Beats this week: 

1) Happy September! This month has several national health observances, including National Cholesterol Education Month, National Infant Mortality Awareness Month, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

2) Illinois’ current financial crisis continues unfolding: Illinois’ low credit score will cost taxpayers over half a billion dollars in borrowing expenses. Illinois currently has a credit rating on par with California.   

3) The New England Journal of Medicine published an article this week by Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about how prevention is promoted through the Affordable Care Act, aka health care reform. It is an interesting read that highlights the many innovative strategies used to promote wellness and preventive medicine.

4) It is that time of year again – time to get your flu shot! Who can believe it but another year has gone by and another flu season has started. Don’t worry, though, this year there is no need to get two shots because there is an all-in-one vaccine that will protect you from H1N1 and two other kinds of seasonal influenza.

5) A new study released by the Urban Institute this week found that more than half of all nine-month-old babies growing up in poverty are being raised by mothers suffering some form of depression. This is much higher than the rate of depression for mothers that do not have a low-income living situation.

September-October 2010

In This Issue

• Green Events
• Recycling A-Z
• Growing Herbs and Vegetables without a Garden
• Conserve Energy at Home

GREEN EVENTS AROUND CHICAGO

Last day for Chicago beaches- September 6^th

Anyone who wants to go for a swim only has a few days left to do so. After the 6^th there will be no lifeguards and swimming is officially prohibited.

Farmer’s Markets Close for the year- October 31^st- All over Chicago

There is still time to head to your neighborhood farmer’s market. But after October, they will be closed until next May.

The Field Museum’s Climate Change Exhibit

This exhibit has no added fee and runs through November 28^th. See the museums website at: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/climatechange_tempexhib.htm

Check out National Geographic’s September article on Green Chicago

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/chicago-green-traveler?source=link_fb08112010chicagotraveler

RECYCLING A – Z 

Each Go Green newsletter will give you tips on how to recycle common items in your home and office.

R and S Recycling:

Recreational equipment: Don’t send tennis rackets to your local recycling center; it just gets put in the trash. Trade sports gear in at Play It Again Sports (playitagainsports.com), or donate it to sportsgift.org, which gives gently used equipment to needy kids around the world.

Shopping bags (plastic): If your town doesn’t recycle plastic, you may be able to drop them off at your local grocery store. Dominick’s, Jewel, and CVS Pharmacy all accept grocery and dry-cleaning bags to be recycled. (To find other stores, go to plasticbagrecycling.org.)

School Supplies: Several companies now make binders entirely out of recycled cardboard (you can pick them up at OfficeMax) or pens and mechanical pencils that are biodegradable (available at most office supply stores). If you use standard #2 pencils you can just tear off the metal and the eraser and compost it. Used notebooks should also have the paper ripped out and recycled, while the metal spiral just gets thrown away.

Click here for more information about how to recycle A-Z.

GROWING HERBS AND VEGETABLES WITHOUT A GARDEN

Even if you don’t have access to a garden (or even a balcony) you can still grow some herbs and vegetables inside your apartment. Pick what you want to grow carefully; some plants don’t do well indoors. You do not need a lot of space either- a windowsill is large enough to accommodate several kinds of herbs.

It is important to keep your plants in the right environment. You should pick a sunny spot, preferably with near a south facing window. If you do not get at least six hours of sunlight a day, you should also add a special light bulb to help your plants grow. These can be purchased at any hardware store under brand names like Gro-lux or any bulb labeled “full spectrum.” Make sure when you install a light bulb that it is at least 24 inches away from them, to keep from drying out the soil too fast.

Everyone knows that plants need to be watered, but pay attention to how much; many plants get over-watered which can be just as bad as under-watering. Changing the soil and adding fertilizer can also help keep your plants from drying out. Make sure all of the pots have drainage holes in the bottoms, and put a plastic tray underneath to keep the water from dripping out and damaging the floor.

Select plants that grow easily indoors. Basil, dill, and sage are easy herbs to grow in tiny pots and are also used in many recipes. Tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce are vegetables that can do well indoors, as long as they get enough sun. If you are short on space, stick to cherry tomatoes and smaller pepper varieties such as chiltepins or tabascos. Your apartment garden will never be able to replace the produce section of your grocery store, but you can still enjoy a few homegrown treats throughout the year.

Thanks to DeWitt & Bosland’s article on container gardens.

CONSERVE ENERGY AT HOME

It may still be 90 degrees outside, but winter isn’t far off along with the higher energy bills that come with heating your home. Read over the tips below and start making changes now to conserve energy around the house. The environment and your wallet will thank you.

Turn Down…

1)      The air conditioning- Try to keep the thermostat at 78 degrees or warmer. Use fans to circulate air without using as much electricity.

2)      The heat- get a thermostat you can program so the house is cooler when no one is home or everyone is asleep.

3)      The temperature in the refrigerator and the freezer- The fridge should be between 38 and 42 degrees and the freezer should be at about 5 degrees. Any colder than this and you are wasting energy and potentially damaging your produce.

4)      The water heater- Turn the temperature down to 120 degrees. Unless you have a really old water heater, you won’t even notice the difference.

Turn Off…

1)      The lights- It may seem like a small step, but lighting takes up about 11% on the average electricity bill. Turning off the lights when you leave the room does have an impact.

2)      Your computer- Computers eat up a lot of power, even when you aren’t using them. If you don’t want to turn your computer all the way off, set it to hibernate, this will use less electricity.

Unplug…

1)      Anything you don’t use daily- Appliances use electricity, even when they are turned off. Whether it’s a CD player or an electric razor, if you don’t use it, unplug it.

2)      Everything when you go on vacation (except the fridge)- For the same reasons, unplugging appliances will save you money. Plus you won’t have to worry about an electrical surge frying any other your things.

Thanks to the Natural Resources Defense Council for information.

Read more about Erie’s Oral Health Program in the August editions of the American Dental Association and National Network for Oral Health Access!

American Dental Association (ADA) page 2

Beats this week: 

1) While this might not be surprising to some, here’s a piece that is most definitely good news: Illinois Health Connect saved Illinois millions in FY2008! This program, which links Medicaid patients with a medical home, where treatment and patient referrals are coordinated centrally, saved Illinois approximately $140 million, according to the Robert Graham Center.

2) And now here is more good news! Illinois has just begun providing new high-risk insurance pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions who are without medical covered. The program, Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, was implemented as part of health care reform and works on a first come, first serve basis.  

3) Have you been eating your leafy green veggies lately? Well, if not then you should! According to a study released recently by the University of Leicester, people who add more green leafy vegetables to their diet may significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Bring on the spinach!  

4) In a sign that the recession is continuing to hit home for Illinois families, birth rates in Illinois have dropped by approximately 5% according the data made available by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the National Center for Health Statistics. The results compare birth data from similar months in 2007 and 2009.

5) And finally to round out Health Beats this week, let’s talk about eggs. Are you unsure what eggs were recalled? Want to keep up to date on all the recent news related to the egg recall to ensure you throw out recalled eggs? Then be sure to check out these links for the latest news and updates.   

This weeks edition of Health Beats is on hiatus, but Erie would like to congratulate the winners of the National Association of Community Health Centers’ video contest! You are all doing awesome work for your organization! Keep up the good work!

Grand Prize Winner: Walmanalo Health Center, Walmanalo, Hawaii

First Prize Winner: AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles, California

Second Prize Winner: Grace Hill Health Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Feel full by eating less.  It sounds like a phrase you’d find on those miracle diet pill bottles that promise a 30 pound weight loss in two weeks.  Fortunately though, feeling satisfied without consuming a ton of calories is possible.

The secret?  Energy density.  Do you ever feel like you could eat a million M&Ms or Cheetos?  Well, the truth is, you can.  Maybe not a million – but foods like candy and junk food contain a high number of calories in smaller portions – they are high in energy density.  You need to consume larger portions of these types of foods in order to feel full.  
On the other side of the spectrum, there are foods out there that are low in energy density.  That means – you guessed it – there are fewer calories in larger portions.  You can consume more food without having to taking in more calories as you would if you were eating higher density foods.

Maybe this concept is the ‘magic pill’ we’ve all been looking for.  Or maybe it’s just Mother Nature’s way of telling us what she knew all along – that healthy grains, fruits and veggies are not only GOOD for you – but they enable you to feel satisfied without packing on the pounds.

So what should we look for when picking out these miracle foods?  Here’s three key points to keep in mind when entering the grocery store:

Water: Good ‘ole H2O.  Considering that the human body is between 60 to 70% water, it’s obviously an important resource.  Foods then that are higher in water will tend to provide volume but not calories.  Grapefruit is 90% water and only has 38 calories per half serving! Carrots, besides being good for your eyes, are 88% water.  In one cup of carrots, there is only 52 calories. And eating foods that contain high amounts of water can help with hydration, especially in these hot Chicago summer months. See the Hydration article from the July 2010 e-Spotlight to learn more about hydration.

Fiber: Foods high in fiber, like whole grains, veggies and fruit, will not only make you feel full faster but they also take longer to digest, so you’ll feel full longer. High fiber foods include apples, broccoli and even popcorn to help fill up and feel full, helping you to actually eat less!

Fat: Fat content is the daunting nutritional content number that causes health-conscious people everywhere to cringe.  Its obvious why – fat is very high in energy density. While a balanced diet includes some healthy fats (ex. fish and nuts), it’s smart to integrate foods with less fat into your diet. Fruits and veggies tend to be low in the fat content. For example, a mire teaspoon of butter contains the same amount of fat as two cups of broccoli. So be sure to increase the ratio of fruits and vegetables in your meals as well as eating the good fats in moderation.

To be able to load up on food without having to buy bigger pants seems too good to be true.  Where’s the catch?  Fortunately, this time there isn’t one.  It isn’t a pill with some weird side effect, a piece of exercise equipment that causes you to throw your back out or even a detox diet that leaves you starving – it’s just simple fruits and veggies, along with some healthy whole grains for good measure.  In the end– doesn’t that always seem to be the answer?

Sources:
eHealthMD
Helepguide.org

Erie Beats

Check out the electronic Special Edition of Spotlight, covering the Golden Toothbrush Awards!

Beats this week – National Health Center Week Edition: 

1) Happy National Health Center Week! What are you doing to celebrate health centers and all their accomplishments? Take a look at what some folks are doing around the country to commemorate this week.

2) Have you been following National Association for Community Health Center’s (NACHC) Health Center Week video competition? Well, if you haven’t then you should! It is a great way to find out about health centers across the country – even Hawaii!

3) This week has seen a great deal of news about community health centers – all good of course! NACHC recently released a report entitled, Community Health Centers Lead the Primary Care Revolution, which outlines the various ways that community health centers are best positioned to provide accessible, affordable high quality health care to those newly insured by health care reform. It is a great read!

4) Building on this sentiment, the Center for American Progress released a paper on the impact that community health centers have on underserved communities, specifically declaring that community health centers help to revitalize communities by creating economic benefits and high-quality care.

5) Finally, National Health Center Week kicked off with a bang on Friday when HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, announced the availability of Health Center New Access Point grant applications. This new opportunity for health centers will help fund approximately 350 new service delivery sites.  

Erie Beats

Check out Erie Family Health Center’s Summer 2010 Spotlight Newsletter! Read about what is going on at Erie via Spotlight electronically!

Beats this week:

1) Next week is National Health Center Week and it is going to kick off with a bang! This Friday, Health and Human Service Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, is sitting down for a tele-town hall conference with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to discuss Health Center Program and the Affordable Care Act.

2) Still trying to decide what to do for National Health Center Week? Lucky for you NACHC is keeping a great list. Check out all the awesome events going on in Illinois next week.

3) Sad news for Illinoisans: more Illinois residents are using food stamps than ever before. An estimated 780,000 Illinois families are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), up nearly 12% from the year prior.

4) Happy (kind of) Birthday ARRA funds!  After a year of having American Recovery and Reinvestment funds in our pockets, community health centers have provided care to approximately 2.1 million new patients! This is quite an accomplishment considering the goal was to provide care to 2.9 million new users over two years!

5) It is the news story that just keeps unfolding: Governor Quinn announced today the last of the planned cuts to the Illinois state budget. The new cuts include school transportation grants, operating funds for psychiatric hospitals and developmental centers, and a subsidy to Peoria’s Wildlife Prairie Park.