Dallas, U.S.A. — The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) will hold the latest C.A.R.E. (Communities Are Responding Everyday) Clinic for uninsured people in Dallas in September. The free clinic, held in conjunction with the Lone Star Association of Charitable Clinics (LSACC) and the North Texas Association of Charitable Clinics (NTACC), is scheduled for September 29 at the Dallas Convention Center, Hall A, 650 South Griffin St., and will be open for patients from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“While the political pundits discuss at length the pros and cons of the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, free and charitable clinics remain committed to providing health care to the medically underserved throughout the country,” NAFC Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux said. “With future implementation of the Affordable Care Act and expansion of Medicaid in question in Texas and other states, we recognize that it is critical for the medically underserved to receive access to health care today and in the immediate future.”

Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the country with about 26 percent of residents in general and 22 percent of children lacking health insurance. The overall uninsured rate is about the same in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but the situation for children is even worse with 26.4 percent lacking health insurance. Further, among people living in poverty, the rate of being uninsured soars to 46 percent.

“In 2009 the first C.A.R.E. Clinic was held in Houston and now three years later the needs in Texas and in the Dallas area remain incredibly high,” LSACC Executive Director Jody Hopkins said. “Charitable clinics provide health care to many of our state’s residents with little to no state or federal support. Charitable clinics are an important, critical and often overlooked member of the safety net and we look forward to not only providing health care to those who need it, but also shining a light on those clinics who provide care daily in Texas.”

Both medical and nonmedical volunteers are needed from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on the day of the clinic, Sept. 29, as well as for setup on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 27, and all day Friday, Sept. 28.

Medical volunteers needed for the Dallas clinic include doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, emergency medical technicians, medical administrators, licensed clinical social workers and more. Non-medical volunteers are needed to help with documentation, logistical support, patient intake and translation, as well as to be patient greeters and escorts.

Information on the event and how to register is available online at: www.nafcclinics.org/. Information on how to donate to support this and future clinics is also available at that address by clicking on the “Donate Now” button.

This will be the 12th in a series of large C.A.R.E. Clinics held around the country to bring together physicians and other health care professionals, as well as non-medical volunteers, to serve the needs of thousands of people who might otherwise go without medical care and to connect them to local safety-net resources.

Since September 2009, more than 15,000 uninsured patients have received medical care at C.A.R.E. Clinics. The clinics have been held in: Houston; New Orleans (three times); Little Rock; Kansas City; Hartford; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte; and Tacoma, Wash.

“Our C.A.R.E. Clinics have continued to show that volunteerism is alive and well in our nation,” Lamoureux said. “We look forward to working with the Dallas community to provide health care to those who may not have access and to connect the uninsured with safety-net providers such as charitable clinics, sliding-scale clinics and federally qualified health centers near where they live so that patients can receive regular treatment on an ongoing basis.”

Image Courtesy of  spirit of america / Shutterstock.com

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Hollywood, U.S.A. — Medbox company CEO, Dr. Bruce Bedrick commented on the recent admission by some Los Angeles City Councilmen that they are in favor of legalized medical marijuana. “We applaud the courage and conviction of belief shown by these city leaders,” Bedrick stated. “The weight of science validates that marijuana has significant medical efficacy. To ignore the evidence is to succumb to political tradewinds.”

Councilman Bill Rosendahl told The Los Angeles Times that he is in favor of legalizing marijuana and that he has had his own medical marijuana prescription for a decade, and relies on the drug to cope with neuropathy – a painful nerve disorder.

Paul Koretz, Councilman for the city’s Fifth District, told The Times that he is, “an unabashed supporter of medical marijuana.”

Both Koretz and Rosendahl said they share constituent concerns about the proliferation of marijuana, but disagree with the council’s latest strategy, which prohibits businesses from providing medical marijuana to even the most seriously ill patients.

Shortly after the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban medical marijuana, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed to hear arguments challenging the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical value.

The appeal asserts that the federal government has acted arbitrarily and capriciously in its efforts to deny marijuana to millions of patients, and that the government cannot apply “different criteria to marijuana than to other drugs, ignore critical scientific data, misrepresent social science research, or rely upon unsubstantiated assumptions.”

Numerous studies have been published that show the medical benefits of marijuana for illnesses such as neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s. Last year, the National Cancer Institute added cannabis to its list of Complementary and Alternative Medicines, pointing out that it’s been therapeutically used for millennia.

A new, comprehensive study on the evidence that cannabis may be useful as medicine was published in May of this year in The Open Neurology Journal, a leading peer reviewed publication. The study concluded that marijuana’s federal classification as a Schedule I substance “is not tenable; (and) it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”

Medbox supports sensible regulations on the medical marijuana industry, including assuring that dispensaries maintain a proper distance from schools, parks and playgrounds; and that operators submit fingerprint samples to the City to insure that they are not convicted felons.

Medbox is also in favor of increasing legitimacy and transparency in the medical marijuana industry. The company has developed a patented system that tightly controls access of marijuana to only those patients that possesses a current doctor’s recommendation, and verifies the identity of the patient through both an identification card and a fingerprint scan. The Medbox system also maintains a permanent and unalterable record of each transaction to assure compliance with all regulations and for taxation purposes.

Bedrick summarized, “We believe that the Los Angeles City Council will construct sensible regulations regarding medical marijuana through the upcoming referendum or court challenges, if needed. This along with the upcoming federal hearing in October regarding reclassification of the drug, may allow access to this medicine without further legal ramifications for patients that rely on its

Image Courtesy of    guneyc

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Red Bank, U.S.A. – With more than 60 percent of women in the United States classified as overweight and one-third of those women being obese,[1] a new survey from HealthyWomen (HW) sheds light on women’s understanding of obesity and the options available to regain their health. The survey found that while women are knowledgeable about the heart health impact of obesity, they don’t understand other serious health consequences, namely cancer. When asked about the secondary health conditions associated with obesity, only 49 percent recognized the link between obesity and breast cancer, and 29 percent knew about the link between obesity and uterine cancer.

This lack of knowledge extended to weight-loss strategies as well. When women were asked about obesity-prevention actions available to them, more than half of the respondents (52%) did not know if their health insurance offered support. Only 10 percent believed their plans covered bariatric surgery, and only 6 percent thought their plans included prescription drug reimbursement. While plans vary, many do provide support for a range of weight-loss interventions.

“We were reassured to find that women understand some of the health consequences associated with obesity,” said Beth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of HealthyWomen. “However, the survey does show several gaps in knowledge, which tells us more needs to be done to offer support and access to tools that will help them lead a healthier lifestyle.”

The online survey of nearly 1,500 women was designed to assess their understanding and knowledge of obesity and related health consequences. It also included a self-assessment of their current weight status and their strategies for losing weight. More than three-quarters of respondents identified themselves as either overweight (47%) or obese (25%). Overweight is defined by medical experts as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25, while obesity is associated with a BMI greater than 30.[1]

Asked how much weight they would need to lose to significantly reduce health risks associated with being overweight or obese, 30 percent of respondents said a 10 percent reduction was needed, followed by 28 percent who said a 5 percent reduction was needed. This is evidence that respondents understand that a modest amount of weight loss—5 to 10 percent of body weight—can produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugars.[2]

When it came to employing a weight-loss strategy, the largest group — 41 percent of women – stated that starting or increasing exercise was the one weight-loss strategy that was most effective for them, with 51 percent of respondents engaging in three to seven hours of physical activity a week. Managing caloric intake ranked second in popularity, favored by 25 percent of respondents. Additionally, when asked if a prescription weight-loss option were available as part of a long-term weight-loss plan, more than half of the women said they would be somewhat or very likely to try it (31% and 29%, respectively).

To support women with their weight-loss goals, HealthyWomen provides an array of resources that can help women tackle their toughest weight-loss issues at www.HealthyWomen.org/obesity. This month HealthyWomen will launch its new Online Community, providing women a venue to connect with medical experts on a variety of health topics, including weight loss, fitness and nutrition, as well as to share success stories and get support from other women just like them.

[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Overweight, obesity and weight loss” Fact Sheet. Available at: http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/overweight-weight-loss.cfm#a. Accessed: April 23, 2012.

[2] NIH Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. “Fact About Healthy Weight” Fact Sheet. Available at:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/obesity/aim_kit/healthy_wt_facts.htm. Accessed: April 27, 2012

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Reinforcing its commitment to the wellbeing of New York’s Latino community, The Mount Sinai Hospital proudly premieres ¡A tu salud! (www.mountsinai.org/latino), the first ever weekly health and wellness TV series created by Mount Sinai, debuting Saturday, January 7th at 11AM on Telemundo, Channel 47.

The series will re-air Mondays and Tuesdays at 5 am. ¡ A tu salud! spotlights the key health issues plaguing the Latino community and teaches viewers how to overcome illness and take charge of their health through inspirational, informative and uplifting stories.

“Only by giving the knowledge and providing the right tools to our Latino families will we be able to engage and empower Latinos for a healthier tomorrow; and ¡A tu salud! allows us to do just that,” says Wayne Keathley, President and COO of The Mount Sinai Hospital.  “This series was inspired by the three strategic goals that support Mount Sinai’s Latino approach: Educate, Engage and Empower,” concludes Keathley.

¡A tu salud!  stems from Mount Sinai’s continued commitment to expand its outreach to the Hispanic community, which is disproportionately affected by serious diseases and conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Cardiovascular and other diseases.

Each episode of ¡A tu salud! will feature the following 5 distinct medical segments:

1) La Consulta, which includes interviews with specialists, patients and other experts;

2)  Caso clinico, in which inspirational human interest stories are told in the voices of real patients and their families;

3) Pregunte al Dr. Guzman , in which the series’ Executive Medical Consultant and a leading cardiologist shares with viewers useful information to improve their health;

4)  Noticias medicas, which features the latest news from the medical field; and

5) Salud a tu alcance , in which  resources, services and tools are provided to viewers.

“As a trusted broadcast partner to the Latino viewers, Telemundo 47 is proud to be a part of this unprecedented initiative to bring quality inspiring, educational and engaging content to the Latino community,” says Carlos Sanchez President and General Manager, Telemundo 47.   ”Mount Sinai’s innovative approach marks a new milestone in our mission to offer Latinos culturally relevant local content that makes a difference in their lives,” concludes Mr. Sanchez.

Mount Sinai will support the series with a comprehensive communications and community outreach plan which includes microsites on Mount Sinai’s and Telemundo websites, radios spots, online banners, print ads and public relations outreach.

To see clips of the first episode go to: http://www.mountsinai.org/about-us/hispanic-initiatives/a-tu-saAlud

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