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Exercise and Physical Fitness

There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Schedule 30 of them for physical activity!
Regular exercise is a critical part of staying healthy. People who are active live longer and feel better. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight. It can delay or prevent diabetes, some cancers and heart problems.
Most adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days per week. Examples include walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming for recreation or bicycling. Stretching and weight training can also strengthen your body and improve your fitness level.
The key is to find the right exercise for you. If it is fun, you are more likely to stay motivated. You may want to walk with a friend, join a class or plan a group bike ride. If you've been inactive for awhile, use a sensible approach and start out slowly.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors

Medical errors can occur anywhere in the health care system: In hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and patients' homes. Errors can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment, or lab reports. These tips tell what you can do to get safer care.

One in seven Medicare patients in hospitals experience a medical error. But medical errors can occur anywhere in the health care system: In hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and patients' homes. Errors can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment, or lab reports. They can happen during even the most routine tasks, such as when a hospital patient on a salt-free diet is given a high-salt meal.

Most errors result from problems created by today's complex health care system. But errors also happen when doctors* and patients have problems communicating. These tips tell what you can do to get safer care.

What You Can Do to Stay Safe

The best way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team. That means taking part in every decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who are more involved with their care tend to get better results.

Medicines

1. Make sure that all of your doctors know about every medicine you are taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbs.

2. Bring all of your medicines and supplements to your doctor visits. "Brown bagging" your medicines can help you and your doctor talk about them and find out if there are any problems. It can also help your doctor keep your records up to date and help you get better quality care.

3. Make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse reactions you have had to medicines. This can help you to avoid getting a medicine that could harm you.

4. When your doctor writes a prescription for you, make sure you can read it. If you cannot read your doctor's handwriting, your pharmacist might not be able to either.

5. Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can understand—both when your medicines are prescribed and when you get them:

• What is the medicine for?
• How am I supposed to take it and for how long?
• What side effects are likely? What do I do if they occur?
• Is this medicine safe to take with other medicines or dietary supplements I am taking?
• What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine?

6. When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: Is this the medicine that my doctor prescribed?

7. If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine labels, ask. Medicine labels can be hard to understand. For example, ask if "four times daily" means taking a dose every 6 hours around the clock or just during regular waking hours.

8. Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid medicine. For example, many people use household teaspoons, which often do not hold a true teaspoon of liquid. Special devices, like marked syringes, help people measure the right dose.

9. Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause. If you know what might happen, you will be better prepared if it does or if something unexpected happens.

Hospital Stays

10. If you are in a hospital, consider asking all health care workers who will touch you whether they have washed their hands. Handwashing can prevent the spread of infections in hospitals.

11. When you are being discharged from the hospital, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will follow at home. This includes learning about your new medicines, making sure you know when to schedule follow-up appointments, and finding out when you can get back to your regular activities.

It is important to know whether or not you should keep taking the medicines you were taking before your hospital stay. Getting clear instructions may help prevent an unexpected return trip to the hospital.

Surgery

12. If you are having surgery, make sure that you, your doctor, and your surgeon all agree on exactly what will be done.

Having surgery at the wrong site (for example, operating on the left knee instead of the right) is rare. But even once is too often. The good news is that wrong-site surgery is 100 percent preventable. Surgeons are expected to sign their initials directly on the site to be operated on before the surgery.

13. If you have a choice, choose a hospital where many patients have had the procedure or surgery you need. Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their condition.

Other Steps

14. Speak up if you have questions or concerns. You have a right to question anyone who is involved with your care.

15. Make sure that someone, such as your primary care doctor, coordinates your care. This is especially important if you have many health problems or are in the hospital.

16. Make sure that all your doctors have your important health information. Do not assume that everyone has all the information they need.

17. Ask a family member or friend to go to appointments with you. Even if you do not need help now, you might need it later.

18. Know that "more" is not always better. It is a good idea to find out why a test or treatment is needed and how it can help you. You could be better off without it.

19. If you have a test, do not assume that no news is good news. Ask how and when you will get the results.

20. Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor and nurse and by using other reliable sources. For example, treatment options based on the latest scientific evidence are available from the Effective Health Care Web site (http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/options). Ask your doctor if your treatment is based on the latest evidence.

*The term "doctor" is used in this flier to refer to the person who helps you manage your health care.

AHRQ Publication No. 11-0089

Nutrition classes and Cooking Demos

We believe that eating healthy is key to overcome obesity and diabetes burden in our communities. Our SOL team is working hard to deliver nutrition classes with cooking demonstrations for community centers, schools and churches in Chicago targeting areas of HCHS/SOL. Soraya Valencia, our nutritionist, is very glad with the success of this project. Size of classes are limited. If you are interested in attending, please call us at 312-908-9372 to register your atendance in advance.

COOKING DEMOS ON HEALTHY EATING

Maybe you know that you need to increase the amount of fruits and veggies and lower fats into your meals. However, it is hard to make tasty everyday dishes with these recommendations. In other words, not only is important to know what you should eat to improve your health but also how to make it real. Taking this into consideration, the Study Of Latinos (SOL) community educators from Preventive Medicine-Northwestern University are trying to put cooking demonstrations of healthy food into action in schools, churches, and community base organizations of some Chicago communities like Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Albany Park, Irving Park, and Belmont Cragin. Even though the project has started with a small team and limited budget, the team’s enthusiasm and hard work is making this small project a success. “People love to learn tricks and tips on how to prepare a healthy meal with low budget,” said Soraya Valencia, nutritionist of the project SOLNAS, who is part of the SOL team of community educators. “They are delighted with the nutrition class and the cooking demos where they learn how to make an easy, inexpensive and delicious meal.” So far, more than a hundred persons who attended these events have commented very positive and also said they would like to see more events like these in their communities. Definitely, healthy cooking demos may be beneficial for many people interested in changing the way their eating. Because there is a high demand for this kind of projects, I believe there is an opportunity as well to implement similar health projects out there. A challenge to take up for many organizations working in our communities!

MOVE FOR LIFE!

Start the Spring and Summer seasons with an afternoon filled with physical activity!
Right, this is an invitation to go outside (alone or with your friends, family and kids) to enjoy this wonderful Spring weather in Chicago. I suggest seeing around the Park and learning diverse ways of physical activity: aerobics, biking, dance, yoga, zumba, tai-chi, self-defense, bomba, capoeira, etc.
It is Free!
Season Kick-Off: Saturday , April 7, 2012
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
HUMBOLDT PARK- IPRAC, 3015 W. Division St.
(Division St/ Humboldt Dr.)

Are Hispanics gaining more weight than ever before?

A considerable number of people have gained weight in last 20 years in the U.S. as we can see in maps published by the Center of Disease Control (CDC). While at least 15 of every 100 persons were obese in 1990 in the U.S., this number has doubled in 2010. Current statistics show that more than 30 out of 100 adults have obesity in the U.S. general population.
Obesity is a weight gain condition due to increased body fat. Doctors commonly measure the weight gain using the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI, a number which relates height and weight, classifies a person as being normal, overweight, or obese. If you want to find out what category you are, just check the online BMI calculator at: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm. You should not be surprised if you are under the obese category, remember that at least 1 in 3 adults have obesity in many states of the U.S. at this moment.
Now a key question, are Hispanics following the same trends of obesity in America? Even though studies about obesity in Hispanics are not fully available, there are some data that should make us feel worried. The National Health and Nutrition Surveys (NHANES) between 2003-2004 have reported that 36.8% of Mexican American adults are obese which is higher when compared to non-Hispanic whites (30.6%) although less than African Americans (45%). Similarly, it was also found a high proportion of obese Mexican American women when compared to Mexican American men (43% vs. 34.3%). Another survey made these obesity findings even worse when revealed that Mexican American children between 6 – 11 years old have higher numbers of obesity (17.4%) when compared to white children (12.3%) and African American children (11.9%). These facts are important because suggest that Mexico American women and children are more affected by obesity than other population groups. It seems from this data that Mexican Americans are getting fat at least in the same pace than other groups; moreover, all this data should alert about future obesity and its consequences for Hispanic communities. Even though all Hispanics are not Mexican Americans and these results cannot be applied for all Hispanics; we cannot deny the fact that there is an obesity epidemic in America and looks like Hispanics are following the same galloping trends of obesity in the nation as well.
While we are getting used to see many fat people around, you may wonder how bad obesity is for health. Many studies have shown that adults with obesity are at high risk of developing future heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain types of cancer. We also know about some genetic factors that predispose certain people to obesity, but it does not mean that nobody can do something to avoid or treat this condition. It is generally known about environmental factors that contribute to this burden of obesity, such as: increased food consumption and lack of exercise due to inactive lifestyle. Low cost of energy dense food processed like some fast food or packaged food which are easy available for children and adults are at least one of the reason to gain weight in America. Energy dense food contains high amount of calories in a small portion. Because this kind of food is offered as big portions at low cost, make its consumption very popular. Likewise, a very limited activity or lack of exercise is another reason that makes you gain weight. Doctors say that obesity is due to an energy imbalance that means if you consume a certain amount of calories, your body needs to burn these calories to make a balance. The body need exercise to burn the excess of calories you have consumed, if not, these calories will be saved as fat in your body.
What you should do if the BMI pointed out you are under the category of overweight, or maybe normal? Your body probably is in a good shape, but you should remember that you are at risk of getting fat if you are not eating healthy or being an active person that means doing exercise usually as a routine. If you suspect being overweight, you can watch and track your weight using the BMI. Your chances for lowering your weight are higher if you start a healthy lifestyle. For certain, there is not magic wand or magic pill to keep you healthy. You have to make an effort if you hardly manage to lose weight. Do not be discouraged; let’s go ahead with your new lifestyle. You will be gradually used to eat recommended food portions, avoid energy dense food as much as you can, and be an active person every day. You can find some recommendations in this website: http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/
But what should you do if your BMI are under the category of obese? If your BMI went beyond the number 30 you should talk your doctor openly about your risks of developing some related conditions and make a plan to overcome obesity. Most doctors will take obesity very seriously; thus, they will run tests and depending on your case, they should prescribe a treatment that fits your needs. For instance, some people with extreme obesity (BMI more than 40) with other risk factors like diabetes and sleep apnea may be candidates for bariatric surgery; on the other hand, some other people who do not qualify for bariatric surgery should be under a multidisciplinary medical treatment that includes lifestyle modification. As well as in prevention, healthy diet and exercise routine plays an important role for people with obesity, so in the meantime, you should think on some strategies to change your lifestyle and behaviors in order to lower your weight. Avoid to be cheated for most commercials promising lower your weight easily in a short term with devices, pills, magic diets or unproved herbs or treatments. You should think you have to work hard with yourself for a long time to lower your weight. Even modest weight loss can improve health problems related to obesity as well as you can prevent other health problems. The goal in the treatment of obesity is to keep you healthy and not only make a body with good shape.
More recommendations on nutrition, diet, exercise, and weight control in this website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html

The State of Latino Health Twitter Chat

By Julia Eisman, HHS New Media Communications Director
(From HealthCare Blog: Posted February 15, 2012 )
Not all Americans have equal access to health care – or similar health care outcomes. Racial and ethnic minorities, and other underserved populations often have higher rates of disease, fewer treatment options, and reduced access to care. This is because many Latinos have less access to health insurance and half of Latinos don’t have a regular doctor. Because of this unequal access to health care, troubling health disparities have emerged.

But the good news is that the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is the most powerful legislation in decades for reducing health disparities. A few ways the law will help reduce grave health disparities, is by: expanding preventive care like cancer screenings and immunizations at no additional costs, better coordinating care like home visits for expectant mothers, expanding diversity and cultural competency, ending insurance discrimination so people who have been sick can’t be excluded from coverage or charged higher premiums, and making care more available in underserved communities by investing in our primary care workforce and community health centers.

With this in mind, we want to talk to you about the law’s impact on the Latino community. On Tuesday, February 21st, at 3:00pm EST Mayra Alvarez, Director of Public Health Policy at HHS, will be available on Twitter at @HHSgov to answer questions about how the law helps the Latino community get a fair shot at better care and lower costs. We’ll also be teaming up with National Council of La Raza, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Families USA.

We will be accepting and responding to questions in English and Spanish, depending on what language the question is asked.
You might be wondering:
• How does the law protect me?
• Will the law save me money?
• What kids of preventive services does the law cover?
• What are the benefits that are available to me now, and what is coming in future years?

Please submit questions using the hashtag #LatinoHealth. Go to @HHSgov on Twitter to join.

For more information about the benefits of the new health care law, please visit www.healthcare.gov or our Spanish-language site, www.cuidadodesalud.gov

An Important Message from Don Francisco-Volunteer Spokesperson for Social Security

By guest columnist, Don Francisco
I have good news to share with the millions of Americans who prefer to conduct business in Spanish. You can now apply online for Social Security retirement and Medicare benefits totally in Spanish. Go to www.segurosocial.gov and you will be able to take advantage of other online services offered in our language.

For years, Social Security has been at the forefront of providing online services for Americans, offering a wealth of information in Spanish.

I want to tell you about the expanded suite of services offered in our language and why you should visit www.segurosocial.gov.

Let’s say that you are ready to apply for Social Security retirement benefits. What would you think if I told you that you could do it online in only 15 minutes. Once you complete the online application and “sign” it with the click of a key, your application is complete. In most cases there are no documents to submit or additional paperwork to fill out. It’s the easiest way to do this transaction, and now it’s available in Spanish.

You can also go to www.segurosocial.gov to apply for Medicare. That also is easy and you can complete the application online in about10 minutes.

If you are already receiving Medicare and are having trouble with the high cost of drugs that have been prescribed, you might qualify for Extra Help from Social Security. The Extra Help can save you as much as $4,000 each year. You can learn all about it and you can do the application online for this Extra Help at www.segurosocial.gov too.

If you are not ready to retire but want to get an immediate, personalized estimate of your Social Security benefit, try the Retirement Estimator. Using the actual wages posted in your Social Security record, the Estimator gives you a good picture of what to expect in retirement.

You can type in different situations and put in different amounts of wages to get the estimates that can help you plan your life.

There are many things you can do at www.segurosocial.gov. There is a lot of information in this site, and you can conduct a lot of Social Security business online from the convenience and comfort of your home or office computer. Most importantly, you can conduct it in our language. Need help getting started on the computer? Ask your children or grandchildren to help you.

Visit www.segurosocial.gov today. It’s so easy!

Coolaboration by Mayra Salazar, Public Affairs Specialist. Social Security Administration.