releases

Residents in Maury County, including the cities of Columbia, Mount Pleasant and surrounding counties, will soon have faster access to the region's only Level-1 trauma center thanks to the decision by Vanderbilt University Medical Center to station an air ambulance helicopter at the Maury County Airport.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has appointed Pat Levitt, director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development and professor of pharmacology, to the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities.

A cap designed to cool the brains of babies born with oxygen deprivation during birth may prevent brain damage. Vanderbilt Children's Hospital researchers participated in the study of the device, "CoolCap," to cool the brains of full-term babies who were oxygen-deprived and had signs of brain damage within hours of birth.

For children and adults with disabilities and their families, finding information and health, developmental, education and other support services can be difficult and time-consuming. The new Vanderbilt Kennedy Family Outreach Center, which celebrates its opening April 21, helps families navigate the maze of services to find the best treatment, support and research available.

May 18 has been designated HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, a day to educate Americans about the need for a vaccine to prevent HIV.

A common ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants -- pseudoephedrine -- may increase blood pressure and the risk of life-threatening or disabling strokes in susceptible patients, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have reported.

Doctors at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital have found a whole new use for the popular erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. Sildenafil, as it is called by its more anonymous chemical name, may have the power to save babies.