Erie Family Health Center

This week Health Beats needs your help!

House to Vote on $1.3 BILLION in CUTS to the Health Centers Program TOMORROW!

CALL YOUR Representative TODAY!

The House is currently debating the FY2011 Continuing Resolution (HR 1) that includes $1.3 BILLION in cuts to Health Center funding and is scheduled to vote on this bill TOMORROW. We know that you are aware of the impact these cuts will have (if not, check the bottom of this email) and this is the last chance you will have to weigh in on this bill in the House.

As this bill comes to a vote we need you to CALL your Representative one more time and ask them to:

1)      Go to the floor and talk about their support for health centers

 AND

2)      To continue to oppose Health Center funding cuts and Vote AGAINST the Continuing Resolution

You can call your Representative directly by dialing the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121.

While this bill is being debated the BEST way to demonstrate the broad support for Health Centers is for as many Representatives as possible to speak about the value and importance of Health Centers from the House floor. So far only a very few Representatives have mentioned Health Centers in their statements so we need you to urge YOUR Representative to talk about why cutting health Center funding is the wrong thing to do for their constituents and for the country!

Beats this week:  

1) Health Beats was out last week due to a major blizzard that hit the Chicago area but now we are back and getting ready for Valentine’s Day! Not sure what candy to get this year? Listen to what this nutritionist has to say about dark chocolate and perhaps you’ll have your answer!

2) A new study suggests that diets high in fat, sugar and processed foods are lowering the IQ scores of children in the United Kingdom. The study found that a predominantly processed-food diet at the age of three is directly associated with a lower IQ at the age of eight and a half.

3) Patients living with HIV/AIDS in Illinois may find it a little more difficult to receive the medications they need through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Illinois has reduced the number of medications available to patients or has capped how much can be spent on the drugs through a state assistance program. Officials also have added layers to the process of how to sign up for and stay enrolled in the program.

4) Did you wear your red on Friday, February 4? No? Then wear red today to support awareness for heart disease among women. About 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.  

5) Who can believe it – a whole year has passed since the launch of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program. Here are a few things that the program has accomplished over the past year: beverage makers, food manufacturers and most recently, Wal-Mart, have promised to cut the levels of salt, fat and sugar in their products. A new child nutrition law also puts Washington in charge of deciding what kinds of foods are sold during the school day.

If You Don’t Want Health Center Funding Cut You Need To Call Your Representative NOW!

Key decisions about health center funding will be made this week. The U.S. House of Representatives is currently in the process of determining the funding level for the entire Health Centers Program for FY2011 and your Representative needs to hear from you TODAY to ensure health center funding remains whole.

Members of House Leadership have sent the message that they want 1) to bring an appropriations bill to the floor for a vote within one week and 2) to cut nearly $43 billion from non-discretionary programs in that bill.

That means YOUR Representative is deciding NOW which program he or she wants to cut and by how much and that means Health Center funding for the next year is at risk!

If you don’t want to see health center funding cut then YOU need to send your Representative a message asking them to keep health center funding at its current level for FY2011 IMMEDIATELY.

You may also call your Representative and be connected to their office directly by dialing the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121

Every member of the House needs to hear immediately from health center advocates what a cut in funding will mean for YOUR Health Center and your community. Please contact your Representative TODAY and ask them to level fund the health centers program in FY2011.

The Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, has officially declared January Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. It is predicted that 590 women in Illinois will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year while 180 women will lose their life to the disease. All women are at risk for cervical cancer but it occurs most often in women over 30 years of age. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer.

With routine screening and follow up, cervical cancer is highly preventable. Early detection through routine screenings will help to increase the chances of survival. The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), which is offered at Erie Family Health Center, provides free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams, and Pap Tests to uninsured women. IBCCP has provided 17,908 cervical cancer screenings to uninsured women in the past fiscal year. Throughout January, public and private organizations and state and local governments throughout the country will promote education about cervical cancer causes, screenings, and treatments.

Beats this week:  

1) The Chicago Mayoral elections have been a hot topic this week – particularly whether or not Rahm Emanuel will be on the ballot. Earlier this week several hundred ballots were printed without his name only to have the presses stopped by the Illinois Supreme Court, who are expected to make what will likely be the final decision on the matter.

2) New research out this week contradicts recommendations on breast cancer screening by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2009. Using the same data set, researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Michigan found that annual mammograms starting at age 40 save around 65,000 more women from breast cancer than mammograms done every other year in women 50 and older (which the USPSTF recommended). Read more here.

3) Did you watch President’s Obama’s second State of the Union Speech last night? No? Interested to know what he said about health care and reform? Then check out this review of his points on the issue.   

4) The long-standing debate on the charter school system in Chicago continued today at the Chicago Public Schools board meeting. Hundreds of individuals – both supporters and critics of charter schools – lined a four block radius around the CPS headquarters as officials debated opening more charter schools in the city.

5) Warning: your mouth may drop on this one. It is estimated that 1 in 12 Americans have diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their new estimate today that 26 million Americans have diabetes. The new figure marks a 9 percent increase from the 2008 estimate of 23.6 million.

Erie Teen Center’s Comprehensive Approach and New Walk-In Services

Not many will argue that teenage years can be a very confusing time in a person’s life. No longer a child, but not quite an adult, teens consistently performing a balancing act between these two worlds. Peer pressures from the media and social groups also can become an obstacle in a teen’s life. For teens in need of somewhere turn, Erie Teen Center becomes a haven of support and information for adolescents trying to mull their way through this challenging time.

Erie Teen Health Center has been in operation for over 25 years. It is the only freestanding, comprehensive teen health center in the Chicagoland area. While most adolescent sites only offer family planning services or care for young women, Erie Teen Center offers a multitude of services for young adults ages 12 to 24, including reproductive care, well child care, school and sport physicals, behavioral health services, health education and case management. The response from the teen patients has been overwhelmingly positive and most patients hear about Erie Teen Center through word-of-mouth. Last year alone, Erie Teen Center provided over 6,000 patient visits.

While adolescents and teens tend to be a healthy population in general, they also are a group who is more likely to participate in high risk behaviors—yet teens have the lowest rates of accessing preventive health care. “This is a critical point in their development, and many adolescents are not seeking care,” says Amy Valukas, site director of Erie Teen Center. “Studies have found that preventive, primary, reproductive and behavioral health services that are matched to teens, with a focus on reducing high-risk behaviors, have the potential of improving the health of young people.” From the moment teens enter Erie Teen Center, everyone from the front desk staff, to the nurses, medical assistants and providers are educating these teens about reducing risk behaviors and promoting good self care.

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Have you ever wanted to test drive BMWs around the company’s 12 million dollar performance track in Charleston, SC? How about a week vacation in Mexico? Or a long weekend in New York City? All of these packages and more will be open to bid on during the Silent Auction at Salud and the City, Erie’s event being held on Thursday, February 24!

Buy your ticket today for Salud and the City! Price includes ALL cocktails, appetizers, entrance to the party, live music and more! Join Erie at LaSalle Power Company and help make Chicago healthier!

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.

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Beats Per Minute….Happy birthday to you!

It is fitting that your first birthday (and your future ones too) fall around the time of the Martin Luther King Holiday.  Dr. King’s themes of social justice ring true in over 130 posts during your first year.  Just look at the topic tags to the right of this post to see what you have covered:  health care reform, the Illinois budget crisis, childhood obesity, community health, dental services, care for the uninsured and a lot more.

Your first year was a chronology of the challenges we face in health care both locally and nationally. Here are a few examples of the issues you raised and what’s happening now.

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Beats this week:

1) After months of back and forth debating, the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives passed a massive tax income increase to help the state claw its way out of its $13 billion dollar deficit. While many are happy, many are not.  To read more about what this means for Illinois, click here.

2) A recent study in the January issue of Pediatrics, released another positive benefit of breast feeding – improved academic performance. This finding however only applied to boys who were breast fed for six months or more.

3) As children spend more and more hours of the day participating in sedentary activities, the importance of strong physical education programs in schools continues to become more apparent. Click here to learn about the benefits for children who participate in physical education.

4) Research has previously shown a link between the consumption of soft drink and sugar sweetened beverages and obesity. Now, current findings are showing that those who consume 1-2 servings of these sugary drinks a day have a 26% higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes compared to those who consume less than 1 serving a month.

5) What will they think of next?  A new app for your smart phone allows you to scan bar codes and receive an overall grade for a food product.  This grade is based on the amount of certain ‘bad ingredients’- such as additives, high fructose corn syrup, and high levels of sugar and/or salt.