Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2009

Think Pink in October

With baby boomers growing older, lawmakers say it will cost $1 trillion to fix America's healthcare system. But according to former Navy SEAL Phil Black, there's a much simpler solution -- seniors should just stay healthy.

"Spending $1 trillion won't solve the problem of old age, but spending $16.95 might," said Black. "With the new FitDeck Senior, millions of baby boomers and retirees can stay in shape and out of the doctor's office. That will lower healthcare costs for the entire country."

 Black is the inventor of "FitDeck," an innovative deck-of-cards workout that has succeeded as a budget-friendly alternative to expensive gym memberships. With over 100,000 original FitDecks sold, Black has just launched FitDeck Senior, a title dedicated to the needs of baby boomers (55+ years) looking to stay fit well into their golden years.

 FitDeck Senior is similar to other FitDeck titles but with a few key features tailored for seniors. The oversized 3.5" x 5.25" cards are easy to handle and read. Users can shuffle the cards in order to create hundreds of unique workouts in seconds. Cards are color-coded by muscle group and offer three different levels for beginner, intermediate and advanced individuals. No equipment is required to perform the 75 exercises and stretches in the deck.

Black conceptualized the original deck-of-cards workout as a Yale undergraduate and honed it as a Navy SEAL. "When you're deployed in the jungle or a desert, you don't have access to a local gym or comfortable exercise machines. We relied on body-weight exercises, like squats and lunges - and got an even better workout."

In addition to FitDeck Senior, there are 24 other FitDeck titles, including: Bodyweight, Yoga, Pilates, Prenatal, Junior, Stretch, Office, Travel, Navy SEAL, Baby Stroller, Stairs 

ReStart DC, a community program initiated by the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute at the George Washington University, will provide automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the Washington, D.C. community in efforts to increase survival rates for people suffering from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

 SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming nearly 325,000 lives each year, according to a release by ReStart DC. For each minute without defibrillation therapy, the survival rate of SCA victims decreases by about 10 percent, so rapid response with a defibrillator is critical. 



To kick off the program, ReStart DC will present 50 Philips HeartStart AEDs to local community organizations where large numbers of people gather, such as houses of worship, senior centers and community centers. The event follows the second annual National CPR/AED Awareness Week.

The event takes place June 11, 10:30 a.m. at Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Roman Catholic Church, 357 E. Capitol St., S.E., D.C. 


Prince George's County now has a total of 17 confirmed cases of H1N1 Virus (swine flu). While the virus is not particularly virulent, it remains highly contagious, requiring appropriate personal and community mitigation efforts.

"The death of the New York school administrator reminds us all of the potential for this virus to infect individual's exposed." said Health Officer Donald Shell, M.D., M.A. "To avoid acquiring or transmitting this virus between individuals, we all must remain vigilant with our personal hygiene, including covering our coughs, cleaning our hand when they have been exposed to nasal secretions."

The Health Department offers these suggestions to protect the public's health:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

On May 16 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., the United Medical Center hosts the Keeping Males Healthy community conference.

Medical experts will present and demonstrate today’s most pressing health topics and provide dental and blood pressure screenings, body mass index measurements, HIV testing and prostate evaluations. The community conference targets males ages 15 and older.

Invited groups include District government officials, Central Union Mission, 100 Fathers, Inc., Johnson Memorial Baptist Church, Black Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS, RAP, Inc., and area high schools. Invited celebrity guests will include championship athletes from the Washington Chiefs Minor Professional Football Team, Washington Redskins, Potomac Valley Amateur Boxing Association and the American Kickboxing Federation.

The conference takes place at the United Medical Center (formerly Greater Southeast Community Hospital) at 1310 Southern Ave., S.E.

Andromeda Transcultural Health Center offers free, confidential HIV testing Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at their facility, 1400 Decatur St., N.W. All services are free with appointment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For more information: 202-291-4707 or visit www.andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

Rockville High School remained closed at the beginning of the week because of swine flu, the Washington Post reports. The Montgomery County school and three other schools in the area are determining how long to stay closed and what students should do in the meantime.

One new swine flu case was reported in the metropolitan area on Sunday, the same day experts in the United States and Mexico indicated the outbreak might be less lethal than initially thought.
Out of the 22 probable cases in the District area, no deaths have occurred as a result of the flu.

The new "probable case" was reported at Howard University. School President Sidney A. Ribeau said it involved a student who traveled abroad in April. He said the student has recovered but has been isolated until test results are made available.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools consider closing for up to 14 days if a student comes down with the flu.

In Prince George's County, officials are working to teach the 1,200 students at two closed elementary schools that have been closed. School system spokesman John White said officials are considering sending work packets to students' homes. He said many students in the district might not have access to the Internet. Sixty percent of them come from needy families and might not have computers, he said. "We'd have to have more than one way to access students," he said.

Two Prince George's schools remain closed: University Park Elementary, where a teacher might have contracted flu; and Montpelier Elementary School, where a student might have caught the disease.

Tuberculosis, the infectious lung disease that the American Lung Association was founded to fight, remains active in Maryland, according to new studies. In 2008, there were a total of 278 cases of TB throughout the state, up from 270 cases in 2007, according to a report from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

While the majority of localities saw their TB numbers increase or stay the same, Baltimore City was one of six localities in Maryland where the number of tuberculosis cases decreased. Baltimore City’s cases dropped sharply, from 47 in 2007 to 32 in 2008.

“The Baltimore numbers show how we can protect people and defeat TB with awareness and attention to strategies that work,” said John M. Colmers, secretary of the Maryland Department of the Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH).”What Dr. Josh Sharfstein and his department have done to inhibit the spread of TB is an example for all local health departments, hospitals and clinics.”

In addition to the decrease in TB cases in the city, Baltimore County’s incidences of the disease declined as well, from 31 cases in 2007 to 20 cases in 2008.

“Proper detection, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are important for patient health and public safety,” said Dana Lefko, manager of Mission Services and Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Maryland.  “The methods in place in Baltimore City and Baltimore County are achieving results. That work must continue and grow in order to keep Marylanders safe from tuberculosis.”

Tuberculosis is transmitted through the air when someone with active TB in the lungs coughs or talks, and it is usually spread in close living quarters. Anyone inhaling air containing TB bacteria may become infected, which is referred to as latent TB infection. < 

In a statement released by Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National , an estimated 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in the United States and are a major health threat to the country.

“The health consequences of STDs can be staggering.  Chlamydia and gonorrhea, the two most commonly reported infectious diseases in the United States, are also among the most serious and preventable threats to women’s fertility,” Fenton said.  “Most STDs have also been associated with increased risk of HIV transmission.  While serious health threats from STDs cross racial and ethnic lines, disparities persist at too high a level.  Higher rates of the most commonly reported STDs persist among African-Americans and Hispanics when compared to whites.” 

The economic impact of STDs is also devastating financially, with an estimated cost of $15.9 billion annually to the U.S. health care system.

“As a nation, we must increase focus on reducing the economic and health impact of STDs.  We know STD prevention efforts are cost-effective yet often underused.  For example, a 2006 Partnership for Prevention study evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of 30 clinical preventive services and found that chlamydia screening was among the most highly valued but underutilized services.  STD Awareness Month serves as a reminder for all of us that expanded prevention efforts are urgently needed to reduce the toll of STDs and to protect the health of millions of Americans.”

The Maryland Health Care Commission has released the 2008 Maryland Nursing Home Family Experience of Care Survey, which provides ratings of the care provided by nursing homes based on the observations of family members and other responsible parties.  This marks the second year that individual nursing home results are available to consumers.

"Commission staff is to be commended for their development of a creative and valuable new tool,” said Commissioner Garret Falcone, executive director of Charlestown Retirement Community. “Selecting the right environment for a loved one is an important decision, and the survey provides valuable data and information in a user-friendly format to begin that process."

Statewide scores for survey question groups increased in three areas: staff and administration currently 3.6 vs. 3.5 out of a possible 4.0, physical aspects of the nursing home 3.4 versus. 3.3, and autonomy and resident rights 3.5 versus 3.1. There was minimal change in the scores for care provided to residents and food and meals, both at 3.5.

Although 89 percent of all respondents indicated they would recommend the nursing home to others, a 1 percent increase from 2007, the average score for overall care received was 8.2 out of 10, unchanged from 2007.

“Although we are pleased that the average statewide scores are high, there is substantial variation across nursing homes,” said Rex Cowdry, M.D., executive director of the Maryland Health Care Commission. One of our major goals in public reporting is to encourage improvements in care, particularly in nursing homes with lower scores.”

The Komen Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® awarded grants totaling more than $1.8 million to 23 programs across the state of Maryland on April 1. At least $700,000 in additional funds is earmarked for national breast cancer research for a total of over $2.5 million dedicated to fighting breast cancer. The $700,000 earmarked for research is combined with funds from Komen affiliates across the county to support the best minds in cancer science all over the world. Komen-funded research has touched every major breast cancer advance of the past 25 years.

The more than $1.8 million in local funding will support a variety of non-profit organizations from hospitals to health departments and independent support organizations.

Their programs ensure Maryland women have access to breast health education, screening and treatment. Many programs also aid women in treatment and their families who are medically underserved due to challenges such as language and cultural barriers, financial difficulties and transportation issues.. Additionally, Komen Maryland funds programs to help enroll local and minority women in breast cancer clinical trials at four hospitals in the Baltimore metro region and Eastern Shore.

“Komen Maryland is proud to provide vital funding to such a diverse group of grant-funded programs that reach across the state, from Allegany County to the southern tip of the Eastern Shore,” states Robin Prothro, Executive Director of Komen Maryland. The grant-funded programs also reach diverse populations including African-American, Asian and Hispanic communities in both rural and urban settings.”

As midterms, final exams and other school obligations loom ahead for college students, UnitedHealthcare introduces a free support network to assist students enrolled in its health plans. The program helps college students manage stress and other common issues that detract from their academics and wellness.

To access the free support line, students dial a toll-free number and speak with a master’s-level licensed clinician and/or registered nurse. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Last year, the Associated Press and mtvU network conducted “A College Stress and Mental Health Poll,” which revealed that about 80 percent of college students surveyed said they felt stress daily and 16 percent said a friend spoke with them about suicide.
 According to UnitedHealthcare, such concerns may be exacerbated by the crippled economy.

The initiative provides students with comprehensive support and information for a variety of health and well-being concerns, including family problems, work and school stress, financial woes, legal concerns, health problems and substance abuse.

“The Collegiate Assistance Program provides students with free comprehensive and expert behavioral health-related support to help them better cope with the issues and stress that affect their daily lives,” said UnitedHealthcare StudentResources President Bill Truxal in a statement.  “Stress can induce many immediate, harmful disorders – such as dizzy spells, headaches and insomnia – that can result in chronic health problems dow