Erie Family Health Center

Beats this week:

1) The Chicago Mayoral elections are a month away and the candidates have been keeping things interesting. Whether it’s a visit from former President Bill Clinton or endless questions on candidates’ tax documents – the campaign trail has been lively!

2) Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives began debating the issue of repealing the Affordable Care Act, aka health care reform. The feelings on repealing the legislation are mixed, although recent polls conclude that the opposition to enacting health care reform has decreased recently.    

3) Good news this week on the issue of Hepatitis C: two drugs are nearing approval that promise to cure more people of the disease. Current drugs cure approximately 40% of patients but these new drugs anticipate curing 75% of individuals with Hepatitis C. Additionally, the treatment will decrease from one year to six months, which is important as the side effects of Hepatitis C treatment are often grueling.

4) Don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the front of a packaged food box. According to a report released this week from the Prevention Institute, many packaged foods that make claims of being healthy on the front of their box are actually not all that healthy after all. Click here to find out more about the report and its findings.

5) A study done by the University of California at San Diego has found that individuals with HIV are at an increased risk for experiencing a stroke. The study determined that while stroke rates overall dropped by 7.2% from 1997-2006, stroke rates among HIV-positive individuals increased by 67% during that time. Researchers speculate that there could be a connection between the increased use of antiretroviral medication and strokes, although that has not been scientifically proven.

Beats this week: 

1) Happy New Year blogosphere! Didn’t get your flu vaccine in 2010? Then you should definitely get it in early 2011! Consider it a New Year’s gift to yourself. The Chicago Department of Public Health even has vouchers for free flu vaccines available through Walgreens for under and uninsured individuals.

2) Have you been spending this week reminiscing on the past year? Trying to remember all the great things that happened? Well here’s one way to do that: check out the Chicago Tribune’s pictures of the year.

3)  It was announced this week that Illinois was among 15 states sharing in $206 million in federal money for making significant progress in enrolling uninsured children in Medicaid. This is the second year that Illinois has been awarded this performance bonus.

4) Similar to last year, the city of Chicago has made available an eco-friendly tree recycling program for those who wish to dispose of their fresh cut holiday trees. The trees, which can be dropped off at 23 locations throughout Chicago, will be chipped and turned into mulch and can be picked up later in January.  

5) Six Illinois-based hospitals (two in the Chicago area) are part of a March of Dimes sponsored pilot that works to improve the rate of full term pregnancies by ending elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks. It is believed by researchers that important brain development occurs within those finals weeks of pregnancy, making it crucial to ensure pregnancies go full term unless natural labor begins first.

Beats this week: 

1) Happy Holidays from everyone at Erie Family Health Center! Worried about overfilling your plate this holiday season? Here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here’s a hint: eat all the food groups and watch your portions!

2)  This week saw a frightening recall of medical supplies: up to 359 million testing strips used by diabetics were recalled because they could give falsely low blood sugar readings. This can lead to people with diabetes not knowing that their blood sugar is dangerously high.  

3) The Chicago Tribune published a story today about school-based health centers in Chicago. The informative piece featured a school-based health center from a fellow Chicago-based community health center, Heartland International Health Center.

4) The teen birth rate fell to its lowest point in over 70 years in 2009. The reason for the low rate, which fell 6% from the prior year, has left researchers stumped.  Their unofficial assessment for the drop is the current state of the economy.

5)  After assessing 26 cities across the United States, the U.S. Conference of Mayors 2010 Status Report on Hunger & Homelessness in American Cities, discovered that the number of homeless families has increased by 9% in the last year. Based on this survey, on an average night, 1,105 family members are on the streets, 10,926 find refuge in an emergency shelter and 15,255 stay in transitional homes.

Beats this week: 

1) More schools than ever before across the country are allowing kids to opt out of physical education classes.  Thirty-two states currently allow students to waive or substitute physical education classes, up from 27 states in 2006. Given the national childhood obesity epidemic, this has many parents and advocates concerned.

2)  Health care reform received a setback this week when a federal judge ruled that the individual mandate piece, which requires that all individuals obtain health insurance, is unconstitutional. The Justice Department is expected to challenge the ruling in a federal appeals court, which means the case could make it all the way to the Supreme Court.    

3) A study released this week presents some startling news: many women skip their annual mammogram, even when they have adequate health insurance. Only around 50% of women over 40 with continuous health insurance received an annual mammogram and only around 60% received a mammogram every two years.  

4) Despite a lack of physical education requirements, fighting childhood obesity in schools just became a little bit easier. This week, President Obama signed a bill that would improve the quality of food served in school lunchrooms and vending machines across the country.

5)  An interesting study came out this week that links income level with obesity rates, but only in women. The study, which was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, found that obesity tends to be higher with women when their income levels are lower, however, for men obesity rates were slightly higher when the income level was also high. It is definitely an interesting read!

Beats this week – World AIDS Day Edition: 

1) Today is World AIDS Day – a day dedicated to increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education of HIV/AIDS across the world. It is also a day to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and applaud the heroes that have dedicated their lives to the cause.

2)  One hero that many are recognizing today is Ryan White. Ryan was a boy who contracted HIV after receiving blood transfusions as a baby. He spent his short life advocating for awareness, funding and education for HIV/AIDS in the United States. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his passing and the passage of Ryan White CARE Act.  

3) World AIDS Day continues to serve an important role in increasing the awareness of HIV/AIDS. A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control found that approximately 45% of people surveyed in the United States reported having an HIV test sometime in their life, up from 40% four years ago. While this is a great improvement that means that over half of Americans have never been screened for HIV.

4) The Chicago Tribune put up a video this week entitled “The Five Faces of Life with HIV.” The video and accompanying news piece aim to provide proof that HIV really can impact any member of our community, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation and that having HIV is no longer a death sentence.

5)  Check out this excellent visual timeline of the history of HIV/AIDS across the world, beginning with the first HIV sample gathered and possible first HIV death in 1959.

Beats this week: 

1) Happy Thanksgiving blogosphere! Want to make sure to eat healthy this holiday season? Then check out this article for some helpful tips on how to keep your healthy diet on track.

2)  An article posted this week by the American Academy of Family Physicians sheds light on the role that community health centers will play in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. According to analysts interviewed by AAFP Now, health centers will double in size as a result of the additional funding included in the Act.

3) The 2009 statistics for sexually transmitted diseases was released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and the results are both good and bad. While Gonorrhea cases were the lowest they have ever been (since the CDC began measuring cases in 1941), Chlamydia and syphilis cases continued to increase. According to the CDC, there are 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases annually.

4) A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association sheds some light this week on the ideal exercise regimen for diabetics. According to the results of the study, diabetics should mix aerobics with weight training in order to get the best results in lowering their blood sugar levels.

5)  The Archives of Internal Medicine published a study this week from the University of Pennsylvania, which found that lower-income families with high-deductible insurance policies are more likely to delay or forego medical care because of cost than higher-income families.

Beats this week: 

1) There is one headline that is dominating the news today: ‘More Americans uninsured, but rate about the same.’ The Centers for Disease Control released the most recent uninsured numbers. There are more than 47 million uninsured Americans, which is a 7% increase since 2006. The report also found that 40% of uninsured adults avoided accessing health care services as a result of the cost.

2)  Ronald McDonald House Charities is building its largest House ever right here in Chicago! The new Ronald McDonald House, which will be the largest in the world, will be built in the Streeterville community within walking distance of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

3) Are you trying to keep up on all the news about who is running for the Mayor of Chicago? We are, too! Here are a few key headlines to bring you up to speed on the most recent events.

4) A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that obesity often follows adolescents into adulthood. Individuals that experienced obesity between the ages of 12 and 21 were seven times more likely to develop severe obesity as an adult.

5)  Well these days there is an app for everything, including finding your nearest health center! The Health Resources and Services Administration has developed a free app for the iPhone through iTunes that will allow you to type in your zip code and find a health center nearby. The National Association for Community Health Centers has a great blog post on the new app here!

1) Happy November blogosphere! The month of November is full of diabetes related health observances, including American Diabetes Month, Diabetic Eye Disease Month and Foot Health Issues Related to Diabetes Awareness Month.

2)  A study released recently by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology has found that a woman’s weight is closely related to her fertility. The study claims that as a woman’s body mass index increases her ability to conceive decreases. A similar study done at Harvard University also found that this was the case for extremely high body mass index as well as extremely low.  

3) The National Association of Community Health Centers completed a survey recently that found that state funding for health centers continues to decline despite the steadily growing numbers of uninsured individuals in the United States.  You can read a summary of the survey here.

4) The beginning of November in an election year always starts out with a bang and 2010 did not disappoint. Here is a quick one stop shop of the key races impacting Illinois and Chicago.  

5)  We all know about nutrition information on the back of our cereal boxes but what about the idea of putting some of that information on the front of a cereal box? Well that’s just one idea that is being mulled over and recommended by several agencies, including the Institute of Medicine and the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute.

Beats this week:

1) According to the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, only about one-third of Chicago hospitals are able to show that they find breast cancer when it’s small or provide treatment within 30 days of diagnosis – two factors that can improve a woman’s chances of survival

2)  Ever wish you could see into the future? Well the Centers for Disease Control is attempting to do just that with the release of startling predictions for the year 2050. According to the CDC, it might be possible that 1 in 5 or even 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by 2050! Currently 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes.

3) Boo! Happy Halloween! Worried about what the ‘best’ candy is to give your kids? Then check out this article, which has a dietician rank mainstream candy according to their nutritional value.  

4) Here is a good read for the week: check out how one Chicago-based Federally Qualified Health Center is partnering with local hospitals to improve access to OB care for the underserved in Chicago.

5)  It has been a while since Beats Per Minute has addressed the Illinois state budget crisis. It looks, though, like things are about the same: the state owes Chicago Public Schools approximately $358 million, according to a new report.   

Beats this week: 

1) Some alarming stats were released in a report by the Centers for Disease Control this week. According the CDC, 1 in 22 African-Americans will be diagnosed with the AIDS virus sometime in their lifetime. One in 52 Hispanics are also likely to be diagnosed during their lifetime.

2)  Chicagoans facing foreclosure may feel a bit of relief this week: Cook County Sheriff, Tom Dart, is again refusing to serve foreclosure notices from three large banks after reports of mismanaged foreclosure processes came to light last week.

3) School gardens are a great way to teach students about proper nutrition but some experts expressed concern this week about what is done with the produce from more than 40 Chicago Public School gardens. Currently, produce cannot be served in CPS lunchrooms. As a result of district and meal provider rules, surplus produce grown from the gardens is usually given away or sold.

4) When is the last time you renewed your CPR certification? Chances are if it has been a while then you might want to go to your local community center or fire station and sign up for a class. New CPR guidelines were released this week that switch up the steps for CPR.  

5)  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is partnering with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice to provide innovative musical workshops for at-risk youth in Chicago. The program aims to provide an outlet for the youth and performances done by the groups will be based on life experiences of the participants.