Health (374)
New book presents how the author and other breast cancer survivors survived before, during, and after the diagnosis of this disease
Mitchellville, MD – May 18, 2011 – “You have breast cancer.” One of the many dreaded statements a woman ever wants to hear. Worse, no one knows the exact causes of it. In this informative, eye-opening, and inspiring book by author Deborrah M. Banks, she shares how she and other breast cancer patients survived this disease. Loving Life, I Live aims to increase the awareness of early breast cancer detection and to inspire both cancer survivors and their families through poignant and heartwarming stories of other survivors.
It’s tough to survive; it’s even tougher to be a breast cancer survivor. As readers immerse in these touching true stories of breast cancer survival, they will realize how life can both be beautiful and difficult, amazing and challenging. After the urgency of getting a diagnosis and figuring out a treatment plan, there are other things to manage daily. Everyday realities present themselves: staying organized, paying for treatment, maintaining a job, making lifestyle changes, managing symptoms and side effects, family issues or grief. This book presents a collection of stories of hope and photojournalism (portraits of survivors) that will motivate and inspire breast cancer survivors, patients, family, and friends through this difficult time, realizing attitude is everything; and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for many.
“I started this project with vigor and completed this project with vigor, yet one of the toughest things for me was to write about my breast cancer experience. I became so caught up in the stories and the struggles you are about to read and what these women had to endure that my story became less and less significant to me. I pondered over whether or not my story would make an impact on anyone. Then I had to put the brakes on and get real, asking myself what breast cancer story isn’t significant enough to tell,” reveals the author.
Loving Life, I Live musters stories of hope; these are reflections of survivors and how they managed emotionally and physically during these difficult times.
About the Author
Deborrah M. Banks is a ten-year survivor who has spent tireless hours helping to fight the battle to cure breast cancer and numerous hours with breast cancer patients, coordinating awareness conferences, chairing Relay for Life walks, and walking for the cure. She was recently selected one of fifty women of Influence and Power nationally by the Minority Enterprise Advocacy Council (MEAC). She is the Executive Producer of two public affairs television shows and is currently working on a documentary looking at alternative coping mechanisms for family and friends of breast cancer patients. Over the years, she has been an active member with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Council of Negro Women, Women of Washington, Bethune Dubois Foundation, NAMME (National Association of Minority Media Executives), PRSSA, Black Public Relations Association, Jerry Lewis Telethon, and Dionne Warwick Aids Benefit. She is the recipient of eight national marketing and public relations awards. She is also a freelance photographer and an adjunct professor in communications for over fourteen years. She lives in Mitchellville, Maryland, with her husband, and has three children and three grandchildren.
Loving Life, I Live * by Deborrah M. Banks
Picture Book; $61.00; 90 pages; 978-1-4568-1577-6
Picture Book Hardcover; $71.00; 90 pages; 978-1-4568-1578-3
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.
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As we prepare to commemorate 30 years since the first AIDS case was diagnosed in America, we now have the tools that could end the HIV pandemic.
Last week the National Institute of Allergy and infectious diseases (NIAID) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) released the results of a historic study demonstrating the efficacy of treating HIV patients with antiretroviral drugs as a method of HIV prevention.
The study involved 1,763 couples in which one partner was HIV negative (not infected with HIV); the other partner was HIV positive (infected with HIV). All of the HIV positive participants had a T-cell count—a measure of their immune system’s strength—of between 350 and 550. The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group started on antiretroviral treatment right away, while researchers delayed treatment for the other group until the HIV-positive partner exhibited symptoms of an AIDS-related illness or his or her T-cells fell to 250 (the recommended time to start antiretroviral therapy for most of the world at the time the study began). All participants were given condoms and provided HIV- and STI-prevention services.
During the study’s 6-year duration, 28 infections were genetically linked to the HIV-positive partner. Of those, 27 occurred in the group whose treatment was delayed; only one took place in the group where treatment had been started right away. This suggests that if a person with HIV takes antiretroviral (ARV) treatment they are 96 percent less likely to pass on the virus than someone who is HIV-negative and not taking preventive ARVs.
These findings definitively end the previous debate about whether to invest in prevention or treatment. There is no longer a “prevention strategy”; there is no longer a “treatment strategy.” From now on there should only be a coordinated “end the AIDS epidemic strategy”; for if the results of this study are confirmed, treatment is prevention!
These results come on the heels of promising clinical trial findings about the efficacy of vaginal microbicides for women and pre-exposure prophylaxis for men who have sex with men.
We have reached a deciding moment: HIV is 100 percent preventable, 100 percent diagnosable and in many cases treatable. Our prevention toolbox is now exploding with options. We now have the tools to end the AIDS epidemic!
But, the question remains whether we have the political will to invest in using these tools strategically, effectively, and compassionately.
It’s time to call on Congress, the Obama Administration, and federal and state agencies to do three things: Invest in expanded access to testing and linkages to care; Increase access to care for vulnerable communities including the ADAP waiting lists; Raise HIV science and treatment literacy in vulnerable communities.
People need to know their HIV status, and those who are HIV positive need to be linked to appropriate care immediately.
Federal and state governments must address the ongoing funding crisis facing the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which provides HIV-related prescription drugs to those who are underinsured or without insurance. Over 30 percent of all people diagnosed with AIDS are enrolled in ADAP. Over 60 percent are uninsured, and 55 percent are Black or Hispanic.
Nationally nearly 8000 people remain on ADAP waiting lists. Fourteen states have reduced the number and types of drugs they will pay for. A number of states have stiffened financial eligibility requirements, capped enrollment or removed some people who were already enrolled. Other states are considering doing the same.
This approach is outrageous. Not only are such cuts immoral and financially shortsighted, as these recent data prove, starving ADAP programs creates a public health threat.
We also need to finally invest in HIV treatment education in vulnerable communities. HIV health disparities are growing in the U.S., and Black people are disproportionately impacted. Black Americans become infected at a younger age and at higher rates, are diagnosed at a later point in their disease, and die faster than any other racial ethnic group. Our lack of scientific understanding about how the virus behaves in the body and what options exist to treat it is one of the biggest barriers to efforts to confront HIV in our communities.
Lacking this knowledge too many of us in the Black community become distracted by myths and misinformation. When we don’t understand the science of HIV/AIDS, we are unable to protect ourselves, we put off getting tested, delay starting treatment, fail to adhere to the treatment regimens, and are reluctant to own the disease and/or our responsibility for ending it.
If we don’t raise HIV-related science literacy, capacity and infrastructure in Black communities, Black people will continue to be left behind, and we won’t succeed in ending the disparities, despite the biomedical advances we’re making.
As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We may have reached a time where we can get both a pound of prevention and a pound of cure/treatment on the same dime—if only we’re willing to spend the dime.
Phill Wilson, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, is available for interviews and press queries. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (213) 353-3610 ext. 105, www.BlackAIDS.org.
Grizz Chapman, a cast member on NBC’s hit show “30 Rock,” is on a crusade to raise awareness about kidney disease and the effects it has on overall health. At seven foot tall, Chapman is used to drawing attention. Now he is using his talents to further the cause of the National Kidney Foundation by serving as an advocate, spokesperson and the 2011 National Kidney Walk Chairman.
Chapman and his team of walkers called “Team Grizz” will be participating in the 10th Annual Ronald D. Paul Companies Georgetown Kidney Walk at the Georgetown Waterfront on October 15, 2011. The Kidney Walk is a fun, inspiring community fundraiser that calls attention to the prevention of kidney disease and the need for organ donation.
More than 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and millions more are at risk and don’t know it. For Chapman, kidney disease was not something he’d ever contemplated. Due to uncontrolled high blood pressure, his kidneys became damaged, eventually leading to kidney failure. Each year, more than 87,000 Americans die from causes related to kidney failure.
Buying Health Insurance to Become Easier for Some Residents
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced new steps to reduce premiums and make it easier for Americans to enroll in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) in District of Columbia. PCIP is a new program created by the Affordable Care Act to help uninsured people with a pre-existing condition get high quality care at affordable prices and serves as a bridge to 2014 when insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage to people with any pre-existing condition, like cancer, diabetes, and asthma.
"The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan changes lives, and in many cases, literally saves lives," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We need to reach more people and these changes help us do that."
Premium prices in District of Columbia for PCIP dropped by 18.3%. Now a 50 year old in District of Columbia can get comprehensive health coverage for as low as $324 per month. These new, reduced premiums take effect July 1, 2011.
Not only has PCIP coverage become even more affordable, but enrolling is even easier. Starting July 1, 2011, residents of District of Columbia applying for coverage in the Federally-administered PCIP can prove their pre-existing condition simply by providing a letter from a doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner dated within the past 12 months stating that they have or, at any time in the past, had a medical condition, disability, or illness. This option became available to children under age 19 in February, and we are extending this pathway to all applicants regardless of age. Applicants will no longer have to wait on an insurance company to send them a denial letter. Applicants will still need to meet other eligibility criteria.
"These changes will get more Washingtonians covered," said Steven Larsen, the Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "We're encouraged by recent increases in enrollment and we're excited to build on these efforts and reach even more people."
PCIP provides comprehensive health coverage, including primary and specialty care, hospital care, prescription drugs, home health and hospice care, skilled nursing care and preventive health and maternity care. It limits annual out-of-pocket spending and does not carve out benefits the people need. Washingtonians enrolled in PCIP have access to a provider network that includes 3,025 physicians, 129 pharmacies and 12 hospitals throughout the State.
To qualify for this program, a person applying for coverage must be: a U.S. citizen or residing here legally; have been without health coverage for at least 6 months before applying; and have a pre-existing condition or have been denied coverage because of a health condition. Eligibility is not based on income and enrollees are not charged a higher premium because of a medical condition.
To further enhance the program, beginning this fall, HHS will begin paying agents and brokers for successfully connecting eligible people with the PCIP program. This step will help reach those who are eligible but un-enrolled. Several States have experimented with such payments with good success. This is a part of continuing HHS outreach efforts with States, insurers, providers, and agents and brokers to reach more eligible people and let them know that coverage is available. HHS is also working with insurers to notify people about the PCIP option in their State when their application for health insurance is denied
To find a chart showing changes to PCIP premiums in the States with Federally-administered PCIP programs, visit www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/pcip05312011a.html.
For more information, including eligibility, plan benefits and rates, and how to apply, visit www.pcip.govand click on "Find Your State." Then select District of Columbia from a map of the United States or from the drop-down menu. The PCIP Call Center is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. Call toll-free 1-866-717-5826 (TTY 1-866-561-1604).
The new Howard University Hospital afterhours dental clinic for kids will help working parents keep their children's overall dental hygiene by ensuring they make appointments. / Courtesy photos.WASHINGTON - Like many working families in the Washington metropolitan area, Manuel and Sonia Calderon of Rockville, Md., don't have health insurance. Manuel works rehabbing houses and Sonia stays home to take care of their four boys, including a 20-month-old.
Which makes it difficult for the Calderons to tend to the dental needs of their three older sons.
But just a week ago, son Ismael, 8, had his teeth cleaned, cavities filled and two infected teeth pulled at Howard University College of Dentistry's Evening Pediatric Clinic in Washington.
No charge.
Thanks to a grant from the from the United Health Foundation, the College of Dentistry has opened an evening pediatric clinic that allows children under 16 to have their dental needs met and also provides free care for the uninsured.
The clinic coincides with the dental school's Evening Adult Clinic, which has been open since 2007. Both are open from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
For example, many of the numbers you will see or hear about African-American women’s risk of breast cancer are a statistic known as incidence. This is a general number that tells you what is happening out in the world right now. It looks at a group of living people––a group that is large and general enough to be considered “average”–– and tells you how many of them got the disease you are talking about.
According to the National Black Men’s Health Network, the average black man barely lives long enough to collect his social security. / Courtesy photoRosa Jeter picked up a jump rope from a table of exercise accoutrements that included weights of various sizes and a padded leather ball generally used by athletes for strength training and conditioning. She adjusted the rope, slipped off her shoes and effortlessly began jumping rope with the dexterity of a teenager.
Certified Physical Trainer Sheryl Thompkins offered advice and encouragement, marveling at how well Jeter handled herself.
Thompkins, 54, said she wishes more black men would commit themselves to a regular regimen of exercise and proactive health care.
"Black men play games like basketball to see if they've still got it. They are pushed by their egos, wear the wrong shoes and hurt their ankles or knees, then they stop," she said. "A person may look good but how far can [he or she] run without losing their breath?"
"Our bodies aren't ours. [They belong] to God. The least we can do is take care of our temples," said Thompkins, who has been working out for 25 years.
Working professionals find it difficult to eat healthy. / Courtesy photoTammy Barns knows first-hand how difficult it can be to find time to prepare healthy meals on a busy schedule.
"I work, make runs for family members, I drive my son and his friends around on the weekend and I help take care of my mother," she explained. "Sometimes for breakfast I just want to grab coffee."
The majority of working parents don't always feel like they have the time to prepare a hearty meal. For this reason, many people resort to fast food or prepackaged food. Despite her busy schedule, Barns decided that she wanted to make a definite effort to eat healthy, and now she takes steps to do so.
According to Sara Gosnell, an outpatient dietitian at Wishard Health Services, there is no reason for anyone to feel like they don't have enough time to prepare healthy meals. She believes people just need to be educated about low-cost and quick-to-prepare items.
Written by By Keishia Smith-Special to the NNPA from the Indianapolis Recorder
More than 43 percent of black people who live in Kentucky are obese, and Mississippi isn't far behind, with an obesity rate of 42.6 percent, according to the "F as in Fat 2011" report released recently by Trust for America's Health.
The report takes an in-depth looks at trends in obesity and the impact the disease is having on other health issues.
The data for African-Americans, especially in the South, show a growing number of blacks are obese, and also a larger number with diabetes.
"More than two-thirds of adults — 190 million people — are overweight or obese; nearly one third of children and teens fall into these categories," says Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general and current director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Center of Excellence on Health Disparities at the Morehouse College School of Medicine.
"Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980. In some places and among some groups, the problem is much worse. In Mississippi, nearly 70 percent of adults and 44 percent of children are overweight or obese. Overall, almost half of African-American women are obese," Satcher wrote in a commentary included in the report.
The problem with obesity is not one that is easily solved, Satcher says.
"Our society makes it especially hard for some groups not to gain weight. More than 20 million Americans, most of them poor, live in 'food deserts,' areas that lack nearby full-service supermarkets selling fresh fruits and vegetables. People who live in these areas must often make do with corner and convenience stores, which encourages them to eat more of the low-quality, fattening foods that can lead to weight gain," according to Satcher.
Obesity in the African-American community is a systemic issue, says Shavon Arline, the national director of health programs for the NAACP.
"It's not just about an individual's behavior. It's often environmental," Arline told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
"You live in an environment, and that environment affects your life. In many African-American communities, you see fast food restaurants on almost every corner," she said. In predominately white neighborhoods, you see more grocery stores that carry lean meats and fresh vegetables.
Nine of the 10 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South, according to data in the report produced by the Washington, D.C. based Trust for America's Health.
"States in the Northeast and West tend to have lower rates. Mississippi maintained the highest adult obesity rate for the seventh year in a row, and Colorado has the lowest obesity rate and is the only state with a rate under 20 percent," the report stated.
This year, for the first time, the report examined how the obesity epidemic has grown over the past two decades. Twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15 percent. Today, more than two out of three states - 38 total - have obesity rates over 25 percent, and just one has a rate lower than 20 percent.
Since 1995, when data was available for every state, obesity rates have doubled in seven states and increased by at least 90 percent in 10 others. Obesity rates have grown fastest in Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee, and slowest in Washington, D.C., Colorado and Connecticut.
Racial and ethnic minority adults and those with less education or who make less money continue to have the highest overall obesity rates.
According to the report:
- Adult obesity rates for blacks topped 40 percent in 15 states, 35 percent in 35 states, and 30 percent in 42 states and Washington, D.C.
Rates of adult obesity among Latinos were above 35 percent in four states (Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and behind...... Texas) and at least 30 percent in 23 states.
Meanwhile, rates of adult obesity for Whites topped 30 percent in just four states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and no state had a rate higher than 32.1 percent.
-Nearly 33 percent of adults who did not graduate high school are obese, compared with 21.5 percent of those who graduated from college or technical college.
"Today, the state with the lowest obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of TFAH. "There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last 20 years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending."
Needs for Nurses, Instructors Intensifies
Nurses are one of the most crucial caregivers, once a person enters into the health care system. They perform needs that range from helping a person get dressed to assisting physicians during surgery. Nurses are on the front lines of the health care industry.
As baby boomers age and as the need for health care escalates, so does the need for nurses.
"It could be catastrophic if we don't increase our pipeline and make sure we're meeting the needs of our health care system," said Lydia Ostermeier, director of IU Health Nurse Recruitment.
The Department of Labor estimates that by 2020 more than 500,000 nurses will be needed to fill the void. They also reported that the health care sector is continuing to grow, despite significant job losses in nearly all major industries.
Millicent Gorham, executive director of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) added that there are more than enough individuals who aspire to become nurses, but there are not enough faculty members to teach willing students.
"The faculty are getting older and retiring as well," added Ostermeier. There are also not enough spaces to provide clinical sessions at hospitals or community health centers.
Then there is the ever-looming issue of money - there are not enough grants, scholarships or loans available for amenable students.
Recruiters aren't looking for just any nurses, but ones with good clinical and critical thinking skills; work well with physicians, patients and their families; provide wellness plans and educational opportunities for patients; and are caring and compassionate.
There is also a need to significantly increase the number of nurses of color.
To delve deeper into the nursing shortage issue, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a major study "whose goal would be to produce a transformational report on the future of nursing."
This report aims to give a clear view of the delivery of nursing services during this shortage and provide a solid blueprint for action including changes in public and institutional policies at the national, state, and local levels.
The goals of the report are to work to reverse the shortages and develop a clear link between nursing care and high quality outcomes.
"It's really important for hospitals and nursing institutions to understand nursing care and innovations within nursing they could institute - in other words, when people are in the hospital what are the best ways to get them well and back out into the community," said Gorham.
The report also aims to create the next generation of leaders on all levels and provide nursing solutions for an effective health care reform.
The NBNA is looking towards today's youth to reverse this issue. They plan to launch the Summer Youth Enrichment Program to help students ages 8- to 18-years-old better understand what it takes to become a nurse, stressing the importance of adequate high school science, math, English and writing courses preparing them for college.
The increase of nursing instructors and nurses will also come with other necessities in the health care profession so today's youth have a wealth of opportunities available to them, if they are prepared.
Youths are a great start in addressing the nursing shortage, but advocates believe it's going to take average citizens to understand the importance of nurses in order to tackle this problem.
Both Gorham and Ostermeier are hopeful that these trends will change despite the increase in preventive health care - it will take quite a while to reverse illness trends such as obesity and smoking. The future of nursing is extremely bright.
"We have to make sure there is a nurse there when we need them," said Gorham.
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