Reflections: Weeks 11 and 12

Hey bloggers,
Wow, only a few more weeks to go!! I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone. Well weeks 11 and 12 have definetly been keeping us busy.....


Week 11:
During week 11, we watched a movie entitled Unnatural Causes which showed us how money creates power. It showed us that we are ranked 30 in life expectancy. I cannot believe those results. I always thought the United States would've been ranked better than that. This documentary also showed how stress relates to high blood pressure making systems to work overtime and creating cortisol. We also had the change to overview the THOMAS and Healthy People 2010 in order to collect enough data for our research project.

Week 12:
We had the opportunity to chose our own topic to do research for including the links above. I chose to do mine with accessibility to health care through insurance. It's a very serious problem that need to be addressed to increase the amounts of people with health insurance. A fun thing we did this week was watch some cartoon movies that I still remembered seeing from when I was a kid. We watched Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law if you must see this again! Another video that we found humorous was the Conjunction Junction video! We also saw a sneak peak of Dr.V's Frisbee skills as she tossed our reusable bags to each of us. It was a very nice donation of Super One to give us these bags!



I thin that through these last couple weeks, we've began to learn the political sides of environmental health. I hope that our generation IS known as the generation that has Gone Green just like Sara mentioned in class. Have a great weekend!

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Hey bloggers,
I chose to do my advocacy project on the Accessibility of Health Care Services because I am familiar with health care facilities and am interested in what is in store for them in the future. We also got an inside look at the THOMAS option which was very neat to investigate.
Through this review, I will provide the goal of this objective in Healthy People 2010, progress tables, disparities, opportunities and challenges, and emerging issues.

Goal for Objective 1-1

-Increase the proportion of persons with health insurance.

Target: 100 percent.

Baseline: 83 percent of persons under age 65 years were covered by health insurance in 1997 (age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population).

Target setting method: Total coverage.

Data source: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC, NCHS.













Goal:
Improve Access to Comprehensive, High-Quality Health Care Services.

The Progress Table

The progress table demonstrated a wide variety of diversities and showed if they met the targets, moved towards the target, or moved away from the target. It was surprising to see that the Asian or Pacific Islanders made progress towards the target or met many of the requirements targets throughout the whole progress table. I was also surprised to see how low the Hispanic/Latino rates represented. Even though they're working towards the target, they're statistics were rather low in each of the categories.

Disparities:

The chart of race and ethnicity represents the White, non Hispanic group as being the dominant among the health issues. They have a high score in receiving health care compared to the other groups. Following them are the Black non Hispanic group.

Along with race and ethnicity comes the Income, Location, and Disability table. The category that exceeds the rest is the Middle/High income group. The "poor" category is definitely the lowest on the scale. This goes to show that money means power.
The final group represented is the Gender and Education table. Females took control in this representation by scoring the highest in each of the categories represented. As the list goes on, you begin to notice the trend in education patterns. It showed that the less educated individuals were, the lower the rates were of health care trends. As we look at these results, it sends the message that the more educated are, the smarter health decisions you make.

Progress Towards Healthy People 2010 Targets

Even though some of these topics did not meet or exceed their targets, efforts were made in each of these instances. Many of the objectives and subobjectives progressed towards their target. Some examples include:

"HHS agencies support programs to measure and improve the quality of care for persons living with asthma and to prevent hospitalization for uncontrolled asthma."

"Progress toward the targets for persons with sources of ongoing care (1-4), persons with a usual primary care provider (1-5), and difficulties or delays in obtaining needed health care (1-6) may in part be attributed to the expansion of HRSA's community health center program across the country. The program now serves approximately 14 million people."

Opportunities and Challenges:

A staggering amount of 18,000 deaths have occurred due to the lack of health care insurance according to the Institute of Medicine. It's very difficult to measure since 45 million people are uninsured. This is a very big issue. If people do not have the resources needed to help assist medical bills, they are going to remain untreated. Long term consequences involve the services of home health, adult day care, assisted living, and nursing home care. There are demands that go along with health care facilities, but have to realize that it creates more challenges in meeting the overall target.


Emerging Issues
Issues such as workforce, insurance, and consumer-directed services are up for discussion. The demand for LTC is up for discussion since the baby boom generation has higher rates for disabilities. With the prices of health care, many people are having a hard time affording the cost of health care the way it is. This may create jobs for people in the health care field, but may use up many of their retirement funds to receive hands on care.
Bill:


H.CON.RES.48
Title: Expressing the sense of Congress that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met.

Sponsor: Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] (introduced 2/11/2009) Cosponsors (37)

Latest Major Action: 2/11/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Recommendation: Vote _____ (indicate yes or no) for H.CON.RES.48 Expressing the sense of Congress that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met.

My Political Representative: Amy Klobuchar
Contact Information:
Washington, DC
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
phone: 202-224-3244
fax: 202-228-2186
Email: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm

My Thoughts:
I believe that this issue is very important to be debated since many people are uninsured and undergoing serious medical conditions. I feel that since I am interested in nursing in my future, that I am passionate about health care for everybody. I live in a very small community where the nearest health care facility is about 45 minutes away which is not as accessible than in a large city. I found the issue of medical insurance is a very important topic to research. I hope you enjoyed my review!!

Reflections: Weeks 9 and 10

Wow bloggers! Look how far we've come. Spring break is over and it's time to get back in the school mode. It's been tough for me to readjust back into the school mode. So without further adieu I'll discuss what weeks 9 and 10 have entailed.



Weeks 9:
Throughout week 9, we began talking about our upcoming advocacy project we will be working on through the remainder of the year. I found this a great opportunity for us to research our environment in order to demonstrate what we've learned. We also learned about the ethics of photography which I thought were interesting. I never think about angles and the rules of 3 while I take pictures.

We were also assigned to research our political representatives. I am actually glad we got this assignment otherwise I would not know this important information. I think that by knowing these people, it will push us to contact them with our concerns about environmental issues.


Week 10:
Since Dr. V has been gone this week, we've been responsible for working on our photo essay. I initially wanted to do my project on the neighborhood streets and offer alternatives, but the snow storm made that hard to achieve. I got a few pictures of my neighborhood and also showing items within my house that would cut down on electrical usage. I offered suggestions such as unplugging appliances when not using them, charging batteries rather than disposing and buying new ones, and using reusable containers instead of throwing them away. I also offered the suggestion of buying reusable bags to carry groceries or anything else in.





I've found that the past couple weeks have been very informative and eye opening.

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

Hey Everyone!
I am proud to say that the photo essay definitely opened my eyes to things in my environment I'm not always aware of. Things as simple as unplugging a blow dryer when you're not using it is a step in the right direction. I took pictures in my personal environment that I'm exposed to everyday and came up with some alternatives as well to these behaviors! Enjoy!

This sign was very significant in my story since it shows a stop sign near a recycling area. To me it represents stop littering, and start recycling.

While I was on a walk the other day, I noticed a significant amount of garbage along the road which was once covered by the snow. It's almost as if the snow was a cover up of our dirty habits.


A very simple way of reducing plastic bag use is to invest in reusable bags.










These are sold anywhere from grocery stores to thrift stores. They are becoming very popular and really help cut down the amount of plastic bags used.












Walking, Carpooling, or taking the bus instead of driving everywhere!


















Then I decided to focus on things within my home. I thought of some alternatives to reduce the amount of electricity I use in my everyday life.Unplug appliances when you're not using them!




Use reusable products verses paper and plastic. This will save you a lot of money and help you limit your resources. I use reusable water bottles and a sandwich holder which is a lot more convenient and cheaper than buying sandwiches and drinks at the school.

















Use rechargeable batteries instead of buying new sets every time you run out.














Verses







I love decorating my room and other crafts around the house. I found that if you save items, they may come in handy in the future if you're making something. I made this mirror by using leftover items at home. Things that people might throw away, I try to reuse for something useful.




Looking all around us, it's so plain to see
It only takes one person to make a difference, that person could be me!
By showing all of these projects, I hope that people (including myself) will make these small changes in order to conserve and GO GREEN!

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President: Barack Obama (Democrat)

Contact information:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Email:http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send questions, comments, concerns, or well-wishes to the President or his staff, please click here!


Mayor of Duluth: Don Ness

Contact Information:
Don Ness:
Mayor's Office
Email:dness@duluthmn.gov
Room 402, 411 West First Street
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 730-5230
Fax: (218) 730-5904
Something I found very interesting is that Don Ness has facebook as well to communicate!
Don Ness Home Page



Governor of Minnesota: Tim Pawlenty (Republican)

Contact Information:
Mailing Address:
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Other ways to reach the office:
Telephone: (651) 296-3391
Toll Free: (800) 657-3717
Facsimile: (651) 296-2089
E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

^^^^^ The following information found here
Tim Pawlenty's home page


Congresspersons:


Senate: Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat)
Contact Information:
Washington, DC
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
phone: 202-224-3244
fax: 202-228-2186
Email: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm
Amy Klobuchar's Webpage here



House: James Oberstar (Democrat)

Contact Information:
James Oberstar
United States House of Representatives
2365 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2308

Email: http://wwwc.house.gov/oberstar/zipauth.htm">http://wwwc.house.gov/oberstar/zipauth.htm
Webpage here

State Legislatures:

State Representative: Thomas Huntley (Democrat)
Contact Information:
585 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
Phone: 651-296-2228

Email: rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn
Website here




Senator: Yvonne Prettner Solon (Democrat)
Contact Information:
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-9
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
Phone: 651-296-4188

Email: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_emailform.php?mem_id=1061&ls=86
website here

County Board Commissioner: Peg Sweeney

Contact Information:
Peg Sweeney
826 Almac Drive
Proctor, MN 55810
218-628-3598
peg@pegsweeney.com
Website here

Reflections: Weeks 7 and 8

Hey Bloggers!!!
Wow, we sure have covered a lot of information the last couple weeks. Hopefully everyone's keeping up! I feel like I've learned so much the last couple weeks. I am beginning to put the pieces together in order to change my lifestyle and the way I view my environment.
Week 7
The coolest thing that we did this week was the Environmental Group activity. This activity required us to research a daily product we use and to see how harmful the chemicals involved are. I chose Herbal Essences Hairspray which turned out to be a level 6. I was shocked! I know hairspray is not the most environmentally friendly, but I did not expect a level 6. It informed me that this product has been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, and also tested on animals. After knowing this information I have cut down my usage of this product. I don't plan on quitting it anytime soon, but am willing to try other products.

We also watched a movie called "Green" which was a student created film showing the effects of factories' pollution in Louisiana. It's known as "Cancer Alley" which is really frightening. The movie began interviewing families of the community who were physically effected from their cities' conditions. A woman told her story how she is a cancer survivor. Another story told of a woman who's children are developing asthma through the pollutants in the air. I was very shocked to see this film, but then began to think what these companies are actually contributing to. We are all unintentional contributors to these companies. Everything we use on a daily basis has been created through these corporations.

Week 8
During week 8, we watched a movie called "Thirst," which showed us the political side of privatizing water.

Since water is scarce, crime rates have increased along with death. The people of these communities are shouting, "Water for Life, Not for Profit!" That is exactly right! These companies try to make profit on everything possible. Everything is about money, money, money. Pretty soon the air we breathe will cost money at the rate we're going. I really take my water supply for granted. I can't imagine paying for water like fuel prices. Many people are dying due to lack of water.

That's when I began to think. What if Duluth was going through these problems? Would I be holding up signs and protesting like the people in the picture above? I actually don't know what I would do. I don't think that we should sit back and prop up our feet waiting for this problem to affect us. Would you protest against water prioritization? What if we run out of our water resources as a whole? We need to be aware of the fact that we have limited resources.

I believe that these movies have taught us a lot of information that will be useful in the future. Since many of us are in progress of being health educators, these are topics you may introduce to your communities. I never even knew these issues were being discussed since I took this course. I feel that we're all uninformed of these issues that are to be known. So take a stand, make a difference, and tell others about water privatization.
Check out this link:
Stop Prioritizing Water

Share and Voice: Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Hey Bloggers! Have any of you ever watched the show Extreme Makeover Home Edition on television? If you haven't, I highly suggest it. I have learned to love this show by seeing the differences people have made for others. One of the episodes that stuck out to me was a story about the Miller family.

The New House>>

The part that caught my interest was that this family took a risk creating this environmentally friendly home. Their home was partially underground to save money for insulation. Little did they know that gases were being trapped in the house and not able to escape. "It was discovered that the Millers were being poisoned by Radon, a cancer causing gas that is odorless, colorless and tasteless. The level of Radon gas in their home is the toxic equivalent of four people smoking 12 cigarettes a day. The Millers' respiratory illnesses could turn into lung cancer if the Radon continues to invade their home. Although the family had taken some steps to eliminate the toxins, not all have been removed. They've been told that they need to re-build their home, which is something that the Millers cannot afford."
Ty and the crew built them an amazing home which they began their new life. I always become emotional when I watch this show because it shows the devastation families are experiencing with little help and resources. Extreme Makeover Home Edition have also made strides in creating more efficient homes for these struggling families. Since radon is odorless, colorless and tasteless, people are unaware that these gases exist in homes. Check out the chart below!

If you have any further questions regarding Radon, I have a couple links below. Inspectors are here to help you if you want your house inspected. Primary resources such as radon monitors are available as well.




What do you have to lose besides your health?
Radon FAQ
Radon Testing
Radon Inspectors