Recruiting Participants for South Asian Focus Groups in San Francisco

Earlier this summer I posted an opportunity for members of the South Asian community in Chicago to participate in study on understanding the knowledge and use of bidi's, paan, paan masala, guthka, and zarda. This opportunity is now available for South Asians living in the San Francisco Bay area.

The focus groups will be held in October 2009. Participants who meet the criteria for the the study will be paid #30 for their time (approximately 1.5 hours). In addition, light refreshments (e.g., chaat) will be served.

Interested? Please contact:

Arnab Mukerjea, MPH

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Candidate

School of Public Health

University of California, Berkeley

Phone: 510.397.0827

Email: amukerjea@cal.berkeley.edu

Essay Contest: How Can We Fix Our Health Care System?

The Asian American Action-fund Blog (AAA) is sponsoring an essay contest centered around the healthcare debate. Specifically, how do we fix our system?

Please send your blog post on the following topic:

How can we fix our healthcare system so that everyone can get access to quality, affordable healthcare? Please share your thoughts and personal stories on why we need healthcare reform now (500 words or less).

How to Enter:

Please send entries to Richer Chen: rchen@aaa-fund.org

Deadline: September 25, 2009 at 8pm (EST)

Prizes are as follow:

First Place: One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150), 2 free tickets to the 2010 AAA-Fund Gala (a $200 value), and an exclusive invitation to become a featured AAA-Fund Blogger

Second Place: 2 free tickets to the 2010 AAA-Fund Gala (a $200 value), and an exclusive invitation to become a featured AAA-Fund Blogger

Third Place: Lunch with a AAA-Fund leader, and an exclusive invitation to become a featured AAA-Fund Blogger

Uninsured in 2008 reaches 46.3 million

According to HealthLeaders Media, the number of uninsured people in the United States reached 46.3 million in 2008. A representation of 15.4% of the U.S. population. The report further identified the following statistics:

• Among the foreign-born population, the uninsured rates for both naturalized citizens (18%) and non-citizens (44.7%) was statistically unchanged.
• The Northeast and Midwest, each at 11.6% had lower uninsured rates than the West (17.4%) and (18.2%)
• The number of people with health insurance increased from 25.3 million in 2007 to 255.1 million in 2008.
• Between 2007 and 2008, the number of people covered by private health insurance decreased from 202 million to 201 million, while the number covered by government health insurance climbed from 83 million to 87.4 million. The number covered by employment-based health insurance declined from 177.4 million to 176.3 million.
• The number of uninsured children declined from 8.1 million (11%) in 2007 to 7.3 million (9.9%) in 2008. Both the uninsured rate and number of uninsured children were the lowest since 1987, the first year that comparable health insure data were collected.
• Although the uninsured rate for children in poverty declined form 17.6% in 2007 to 15.7% in 2008, children in poverty were more likely to be uninsured than all children.

President Obama's Speech on Health Care - Talking Points

In case you missed President Obama's Address to the Joint Session of Congress on Health Care on Wednesday, September 9, 2209...the following are talking points:

When the President is finished speaking tonight, everyone who listens will understand that hisplan has at its core two overriding goals: to bring stability and security to Americans who haveinsurance today, and affordable coverage to those who don’t.

• The President’s plan will bring reforms that will reduce the unsustainable growth in thecost of health care, which has doubled in the last decade and will continue to rise at thatuntenable pace unless we act.

From the beginning of this process, the President has said that he believes reform should bebipartisan. And the plan he outlines tonight will be consistent with that goal – it will containRepublican proposals and Democratic proposals.

• So the Republicans will have to decide whether they are genuine in their wish to work ina bipartisan manner, or whether they will continue to vote against proposals they havesaid are key to reform.

He will clearly lay out what health reform means to Americans – both those that have insurancenow and those that don’t. He will also be clear about what health reform doesn’t mean –clearing up the confusion that has been fomented by the special interests and defenders of thestatus quo.

• He will also answer the big questions about how to move the health reform process forward andmake clear exactly what he considers real reform to be.

It is important to recognize how far we have come.

• Four of the five House and Senate committees have marked up bills. Today SenatorBaucus, who chairs the fifth committee, announced that his committee will move tomarkup shortly. Among those bills there is, essentially, 80 percent agreement, and eachof them is in line with the principles the President has laid out.

We are entering a new phase in the debate.

• Now is the time to begin pulling together the various strands of the bills that have beenwritten and the solutions that have been proposed to create a final product that lowerscosts, ensures that Americans cannot be denied coverage because they get sick, andprovides access to affordable health care for all.
• As the President will say tonight, he is not the first president to take up the cause of health reform but he is determined to be the last.

Members heard a lot from their constituents over August – including stories from people whoare struggling with the rising cost of health care or who have been denied coverage becausethey or someone in their family got sick. One thing has become crystal clear to any memberwho really spent time talking to constituents last month: Doing nothing is not an option.

After this speech, opponents of health reform will need to either propose their own plan orexplain why they think it is best to do nothing while health care costs continue to rise 3 timesfaster than wage, millions of Americans continue to be denied coverage because they got sick,and insecurity continues to grow. In just 2 years, 1 in 3 Americans experienced a gap incoverage. What the President will offer the country is stability and security in our healthinsurance system.

On Gov. Palin’s Attacks:

• Every non partisan organization that has looked at her claims says they are false. And the ideasin her op‐ed are both scary and risky. Eliminating Medicare and giving our seniors vouchersinstead is a bad idea that we shouldn’t adopt.

What the Doctor Says...

CNNhealth.com today printed helpful pieces of information from various medical specialists. Enjoy....

The Oncologist...
Turn the grill down - when meat is charred at higher temperatures, amino acids in the meat breakdown and form carcinogens
Adopt a furry friend - animals produce endorphins and decreases the stress hormone cortisol
Have a European Lunch -

The Gynecologist....
Don't play the doctor
Reconsider the pill
Take a bathroom break

The Dentist...
Eat your antioxidants - they help protect your teeth and gums from inflamming
Limit Lemons - the high high acid content can wear away tooth enamel
Soften Up - Hard-bristle brushes can abrade tooth enamel and cause gum recession

The Podiatrist...
Size yourself up - Have your feet measured every few years
Change your shoes
Banish bear feet -

The Cardiologist...
Do some navel-grazing - storing fat around your belly is linked with a higher risk of heart disease
Take your numbers - know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, especially if you are over the age of 35
Go (a little) nuts - Have a handful of walnuts a few times a week

The Sports-Medicine Doctor...
Risk making a fool of yourself - do physical activities that will challenge you; change up your exercises
Get your rear in gear
Buy new sneakers

The Neurologist...
Use it or lose it - play puzzles, crosswards, and sudoko
Put stress in its place - chronic stress shrinks the memory in the brain, and the stress hormone cortisol can hamper a person's learning ability and recall
Swirl some red - Choose a glass of red wine over white, however, having more than 1 glass (for women) or 2 glasses (for men) can increase your risk of cancer and other diseases

The Spine Surgeon...
Work your core to save your back
Move in close - when picking something up from the floor, stand close to the object, get low, then lift
Don't sit still

The Psychologist...
Be selfish - learn about yourself
Hit the party circut - seek out events where you'll connect with people you care for
Get high on exercise -

The Family Physician...
Let your birthday be a health reminder
Come in with an agenda
Powwow with the family - stay on top of your family's health

Soda & Juice - Targets to Fighting Obesity

A recent article in the New York Times, "New Targets in the Fat Fight: Soda and Juice" indicated that New York has decided against taxing soda's and juice. However, to continue working against the struggle of high-calorie beverages, New York City's Public Health Officials have unveiled an ad campaign that "depicts globs of human fat gushing from a soda bottle."

A number of opinions have been stated including pros and cons of this add. What do you all think? SAHEP would love to hear your comments!

APIC Best Published Paper Award - Call for Submissions (Due 9/14)

The Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health (API Caucus) as recognized by the American Public Health Association (APHA) is pleased to announce the Fifth Annual Best Published Paper Award. The award is to recognize achievement in the field of public health as it applies to Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander issues.
 
This award will be presented, along with the Best Student Abstract Award, at the 2009 APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia , PA on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at the API Caucus Social Reception.  To find out more about API Caucus events during the APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition, please visit http://www.apicaucus.org/apha/

Family Services Walkathon

Walk to Stop Domestic Violence on October 3, 2009.  Please register today or sponsor our event at http://www.maifs.dojiggy.com and invite your family, friends, and colleagues to do the same.
MAi FAMILY depends on your contributions for safe housing, legal fees, groceries, and other services for our clients.  Please donate with an open heart. 

Indo-US Global Health Symposium & Dinner: September 26th in IL

Saturday, September 26, 2009 

Time: 6:00PM 

Waterford Banquets 

933 South Riverside Drive, Elmhurst, IL 

 

Symposium on Global Health - 1 PM to 5 PM 

Cocktail Reception - 6 PM to 7 PM 

Awards Ceremony -  7 PM 

followed by Dinner and Entertainment 

$100 per person 

www.ichhaindia.org/summit   - 708-707-4428