Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has welcomed the announcement by the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield, that the 2014 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR) will expand the Home Care Packages program. [ + ]

With this week being World Glaucoma Week, (9-15 March) the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) is encouraging the public to recognise the importance of regular eye examinations. [ + ]

In a bid to improve the understanding of autism and to assist people with autism and their families,  Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane (pictured right) has officially launched the new Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). [ + ]

In a new paper published in the Australian Dental Journal, researchers from the University of Adelaide's School of Dentistry have written about the current and future use of the field of epigenetics as it relates to oral health. [ + ]

To help inform discussions between health practitioners and their patients about the early detection of prostate cancer, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released a resource outlining the risks and benefits of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing. [ + ]

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has delivered the first vaccination training to pharmacists under a revised program created with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, NSW Branch. [ + ]

Entries are now open for the National Medicinewise Awards, which will be presented at the 2014 National Medicines Symposium to be held in Brisbane in May. [ + ]

Omega-3 supplements and the antidepressant sertraline are being considered in a study to reduce depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in older people, in a bid to prevent the onset of dementia and depression in later life. [ + ]

Australia could be the first country to develop a bionic brain, according to the Inspiring smarter brain research in Australia report, to be launched today by Health Minister Peter Dutton. [ + ]

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has taken up Minister for Health Peter Dutton's call for frank debate about the future of Australia's health system. [ + ]

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has welcomed the endorsement of Australia’s 1000th Nurse Practitioner. [ + ]

Around 70 people from the health and community sectors will gather in Melbourne tomorrow for a public forum on Racism and Culture as Social Determinants. The forum is being hosted by the national Social Determinants of Health Alliance (SDOHA). [ + ]

The Consumers Health Forum has today told the Senate inquiry in the Commission of Audit that medical co-payments should not be introduced. [ + ]

Up to 1900 people experiencing mental health issues will have access to rehabilitation with the development of a new pu-pose designed facility in Camperdown, Sydney. [ + ]

The world's biggest study offering healthy eating and exercise advice to overweight and obese pregnant women has shown a significant reduction in the number of babies born over 4kg in weight. [ + ]