Commonwealth Conversations: Public Health

FMAP Funds: Critical to Health Care & Our Economy

Posted by: David Morales, Commissioner, Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

Today, federal legislation that extends "FMAP" funding was delayed. Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) are used to determine the amount of "Federal matching funds" each State will receive for assistance in making payments for State social service, medical, and medical insurance expenditures. Needless to say, FMAP funding - which is worth billions of dollars in Massachusetts - is vital to our State's education, human services, and public safety infrastructure. 

So, why should you care about whether Congress extends this funding to our Commonwealth? Here are some reasons:

• Health & Human Services projects that the FMAP extension is worth at least $609 million in additional federal reimbursements for the next fiscal year 
• FMAP funds help to ensure that we protect vital state services during this global economic recession 
• Funding cuts will have negative impacts on our health care reform efforts 
• If FMAP funds are not extended, the State will have to cut over $700 million from next fiscal year's budget, possibly resulting in immediate and painful loss of jobs and state services for Massachusetts families and businesses 

With the start of a new fiscal year on July 1, states like Massachusetts are working hard to balance next year's budget. As we continue to climb out of the recession, receiving FMAP funds and mitigating additional budget cuts will help strengthen our economic position. 

This is an important issue that requires all of our attention.

¿Qué es la rabia?

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

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

Para finalizar la serie de información sobre los animales y las enfermedades comunes en el verano, hoy les quiero hablar de la rabia.

¿Qué es la rabia?
La rabia es una enfermedad causada por un virus que afecta al cerebro. Es una enfermedad mortal. La rabia en seres humanos es poco frecuente en los Estados Unidos; sin embargo, la rabia en determinados animales –en especial los animales salvajes– es común en muchas regiones del país, incluso en Massachusetts.

¿Cómo se transmite la rabia?
El virus de la rabia vive en la saliva de los animales infectados. Se transmite por la mordedura o arañazo de dichos animales. El virus también puede propagarse si la saliva de un animal infectado entra en contacto con piel lesionada, heridas abiertas o el interior de la boca, nariz u ojos.

¿Qué tipos de animales transmiten la rabia?
El virus de la rabia puede infectar a cualquier mamífero (si tiene pelo es un mamífero). No obstante, es más común en determinados mamíferos, como en los mapaches (raccoons), zorrillos (skunks), zorros (foxes) y murciélagos (bats). Los gatos, los perros y el ganado también pueden contraer rabia –y transmitirla a sus dueños– si no se les ha aplicado la vacuna como medio de protección.

Para evitar una posible exposición a la rabia, usted debe:

• Mantener distancia de los animales salvajes y callejeros;
• Asegurarse de que su perro, gato u hurón tenga las vacunas contra la rabia al día;
• Alimentar a sus mascotas adentro y no dejarlas que estén afuera sin supervisión;
• Si usted encuentra un murciélago en su casa, no lo suelte; comuníquese con su departamento de salud local para que le digan qué hacer.
• Si lo muerde o rasguña un animal ajeno, una mascota vacunada, lávese la herida inmediatamente y comuníquese con su proveedor de atención médica o con su departamento de salud local.

Puede obtener más información sobre estos temas en la página web del Departamento de Salud Pública de Massachusetts: www.mass.gov/dph.

O que é raiva?

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

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

A fim de finalizar a série de informação sobre os animais e as doenças comuns do verão, hoje gostaria de falar sobre a raiva.

O que é raiva?
A raiva é uma doença causada por um vírus que ataca o cérebro. Ela é uma doença fatal. Nos Estados Unidos, a raiva é muito rara em seres humanos, mas é comum em certos animais – principalmente animais selvagens – em várias regiões do país, inclusive no estado de Massachusetts.

Como a raiva é transmitida?
O vírus da raiva vive na saliva de animais infectados, e é transmitido pela mordida ou arranhão desses animais. O vírus também pode ser transmitido pelo contato da saliva de um animal infectado com lesões na pele, feridas abertas ou com a boca, o nariz ou os olhos.

Que tipos de animais transmitem raiva?
O vírus da raiva pode infectar qualquer mamífero (todo animal com pêlo é um mamífero), mas é mais comum em determinados animais, como guaxinins (raccoons), gambás (skunks), raposas (foxes), morcegos (bats). Cães, gatos e gado também podem contrair raiva – e transmitir a doença a seus donos – se não receberem a vacina apropriada que os protege.

Para evitar ser exposto à raiva, faça o seguinte:

• Fique longe de animais selvagens ou sem dono.
• Tenha certeza de que seu cão, gato ou furão esteja vacinado contra a raiva e que a vacinação esteja em dia.
• Alimente seu animal de estimação dentro de casa e nunca o deixe do lado de fora sem supervisão.
• Se você encontrar um morcego dentro da sua casa, não o libere. Ligue para o seu departamento local de saúde e pergunte o que deve fazer.
• Se um animal alheio ou de estimação vacinado morder ou arranhar você, lave a ferida imediatamente e entre em contato com seu provedor de serviços de saúde ou com o departamento de saúde local.

Poderá achar mais informação sobre esses tópicos no website do Departamento de Saúde Pública de Massachusetts: www.mass.gov/dph.

Small Business Owners on the North Shore Feel the Effects of Rising Health Care Costs

Posted by: David Morales, Commissioner, Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

Yesterday I visited the Enterprise Center at Salem State College and met with Executive Director Christine Sullivan, North Shore Alliance for Economic Development President Bill Luster, and other small-business owners and leaders from the North Shore and Greater Boston to talk about health care costs, strategies to mitigate cost growth, and the impact of rising costs on economic growth.

More than 20 people sat around the table and shared very real stories of challenges and opportunities in dealing with the Massachusetts health care delivery system.

I heard from Ted Stux of New England Cranberry Co. in Lynn who has seen a 24 percent increase in family plan premiums, up from approximately $13,000 in 2009 to $16,000 in 2010. George Carey of Finz Restaurants in Dedham and Salem has been forced to increase the annual deductible from $500 to $2,000 due to a 27.8 percent increase in the insurance premium. Skyrocketing premiums are hurting Tony Klein of Thermal Circuits in Salem when competing in global markets.

The recurring message I heard is that we must take action and aggressively support measures for small business owners to provide affordable health care coverage so that they can grow their companies and grow the economy. If we do not invest in them, they cannot invest in us, and a full economic recovery will be more difficult to attain.

As such, the Division will continue to use the tools afforded to us by the Legislature, including the annual analysis of health care cost trends and the development of an all-payer claims database (APCD), to provide stakeholders with the data necessary to improve the health care delivery system and to enable employers and consumers to become more prudent purchasers of health care. Over the next several months, we will continue to meet with employers to better understand their needs and concerns, and partner with them to support transparency, integration, and wellness.

 

The Demise of a Family Farm

Posted by:
Meghan Morse, Department of Public Health

Meghan is a Nutrition Education Specialist for DPH.

 

A local family farm in my community was recently sold. I am upset that the current owners are not actively farming the land. Well, I guess, it is better than razing the land for the development of McMansions.

Every year my family would choose this destination for strawberry picking in June, apple picking in September, and pumpkin picking in October. I was delighted that even though our small community lacked a supermarket, we did have a farm stand. It was my habit, during the warm weather, to stop on my way home every night to select vegetables and flowers for my dinner table. Sometimes I would stop in at the end of my bike ride to check out what was new and to have a friendly chat with the farmers.

Not only did we lose a fabulous asset to our community, we lost a way to connect our children to food. Did you know that some children in Massachusetts think that vegetables come from a factory? My interpretation of this research is that these children have only been exposed to processed foods. It is alarming but true.

I feel that we all have a responsibility to support our local farms. Now, I will need to make an effort to plan my travel to include a brief visit to the neighboring farms. I will be in pursuit of white patty pan squash, antique eggplant, and brandyvine tomatoes.

As summer vacation quickly approaches, I am aware of another negative impact the demise of this family farm will have. Many neighborhood kids don’t have summer jobs; some of them were probably looking forward to working there!

Have you lost a family farm in your community? Please tell us how its loss has impacted you and your family.

Addressing APCD Security, Privacy, and Confidentiality

Posted by: David Morales, Commissioner, Division of Health Care Finance and Policy

Buzzwords are everywhere in government.  A few years ago, "deep-dive" was the word of choice. Everyone was suggesting a deep-dive into one issue or another.  More recently, the term du jour seems to be "silo." These unfortunate silos seem to be everywhere, and everyone wants to break them down.  

I bring up buzzwords because I recently had the pleasure of presiding over my first regulatory hearing as Commissioner of the Division, and certain phrases were used over and over again. As you may know, we proposed regulations to collect and make data available on all health care claims in Massachusetts through a database called the All-Payer, All-Provider Claims Database (the "APCD").

The APCD will be an unprecedented, centralized database of health care information.  It will be used to study health care costs, quality, and utilization as we have never been able to examine these areas before, and more importantly, it will offer consumers and employers full transparency about these issues.  

At the hearing, there was general support for the APCD, but many also expressed reservations about the Divison's ability to protect confidential information in the database. In fact, the same three words kept repeatedly coming up: "security," "privacy," and "confidentiality".

Cuidado con los mosquitos

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

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

Lo prometido es deuda. La semana pasada les comenté que escribiría una serie de blogs sobre algunos animalitos abundantes en el verano y las enfermedades que nos pueden contagiar. A continuación, les hablo de un insecto muy conocido y muy molesto: el mosquito.

El virus del Nilo occidental (WNV, por sus siglas en inglés) y la encefalitis equina oriental (EEE) son enfermedades que las personas pueden contraer si les pica un mosquito infectado. Para prevenir estas enfermedades, usted debe evitar las picaduras de mosquitos, lo que puede hacer de la siguiente manera:

• Use repelentes que contengan DEET, permetrina, IR3535, picaridina (KBR 3023). Además, se sabe que el aceite de eucalipto limón protege tanto cuanto pequeñas concentraciones de DEET. Use los repelentes según las instrucciones en la etiqueta del producto.
• Asegúrese de que los niños se cubran los brazos y las piernas al jugar afuera. Si lleva un bebé a pasear, cubra el carrito o el corralito con redecillas antimosquitos.
• Repare cualquier hoyo que haya en sus mosquiteros/mallas y asegúrese de que estén bien instaladas en puertas y ventanas.
• Elimine cualquier depósito de agua estancada alrededor de su casa. Los mosquitos se crían en charcos o agua que esté estancada por más de cuatro días. Verifique los desagües de lluvia y los drenajes del techo, macetas vacías, botes de basura, cubetas de reciclaje, neumáticos viejos, piscinas inflables para niños, agua para pajaritos, etc.

Puede obtener más información sobre este tema en la página web del Departamento de Salud Pública de Massachusetts.

Cuidado com os mosquitos

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

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

Promessa é dívida. Semana passada falei que escreveria uma série de blogs sobre alguns animais abundantes no verão e as doenças que eles podem transmitir. Veja, a seguir, informação sobre um inseto bem conhecido e bem chato: o mosquito.

O vírus do Nilo Ocidental (WNV) e a encefalomielite eqüina do leste (EEE) são doenças que podem afetar pessoas quando picadas por um mosquito infectado. Para prevenir essas doenças, você deve evitar as picadas de mosquitos tomando as seguintes precauções:

• Use repelentes que contenham DEET, permetrina, IR3535 ou picaridina (conhecida como KBR 3023) para se proteger dos mosquitos. O óleo de eucalipto citriodora também oferece proteção semelhante à de DEET em pequena quantidade. Use o repelente conforme as instruções no rótulo do produto.
• Cubra os braços e as pernas das crianças quando forem brincar ao ar livre. Se levar um bebê para fora de casa, cubra o carrinho ou berço com uma rede para mosquitos.
• Conserte furos nas telas e tenha certeza de que elas estejam bem instaladas em todas as portas e janelas.
• Elimine toda água estagnada perto de sua casa. Os mosquitos põem ovos em poças d’água ou qualquer água que estiver parada durante mais de 4 dias. Verifique as calhas do telhado, vasos de cerâmica, latões de lixo, recipientes para reciclagem, pneus velhos, piscinas infláveis para crianças, banheirinhas de pássaros, etc.

Poderá achar mais informação sobre esse tópico no website do Departamento de Saúde Pública de Massachusetts.

Massachusetts: Born and Raised

Chapter five of the “Health of Massachusetts” looks at the health and well-being of the mothers, infants, and children of the Commonwealth. Specifically, we present information on the changing demographics of those being born in Massachusetts, statewide maternal and infant health characteristics, and the use of services such as prenatal care, fertility treatments, and the Women Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition program.

 

All of the data on birth, fetal deaths, and infant deaths in Massachusetts is collected by the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. This information, along with data from statewide maternal and child health programs and surveillance systems, is essential for surveillance, research, and creating public health programs, policies, and interventions.

 

We can see from this data that health outcomes for women, infants, and children in Massachusetts compares quite favorably with those of the rest of the country. Massachusetts has infant mortality and teen birth rates that are among the lowest in the country. However, certain health issues have not seen improvement and substantial differences still exist in many areas. 

 

Learn more on our website at: www.mass.gov/dph/healthofmassachusetts.

Mosquitos, garrapatas y otros animalitos del verano

Posted by:
Jordan Coriza, Department of Public Health

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

Tengo la impresión de que para cada estación del año, para cada clima, tenemos una preocupación de salud diferente. En invierno hablamos de la gripe, en verano de las enfermedades transmitidas por mosquitos, garrapatas y otros animales salvajes. A partir de hoy les hablaré de estos animales y de las infecciones que pueden causar, uno por uno. De antemano les digo que no se aflijan, pues se trata de enfermedades muy fáciles de prevenir. Pongan atención:

Garrapatas
Las garrapatas de ciervo (animal muy común en esta región del país) pueden transmitir gérmenes que causan diferentes enfermedades, como la enfermedad de Lyme, la babesiosis y la anaplasmosis. Pese a que son poco comunes, estas enfermedades son muy serias. Para evitar contraer una enfermedad transmitida por garrapatas, usted debe:

• Usar repelentes que contengan DEET;
• Usar camisas de manga larga y pantalones largos metidos en las medias. Su ropa debe ser de colores claros. Esto le ayudará a ver las garrapatas si están en su ropa y a evitar el contacto con ellas.
• Considerar la posibilidad de ponerle repelente que contenga permetrina a su ropa según las instrucciones en la etiqueta del producto.
• Si estuvo en algún lugar donde podría haber garrapatas, revísese a si mismo, a sus niños y a sus mascotas una vez al día. Las garrapatas suelen encontrarse en las siguientes zonas: axilas, nacimiento del cabello, ingle, piernas, muslos o dentro o detrás de las orejas. Revisar si usted o los suyos tienen garrapatas es una manera muy eficaz de prevenir las infecciones causadas por las mismas. Si se encuentra una garrapata, sáquesela lo antes posible con una pinza de punta fina. Coja la garrapata con la pinza lo más cerca de su piel posible y tire hacia fuera de forma constante. Quitarse una garrapata dentro de las 24 a 36 horas posteriores a la picadura es una de las mejores maneras de evitar una infección.
• Estar atento a los síntomas iniciales de la enfermedad de Lyme, lo que incluye sarpullido en el área de la picadura y/o síntomas similares a los de la gripe.

Consulte con un profesional de la salud si llegara a presentar dichos síntomas.

Puede obtener más información sobre este tema en la página web del Departamento de Salud Pública de Massachusetts.