A report released on Tuesday by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) found that dental disease and access to adequate dental care remain a significant problem for children on Medicaid. The report titled “Extent of dental disease in children has not decreased and millions are estimated to have untreated tooth decay” was released on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. It is based on the NHANES data collected from 1999 to 2004. The entire report is available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081176t.pdf.
Youth
GAO reports that dental diseases remain prevalent for children on Medicaid.
getHIP 2010!
getHip 2010 kicked off at the annual Texas Library Association Conference at the San Antonio Convention Center on April 14. The half day preconference was a follow up to getHIP 2008, which saw librarians, school nurses, teachers, school administrators, health educators, and health sciences librarians come together to discuss a coordinated approach to school health. This year’s conference aimed to build on the success of getHIP 2008, and by connecting it to the TLA conference, hoped to bring a diverse set of ideas and collaboration from across Texas Libraries.
Dr. Pat Cooper, the Chief Executive Officer of the Early Childhood and Family Learning Foundation in New Orleans, LA, delivered an inspiring keynote address detailing his struggles and accomplishments with improving the school system in McComb, Mississippi. His address detailed the Coordinated School Health Program, a program that Dr. Cooper instituted at the McComb School District and described as “creating a nurturing family within the school system.” The program has had significant success in raising graduation rates, improving the health and well being of students, and providing a nurturing environment conducive to learning.
After Dr. Cooper’s address, a panel of health professionals and librarians from across Texas delivered presentations illustrating their own research and experiences delivering quality and relevant health information to children and families of Texas and promoting health careers among young people. Participants to the conference then had a chance to work in small group workshops and brain storm plans of action for implementing the ideas of the speakers into their own communities.
By bringing together informative presenters and motivated health care professional and librarians, getHIP 2010 has taken a positive step towards providing Texas schools and families with access to the health information and resources they need to make their lives better.
Grant funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for children’s health
February 3, 2009 is the deadline for proposals to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities” grant program. Texas is among the 15 states targeted for this initiative which “places special emphasis on reaching children who are at highest risk for obesity.” RWJF plans to award approximately 60 grants of up to $360,000 each.
Health Lotería #1: El músico
Last week was the annual Fiesta Week here in San Antonio, which inspired me to launch a new weekly series here in this blog: Health Lotería. For those who don’t know it, lotería is a traditional Mexican game rather like Bingo, but in which the caller picks out a card from a deck which has images that correspond to the squares on the players’ cards. Through the years, the traditional fun and picaresque images of the lotería cards have become icons of Mexican popular culture. It seemed to me that these images would go very well with discussions of health topics, because they are all images of daily life — which reminds us that health is not something that affects us just when we’re sick or go to the doctor, but is something that we live out in the decisions we make every day. So without further ado… let’s get started with… ¡¡¡el músico!!!
El músico (the musician) reminds us that we’re about to start the month of May, which is Better Hearing and Speech Month. This celebration invites us to better understand the causes of hearing and speech problems, and promote understanding and treatments for those who live with those problems. There are a variety of causes related to hearing loss; some are preventable and others are not. Fortunately, there are now exams which can detect hearing loss very early, in adults as well as children and even newborn infants. Moreover, we continue to learn more about how to avoid some of the preventable causes of hearing loss. For more information:
- MedlinePlus introduction to Hearing Disorders and Deafness
- Health Topics & Resources from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Brochures from the Texas Department of State Health Services: “Sounds of Texas-Can Your Baby Hear Them?” and “My Ear Hurts! Ear Infections“
- Texas Connect: Educational information for families of children with hearing loss
- Listen to your Buds: an educational campaign for young people about the risks of listening to personal audio devices (like MP3 players) at high volume or for long periods of time.
Next Monday we’ll continue with la lotería de salud… see you then!
Image: detail of #32 “El músico” from the lotería card deck “Gallo de Don Clemente” — Pasatiempos Gallo SA de CV y Don Clemente Inc.
Health Lotería #7: La escalera
Last week in the Health Lotería we gave you a preview of this week’s theme: “súbeme paso a pasito, no quieras pegar brinquitos.” Did you know the answer? Of course, it’s ¡¡¡la escalera!!! And with the ladder — and that saying about going step by step and not making any sudden jumps — we recognize that June is National Safety Month. This year, National Safety Month is focusing on four different safety themes, one for each week. And so, here you have links to some information sources about the four themes of the month:
- Theme One: Emergency Preparedness. The Department of State Health Services recently introduced its new website “Ready or Not?” with important advice about preparing for emergencies or major disasters.
- Theme Two: Distracted Driving. This CNN article discusses the results of a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute into the causes and the serious risks of driving while distracted.
- Theme Three: Poisoning Prevention. This guide from the Texas Poison Control Network offers a great list of practical suggestions for preventing poisoning at home and elsewhere.
- Theme Four: Falls Prevention. This page from MedlinePlus offers lots of information about the danger of falls for older people, while this booklet from Texas Children’s Hospital offers lots of suggestions for parents to prevent falls in their children.
One, two, three and four — and if you take them step by step without making any sudden jumps, you too can have a winning card! Until next week…
Health Lotería #8: La botella
This week on the Health Lotería we pick ¡¡¡la botella!!! Good thing, because we’re really starting to get the serious heat of the Texas summer — so we have to keep drinking plenty of water to avoid the illnesses that can affect us on hot days. To learn more about how to protect yourself from heat-related illnesses, here are some links:
- This page from MedlinePlus includes information about heat-related illnesses, with some links especially oriented toward:
- OSHA Fact Sheet: “Working Outdoors in Warm Climates“
- Hazard Alert from Center to Protect Workers’ Rights: “Heat Stress in Construction“
- The most recent issue of Texas Health Matters from the Department of State Health Services includes important health advice for all of us living in the hot Texas summer.
Next week in the Health Lotería: “da acá la pata y empiézame a platicar / los trabajos que pasabas cuando no sabías hablar.” Can you guess it?
HOPE exhibit in Laredo
On Wednesday, November 14, Julie and Linda, librarians at the UT Health Science Center exhibited at the 10th Annual Health Occupations Planning Exposition (HOPE) in Laredo, TX. They talked to over 100 high school and middle school students about medical librarianship and MedlinePlus™.
Increasing Enrollment in Clinical Trials
Monday’s issue of the San Antonio Business Journal reports on a National Cancer Institute-sponsored program at UT HSC’s Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) to increase the number of Hispanic children enrolling in clinical trials for leukemia. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez is the principal investigator for this study, which will place a promotora at the RAHC with the goal of increasing awareness of clinical trials among families as well as clinicians. The promotora will also work to address barriers that may prevent participation in clinical trials.
La lotería de salud #1: El músico
La semana pasada fue la gran Fiesta anual que celebramos aquí en San Antonio, la cual me inspiró a empezar una nueva serie semanal en esta bitácora: la lotería de salud. Por los que no la conocen, la lotería es un juego tradicional mexicana algo semejante al “bingo” pero en que el cantor elige de una baraja naipes que incluyen imágenes que corresponden a las cuadras en las cartas de los jugadores. A través de los años, las tradicionales imágenes divertidas y pícaras de la lotería se han ido convertiendo en íconos de la cultura popular mexicana. Me pareció que estas imágenes se emparejaron muy bien con discusiones de la salud porque son todas imágenes de la vida cotidiana, lo cual nos recuerda que la salud no es algo que nos toque solamente cuando nos enfermemos o cuando vayamos al médico, sino que es algo que vivimos en las decisiones que tomamos todos los días. Así que sin más… Corre y se va corriendo con… ¡¡¡el músico!!!
El músico nos recuerda que estamos para empezar el mes de mayo, que es el Mes de Mejor Audición y Habla (Better Hearing & Speech Month). Esta celebración nos invita a entender las causas de problemas de audición y habla, y promover comprensión y tratamientos para los que viven con esos problemas. Hay una variedad de causas que se relacionan con la pérdida auditiva, algunas de las cuales se pueden prevenir, y algunas no. Afortunadamente, existen exámenes que pueden detectar la pérdida auditiva muy temprano, tanto en los adultos como en los niños y hasta en los recién nacidos — y también sabemos cada vez más sobre cómo evitar algunos de los causas prevenibles de la pérdida auditiva. Para más información:
- Una introducción en español a los problemas de la audición y la sordera, de MedlinePlus
- Información en español del Instituto Nacional de la Sordera y otros Trastornos de la Comunicación (NIDCD, por sus siglas en inglés)
- Folletos del Departamento Estatal de Servicios de Salud: “Los sonidos de Texas ¿los puede oír su bebé?” y “¡Me duele el oído! Infección del oído“
- Conectando Texas: información educativa para familias con niños con pérdida auditiva
- Escucha a los taponcitos amistosos: una campaña educativa para niños y jóvenes sobre los riesgos de escuchar a los dispositivos de audio personales (como los reproductores MP3) con alto volumen o por mucho tiempo.
El próximo lunes seguiremos con más de la lotería de salud… ¡Hasta entonces!
Imágen: detalle de #32 “El músico” de la baraja de naipes lotería “Gallo de Don Clemente” — Pasatiempos Gallo SA de CV y Don Clemente Inc.
La lotería de salud #4: El pescado
Sigue la lotería de salud esta semana, con ¡¡¡el pescado!!! La campaña “No Attacks” de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental nos recuerda que a los niños, un ataque de asma los hace sentir como un pez sin agua (anuncio de radio, anuncio de televisión). El mes de mayo es el Mes de Concientización sobre el Asma (Asthma Awareness Month), y por tanto presentamos algunos sitios con información importante sobre el asma y su prevención:
- La revista para niños “Dusty la Carpa Dorada de Asma y Sus Provocadores del Asma,” de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental
- Datos básicos sobre el asma de MedlinePlus y de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades
- Folletos de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental: “Mantenga su hogar libre de los factores que pueden provocar el asma: ¡sus niños respirarán mejor!” y “Cómo purificar el aire que provoca ataques de asma en interiores: Diez pasos para hacer su casa acogedora para asmáticos“
- Anuncios del Departamento de Servicios de Salud del Estado de Texas: “Plan de Acción del Asma para el Centro de Texas” y “¡3 Strikes y Fuera!“
Regresaremos la semana que viene, con más de la lotería de salud.
