 69-year-old Native American man who also happens to be blind, has accused a South Dakota Hospital of failing to take action after he reported being abused by a male nurse. Traversie was rushed to Rapid City Regional Hospital in August of last year after suffering from a heart attack. He was told that he would require open heart surgery. Following the surgery Traversie reported that he was in a lot of pain. He then claims the male nurse who responded to him was abusive.

"He told me to shut my f------ mouth or he'd shut it for me. I didn't provoke him. I didn't disrespect him," Traversie told Mail Online. more >>

Officials with the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new guidelines which call for all baby boomers to get tested for Hepatitis C.

The new guidelines highlight the fact that 1 in 30 baby boomers- individuals born between 1945-1965- have hepatitis C and most are unaware that they have it.

The CDC stated that of the nearly 78 million baby boomers, more than 2 million of them are infected. They account for more than three-quarters of all Americans living with the virus that can have debilitating and deadly consequences if not treated properly and in a timely manner. more >>

Bishop T.D. Jakes has started a new campaign offering free prescription drug discounts that will purportedly give patients up to 75 percent off medications at thousands of pharmacies across the country.

Jakes, who leads The Potters' House in Dallas, Texas, is promoting a pre-activated RxRelief Card that he argues can save struggling families hundreds of dollars a year on prescription medications.

"I am offering a FREE pharmacy discount card to you and your family. This is an opportunity you do not want to miss," the megachurch pastor said in a public letter. "With discounts on virtually every medication sold at over 500,000 pharmacies nationwide the RxRelief Card can save you and your family an average of $400." more >>

Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and John Elway- three of the most famous Denver Broncos quarterbacks in the football team's history- will be competing in a battle of wills, skills, and creativity: arts and crafts.

Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and John Elway are among the celebrities and others competing in The Mask Project, a contest to raise the most money for the Denver Hospice by auctioning off handmade masks. The clay masks are decorated, put on display at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center of Denver, and proceeds go to supporting the hospice.

"[The Denver Hospice cares] for 500 hospice patients daily and [touches] the lives of more than 9,000 people annually," reads the website for The Mask Project. "The Denver Hospice Grief Center and The Footprints Children's Grief Center are open to anyone in the community and serve more than 6,000 annually." more >>