Commonwealth Conversations: Public Health

Marathon Monday's a-comin'!

Posted by:
Maya Mohan, Department of Public Health

Maya is the Physical Activity Coordinator for DPH

It's that time of year again, folks.  Probably one of the most inspiring athletic events for spectators and athletes alike:  The Boston Marathon! 

And, as they say that a picture's worth a thousand words... here is what I can only describe as a few million words worth of inspiration to get you PUMPED for Marathon Monday - April 19, 2010. 
 

16.2 Miles to Go: Scenes from the 2009 Boston Marathon from Tom Lyons on Vimeo.

What a great tribute to the runners of the 2009 Boston Marathon.  Many thanks for sharing this with us, Tom. 

If others have pictures, videos or personal experiences they'd like to share with us from this year's Marathon, please do!  We'd love to see/hear them. 

Finally, to the all of the 2010 Boston Marathoners - GOOD LUCK!  Know that your dedication and athleticism are an inspiration to so many of us and we all wish you cool weather, loud raucous crowds to cheer you on, and a speedy recovery from this amazing feat you're about to accomplish! 

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¿Por qué más madres no están amamantando a sus bebés?

Posted by:
Kara Ghiringhelli, Department of Public Health 

Kara is a Nutrition Education Specialist at DPH.

Si a usted le gustan tanto las noticias como a mí, le debe de haber sido difícil no escuchar los reportes sobre la lactancia la semana pasada. Esta última oleada de noticias sobre el amamantamiento natural se debe a un nuevo estudio publicado en el Journal of Pediatrics. Dicho estudio confirma lo que siempre supimos: que la lactancia natural no sólo es más saludable, sino que ahorra dinero en costos de salud.  De hecho, el estudio afirma que si el 90% de las madres que recién dan a luz les dieran el pecho a sus bebés durante los primeros 6 meses de vida, se salvarían 900 vidas, serían prevenidas muchas enfermedades cuyo tratamiento es costoso y por ende se evitarían gastos de 13,1 billones de dólares en atención médica.

Con todos los beneficios de la leche materna –los beneficios para la salud y para el bolsillo– me resulta imposible no preguntar por qué más mamás no están amamantando a sus bebés. Se me ocurre que no son las mamás quienes no quieren darles el pecho a sus bebés. Sabemos que la mayoría de las mamás trata de amamantar naturalmente a sus bebés; según el estudio en cuestión, el 74% de las madres inicia la lactancia o al menos intenta amamantar a su bebé.  Pero el número de madres que continua dándoles leche materna a sus bebés disminuye drásticamente en poco tiempo.  A los 3 meses de edad, sólo 33% de los recién nacidos son alimentados exclusivamente con leche materna (o no toman ‘fórmula’). A los 6 meses de edad, sólo el 14% de los bebés se alimenta exclusivamente de leche materna.

Creo que el contraste tan drástico entre los recién nacidos y los bebés a los 6 meses de edad tiene que ver con la falta de apoyo para madres que están amamantando a sus bebés y el hecho de que hoy día la sociedad no ve la lactancia natural como un método ‘normal’ de alimentar a nuestros bebés.  Si las mamás están intentando darles el pecho a sus bebés cuando nacen, entonces es obvio que existe una falta de conocimiento de su parte. Pregunto: ¿qué les está ocurriendo a estas madres para que sientan la necesidad de suplir la alimentación de sus bebés con fórmula? ¿Qué cambios son necesarios para que las madres continúen dándoles leche materna a sus bebés?

Por favor díganos qué piensa, nos interesa saber su opinión.

Breastfeeding is Best—So Why Aren’t More Moms Sticking To It?

Posted by:
Kara Ghiringhelli, Department of Public Health 

Kara is a Nutrition Education Specialist at DPH.

If you are an avid news watcher like I am, it was hard to miss last week’s media coverage of breastfeeding.  This most recent media blitz on breastfeeding is due to a new study on breastfeeding published in the Journal of Pediatrics.  This study confirms what we’ve always known—that breastfeeding is not only healthier, but can save money in healthcare costs. In fact, this study states that if 90% of new moms were to breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months of life, 900 lives could be saved, several costly illnesses may be prevented, and as a result about $13.1 billion dollars in healthcare and other costs each year would go unspent.
 
With all the benefits of breastfeeding—both from a health and a financial standpoint—it’s enough to make me wonder why more moms out there are not exclusively breastfeeding their babies.  I have a feeling that it’s not that moms don’t want to breastfeed.  We know that most moms do try to breastfeed their babies—74% of moms initiate or at least try to breastfeed their babies, according to this study.  But the number of moms who continue to breastfeed drops down dramatically soon after birth.  By 3 months of age, only 33% of infants are exclusively breastfeeding, or receiving no formula, and by 6 months of age, only 14% of infants are exclusively breastfed.

I think that this dramatic shift between birth and 6 months of age has a lot do with the lack of support out there for breastfeeding mothers and our society not viewing breastfeeding as the ‘normal’ method for feeding babies.  If moms are trying to breastfeed their babies when they are born, it’s obvious that there isn’t  a lack of knowledge on mom’s part.  So what is happening to these moms if they feel the need to supplement with formula?  What needs to change in order for moms to continue to breastfeed their babies? 

Please share your thoughts.  We’d love to hear from you!

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Measuring Results in Our Daily Work – Reflections from substance abuse recovery centers around the state

Posted by:
JudyAnn Bigby, MD, Secretary of Health and Human Services

 

You may have already seen the new link for EHSResults on the Executive Office of Health and Human Services website. EHS Results addresses one of my top priorities: increasing transparency in how Health and Human Services serves the Commonwealth.

EHSResults defines the Secretariat’s strategic goals which include: Improving Wellness and Quality of Health Care; Building Safe Communities; Promoting Self-Sufficiency through Employment; Supporting Effective Government; and Educating Kids in Our Care. EHSResults explains the significance of each of these goals and measures the progress of attaining them in order to inform decision making. The EHSResults website is an additional step toward fostering more open communication with residents of the Commonwealth about the successes, challenges, and accomplishments of HHS agencies. We’re making great progress on a whole range of issues, from reducing the number of uninsured residents to easing application processes through the use of the Virtual Gateway.

Recently, I had the chance to see firsthand the efforts of five peer recovery support centers that facilitate recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Recovery centers are peer-driven, community-based programs that provide a host of services that are integral to sustaining recovery from substance use disorders. The key to these centers is the active involvement of its members in the design, implementation and oversight of the center’s activities. What’s particularly exciting is that while fulfilling their missions, they are also making strides toward fulfilling five of the six strategic goals identified by EHSResults.

El humo del cigarrillo

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

Jordan is the Director of Ethnic Media Engagement for the Department.

Como les había comentado anteriormente, estamos trabajando en una serie de podcasts y blogs sobre el alcohol, las drogas y el tabaco. El mes pasado publicamos materias sobre la alta prevalencia de muertes por sobredosis de narcóticos en la comunidad latina, los problemas generales de drogadicción y alcoholismo y sobre la importancia de dejar de fumar.

Hoy quiero retomar el tema del cigarrillo y hablarles sobre el humo pasivo o, como le dicen en inglés, secondhand smoke. Si prefieren escucharme, hagan clic aquí.

Las principales víctimas del humo del cigarrillo son los niños. Y pese a que el número de niños expuestos al humo en el hogar ha disminuido en los últimos años, aún se estima que más de 200.000 niños en Massachusetts no están protegidos contra el humo del tabaco en sus propias casas.

Al estar expuestos al humo del cigarrillo, los niños están en peligro de tener ataques de asma, infecciones de oído y ser víctimas del síndrome de muerte súbita del lactante. Además, los niños que respiran humo de tabaco tienen más probabilidades de ser hospitalizados por tos, resfriados, asma, pulmonía, e infecciones de oído.

Si usted es fumador, la mejor forma de proteger a sus hijos es dejar el cigarrillo. Es más fácil dejar de fumar para siempre si usa parches, goma de mascar o medicamentos bajo receta médica, que si trata de dejar de fumar sin ninguna ayuda.

Muchos seguros médicos, incluido “MassHealth”, cubren los gastos de medicamentos y servicios de consejería para dejar de fumar. Para recibir ayuda hoy mismo, llame al 1-800-8-déjalo (1-800-833-5256).

También puede encontrar más información en español en nuestra página web.

Si desea comunicarse conmigo directamente, no dude en escribirme: jordan.coriza@state.ma.us o llamarme al (617) 624-6063.

Weekly Flu Report: April 8, 2010

Download Weekly Flu Report: Download Weekly Report_4_08_10 (Download PDF Weekly Report 4_08_10)

Attached is this week's flu report. Once again, the levels of flu-like activity remain lower than what is expected for this time of year. Nevertheless, flu season is unpredictable and there is plenty of H1N1 vaccine still available. Find a clinic near you at http://flu.masspro.org or contact your doctor to schedule an appointment to get you and your family vaccinated.

H1N1: Lessons Learned

 Last month, over 700 public health, health care, school and community leaders joined Commissioner Auerbach at the DPH-sponsored "Responding to H1N1 Influenza: Lessons Learned" conference at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA.

 

 
The day- long event provided an opportunity to review lessons learned and highlight best practices from the 2009-2010 H1N1 flu season. Presenters from a variety of fields and disciplines shared their experiences on topics ranging from patient education, vaccine distribution, outreach to vulnerable populations and non-traditional partnerships.

 

 
In addition, Commissioner Auerbach presented Public Health Hero awards to thirteen organizations who took extraordinary steps during the pandemic. The ceremony was an opportunity for DPH to publicly recognize the hard work and dedication of these organizations which helped protect the health of the public and reduce the number of people who developed serious illness and the number who died.

 

An Intro to the Paralympics

Posted by:
Rachel Tanenhaus, Department of Public Health 

Rachel is the Program Coordinator for the Healthy Aging and Disability Unit.

  

I love the Olympics.  In February, I stayed up far later than I should have watching elite athletes compete in skiing, ice skating, luge, and other thrilling events.  But my excitement didn’t end with the closing ceremonies on February 28.  For me and for others around the world, Olympic fever continued well into March, thanks to the Paralympic Games. 

The Paralympics take place a few weeks after the close of both the Summer and Winter Olympics in the same location, using the same facilities and equipment, and featuring elite athletes competing at many of the same events.  The difference is that these athletes have mobility impairments or visual impairments.  This is not the Special Olympics(an annual event for people with intellectual disabilities with a focus on participation rather than competition).  This is hard-core, wear-your-mouth-guard, international-level sport. 

Paralympic events are as intense, difficult, awe-inspiring, and breathtaking as Olympic ones, which may be why some people would rather see an integrated Olympicsthan two separate sets of games.  I can understand that myself, although I’ll continue to watch the Paralympics for as long as they occur.  I have heard people say that they find the Paralympics “more inspiring” than the Olympics, but as far as I can tell, most Paralympians just want to be recognized as skilled athletes in a class with their Olympian peers.  It’s incredible when a person wins a medal by hurling down a hill at high speed whether or not they’ve got a disability.  But the Paralympics do change the way people think, in that many folks have never seen or thought about athletes with disabilities before.  For a lot of people, the idea of active, strong, mobile people with disabilities is a new one. 

Na luta contra a obesidade

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

Jordan is the Director of Ethnic Media Engagement for the Department.

Semana passada o governo anunciou que Massachusetts recebeu mais de meio milhão de dólares – $633.000 – para a luta contra a obesidade. Diante do tamanho do problema, essa quantia pode parecer minúscula. Não é irônico que precisemos de dinheiro para que as pessoas comam menos? Em qualquer outro lugar as pessoas precisam de dinheiro para se alimentar, enquanto que aqui precisamos de dinheiro para ensinar as pessoas a se alimentar melhor.

Aqui está o problema: nós não nos alimentamos corretamente. Sabemos que é mais fácil e barato comprar junk food do que comprar ingredientes frescos e preparar uma refeição saudável. Mas não precisa ser assim.

A verba que o estado recebeu será destinada, em grande parte, para informar as pessoas sobre como se alimentar de forma mais saudável. Por exemplo, você sabia que a partir de novembro as redes de restaurantes com sucursais em Massachusetts deverão mostrar ao cliente o teor calórico das refeições que vendem? O principal objetivo desse requisito é facilitar ao cliente a escolha de comidas com menos calorias. Medidas semelhantes foram aplicadas na cidade de Nova Iorque e outras partes do país. Nesses locais se comprovou que quando o cliente sabe o teor calórico dos pratos, ele tende a escolher alimentos com menos calorias. Isto é, as pessoas que sabem quantas calorias há nas suas refeições tendem a se alimentar de forma mais saudável. Ao mesmo tempo os restaurantes estão modificando suas receitas para preparar os mesmos pratos, porém com menos calorias.

E que mais o governo pode fazer para reduzir o que os especialistas chamam “a epidemia” de obesidade neste país? O governo pode fazer muito. O exemplo acima é apenas um de muitos exemplos que poderiam ser citados aqui.

Contudo, a responsabilidade pessoal é fundamental na luta contra a obesidade. Portanto pergunto: o que você acha que as pessoas podem fazer em casa, no trabalho, nas escolas e nas comunidades para pôr um fim nessa epidemia?

Muito além das verbas do governo ou da opinião dos profissionais de saúde pública, todos nós podemos e devemos fazer algo para solucionar o problema da obesidade.

O que você acha?

Weekly Flu Update: April 1, 2010

Download Weekly_Flu_Report_04_01_10 (Download PDF)

Here's this week's flu activity report. We continue to see lower levels of flu activity when compared to the amount of flu we typically see at this time of the year. While this is great news, it's really important to remember that flu can be unpredictable, and there are still opportunities to get an H1N1 vaccine if you haven't already done so. Check out a complete list of flu clinics at http://flu.masspro.org.