Posts Tagged ‘United States’

What’s National Health Service Corps?

October 25th, 2012

The Affordable Care Act provided $1.5B nationally (through September 2015) to the National Health Service Corps to train and recruit more primary care providers via scholarships and loan repayment assistance. It’s a federal program been building healthy communities by connecting primary health care providers to areas of the United States with limited access to care since 1972. 

The Corps basically brings health care to those who need it most because of limited access to care.  Today, there are more than 10,000 providers who commit to serve in underserved communities and serve many of the country’s most vulnerable populations.  In Arizona, the new expansion provides the opportunity for communities to use the Corps for recruitment and retention of primary care providers in medically underserved areas. 

Locally, our Bureau of Health Systems Development collaborates with the Arizona Association of Community Health Centers to provide tools and successful models for recruitment and retention to Chief Medical Officers, Medical Directors, Human Resources Directors, Clinic Administrators, and other staff involved in recruitment and retention.  You can find the full list of events happening in Arizona to celebrate the upcoming  Annual Corps Community Day.

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Posted in Affordable Care Act

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Menu Labeling & the ACA

October 4th, 2012

You might have noticed that more and more restaurants and fast food places are starting to put calorie and other nutrition information on their menus.  That’s not a coincidence or accident- they’re getting ready for the upcoming menu nutrition labeling requirements in the Affordable Care Act.  Section 4205 of the new law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calorie content information for standard menu items directly on the menu and menu boards.  Vending machine operators with 20 or more machines are also required to disclose calorie content for certain items. 

This kind of upcoming nutrition clarity is a real opportunity for public health change.  Not only will the new labels give the public key information to help them make better decisions about what they buy for themselves and their families- it’ll give pause to restaurants before they label their menus- giving them an opportunity to change ingredients to lower calorie counts.  It may even spur a trend away from “super-sizes” and toward more appropriate and reasonable serving sizes.  With 32% of the calories consumed in the US tied to eating outside the home- this is an important opportunity.  

But it’ll only help if people know what to look for and how to make informed decisions with the new info.  That’s where the Arizona and national public health systems come in.  We’ll have an opportunity over the next couple of years to take advantage of this new information and maximize its utility.  A great way to get ready to use the information that is appearing on restaurant menus is to know more about what and how much you need to eat to be at your best. Check out the USDA SuperTracker to get your personalized nutrition and physical activity plan, track your foods and physical activities to see how they stack up, and  get tips to help you make healthier choices. 

For many of us, making sure that we enjoy our food, but eat less is a good first step.  Avoiding over-sized portions is another one. Check out our SNAP-Ed Champions for Change – Arizona Nutrition Network website for tips on healthy eating and active living, great videos, fun games, easy-to-make recipes, and more.

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Posted in Affordable Care Act, Prevention

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Yet Another Obesity Call to Action

August 19th, 2010

You probably think I sound like a broken record because I’m always writing about obesity…  but it really is the dominant public health issue of our time.  Last week, the CDC released its latest Vital Signs report called “State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults – United States, 2009,”…  which finds that nine states had an obesity rate of 30 percent or higher in 2009. In comparison, no state had an obesity rate of 30% or more 10 years ago.  The report also finds that people who are obese incurred $1,429 per person more in medical costs every year when compared to people of healthy weight, and that the nation’s total medical costs of obesity were $147 billion in 2008.  OK that’s the problem- so what’s the solution?

 

The solution is a combination of public policy changes and community planning, combined with better education and personal responsibility.  For example, people need to eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods high in fat and sugar; drink more water instead of sugary drinks; be more physically active; and watch less TV.  As a society, we need to promote policies and programs at school, at work and in the community that make the healthy choice the easy choice.  You can read a lot more on the CDC’s Vital Signs Adult Obesity website.

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