Al's Morning Meeting

The story points out:

The 3,534 inmates older than 60, who are the fastest-growing group in Texas' prisons, use health care resources at a rate of four or five times that of younger offenders, according to statistics provided by the University of Texas Medical Branch, which provides health care for all prison inmates.

This accounts for costs eight to 10 times those for younger inmates.

The state pays UTMB $7.68 per day or $2,803 per year for each inmate's medical needs. An inmate over 60 uses health care resources at a rate of about $61 to $76 per day or $22,425 to $28,032 per year.

Dr. Owen Murray, chief physician executive of correctional managed care at UTMB, said the increase in older inmates arises from a combination of longer sentences and the number of older people who are being convicted.

With an inmate population of 151,500, Texas' prison system already is reaching the limits of its capacity of 156,000.

By 2011, the system is expected to need an additional 11,000 beds to house inmates, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said.

For correctional managed health care, which includes geriatric care, the prison system is asking for $59.3 million.

For 2009, the legislative budget board believes the prisons will need $62.7 million.

"The costs are driven by an aging prison population," Lyons said.

FDA Approves Diet Pills for Dogs

The FDA says:

Surveys have found that approximately 5 percent of dogs in the United States are obese, and another 20 percent to 30 percent are overweight.

MedPage Today reports:

The FDA also warned that humans who consume Slentrol may suffer abdominal distention, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, headache, nausea, and vomiting.

Stephen Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said Slentrol is a "welcome addition to animal therapies, because dog obesity appears to be increasing."

Slentrol is a new chemical entity, called a selective microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor, which blocks the assembly and release of lipoproteins into the bloodstream.

The mechanism for producing weight loss is not completely understood, said the FDA, but seems to result from reduced fat absorption and a satiety signal from lipid-filled cells lining the intestine.

The drug is given to the dog in varying amounts over the course of the treatment. The dog is given an initial dose for the first 14 days. After that, veterinarians are advised to assess the dog's progress at monthly intervals, adjusting the dose commensurately.

After the dog has achieved the goal weight, the drug's manufacturer recommends continued use of the drug during a three-month period, while the veterinarian and dog owner establish the optimal level of food intake and physical activity needed to maintain the dog's weight.

How to care for an overweight dog.

Dead People Parking

The Chicago Sun-Times ran an awesome investigation Sunday that finds:

Disabled drivers in Chicago can get a unique benefit from the city: For $70 and proof of disability, the city will mark off a parking space steps from the person's door.

In 2006, 11,423 people participated, getting spaces on residential streets from Hegewisch to Rogers Park.

The only problem was, at least 260 of them were dead.

A Sun-Times investigation found that the spots sometimes remain for years after the disabled person has moved away or died, calling into question how well the city is monitoring the program.

Many of the spaces wind up as complimentary reserved parking for able-bodied relatives or new residents -- adding to the frustration of neighbors trying to find a space.

The story includes lots of sidebars, including a list of the people with permits [PDF] on every street in the city to allow readers to get micro-local.