Federal Grant Money Available
Posted by: healthyadvances on: July 6, 2009
HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius has announced $40M in additional funding opportunities for states, tribes and local government to insure children who are qualified for Medicaid, but have not been enrolled yet.
A Motivational Pyramid
Posted by: healthyadvances on: July 3, 2009
I just wanted to post this pyramid that I first saw about a year ago from Leo J. Nolan at IHS. Nolan was very adamant about the power we have to influence our health outcomes—I rarely hear that—and it was empowering at the time. So despite everything, this simple visual helped me realize how I could have an impact on my health, regardless of my genes or current living environment. I hope it has the same effect for you! Have a happy Fourth!
Prevention Quotes
Posted by: healthyadvances on: July 2, 2009
“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
So I was introduced to this saying about two years ago and found it interesting how true the statement is, but how rarely we see our everyday situations in this light. When we bum a cigarette off a friend, pop open another beer, go for the extra dessert or forego your workout or your blood pressure meds until tomorrow. And let’s not talk about how easy it is to overlook the daily vitamin!
But the point is that all these things add up. And yes, it’s a lot of work to be healthy, but that takes me to this next quote that I heard Tanya Lewis Lee cite at the D.C. Women and Girls Summit in April:
“Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” -Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby 1873
So we can either put the work in now, or suffer the consequences, good or bad, later. And sticking true to the goal of not using scare tactics, I’ve included a list of good and bad consequences and steps that can be taken to bypass the bad.
The Good:
- Strong Bones
- Healthy Heart
- Strong Muscles
- Good Oral Health
- Strong Immune System
- Good Reproductive Health
The Bad:
- Heart Attack/Heart Disease
- Stroke
- Weak Muscles
- Calcium Deficiency
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Low energy levels
- Diabetes
- STDs
About Caitlin B
Posted by: healthyadvances on: July 1, 2009
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Caitlin Baker, the founder of her non-profit organization Caitlin B or Competitive American Indians Turning Lifestyles into New Beginnings. The athlete from Norman, Okla., has been swimming since the age of 9 and is using her focus on athletics to speak to youth about living healthy lifestyles and using sports and their voices to become leaders. Caitlin has been visiting schools across the nation and speaking to children about the power they have to help improve their lives and the community for the past three years and has partnered with big-name organizations like the CDC, Smithsonian and several Indian Tribes.
Oh, and she’s 15. But like a true professional, Caitlin had words of wisdom to share about her cause.
“You hear every day that you need to be healthy and [youth] already know that,” Caitlin said. “Now it’s up to us to put the necessities out there to allow them to do it—it takes partnership to accomplish anything in life.”
And just in case you think Ms. Baker is some phenom/poster child for accomplishing her goals…well, maybe she is—she is also quite normal and not being compelled by her mother or any adult to take this message to her peers… has to be a complete overachiever who with no age-appropriate tendencies, you’re sadly mistaken.
You can read more about the work she’s doing here and then maybe go find out about the effects of diabetes, obesity and poor nutrition.
Some Motivation:
- Getting Fit- Choose what works for you and your body
- Eating right- Tap into the My Food Advisor for calorie and carb counting or Start! Eating Right for those who want to eat by the right principles.
- Cutting Back- Sometimes it takes baby steps to back away from the sweets and move toward moderation
- Benefits of Exercise- Here are 10 reasons sweating is good for you
Summer Food Safety
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 30, 2009
Here’s an article with some good tips about keeping your food safe this summer. While you’ll get some of the basics about keeping foods at their appropriate temperature, there’s also some good tips about properly handling raw meat and a couple precautions I didn’t even know, which completely surprised me, given my germaphobe status. It’s a quick read, so feel free to peruse the article before heading to the grill.
Prevention
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 29, 2009
Of the few things that I’m passionate about, prevention is one topic that I think everyone should support, especially in education efforts. But I feel like prevention always seems to get the short shrift in funding and priorities. So this week, I’d like to dedicate the posts to prevention. It’s not an official prevention week, but I am officially endeavoring to post items that can motivate you to prevent horrible things from happening to your health.
However, I will not post any “scare tactics”— although I’ll never deny that hearing about a triple bypass is enough to send me to the treadmill and even make me omit the occasional Butterfinger—and instead make sure I link to information you can used to stay motivated.
Navajo translation & Kaiser surveys
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 25, 2009
So I ran across two really interesting items. One was an older health article about the issue of cancer in Navajo tribes and the importance of accurate translation—a pretty good read, in my humble opinion, although I feel like I needed a follow up story. The other interesting thing was this report developed from a Kaiser opinion poll. The results deal with black people’s thoughts about HIV testing. And in a somewhat related news, this other Kaiser survey found that people were less urgent than they were before it was determined that there is an HIV epidemic in the U.S. So…yeah, I have no idea why that is, but the info is still a good eye-opener concerning popular opinion.
My new favorite thing
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 24, 2009
I don’t really have a list like Oprah, but I’m loving these quick and dirty fact sheets from ACES about physical activity. Some people hate exercise and while I’m not always as enthusiastic as Richard Simmons–love him in that Yoplait commercial–I hear it’s better than triple bypass any day. So taking that approach, I feel like these tips sheets will ease the strain and help me focus on what will work best for me, even on my slow-going days when I’m lacking that motivation.
They’re several different topics based on what you may be going through (back pain, asthma) or what you’re interested in doing (swimming, kickboxing). They even have tips on picking the right place to work out. I love it.
A heads up…
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 23, 2009
There’s a little funding available for organizations, states or tribes doing preconception work in Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri), but the deadline is July 13. You can contact Lieutenant Commander Tracy Branch, tracy.branch@hhs.gov.
And for those of you in the D.C. Metro area, Howard University is offering mammograms and pap smears at no costs to patients. Of course there are some details you may want to read up on, but it’s info worth passing along, considering the breast cancer mortality rate among minority women, especially black women, can be staggering.
And finally, there’s a Policy Briefing Luncheon tomorrow at noon at the Capitol Visitor Center, room SVC 212/210 (Senate Side) hosted by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. The National Committee for Quality Assurance will host a policy briefing Wednesday, June 25, about the role small medical practices play in the health of community members based on info they gathered from a 16-month study. An RSVP is required to attend this event.
Don’t forget!
Posted by: healthyadvances on: June 26, 2009
Today is the final day to submit your comments for how you envision health care providers and the “powers that be” to meaningfully use your –or your children’s, your parents, friends and loved ones’– health information.