Monday, October 29, 2007

CHKD Healthy You Program - Registered Dietitians & Licensed Social Workers Positions Available

Needed: Registered dietitians and Licensed clinical social workers to work as contract workers for the CHKD Healthy You weight management program. These positions are grant funded and will be in Williamsburg beginning in 2008. If interested please contact Babs Benson, program manager at 668-7035 or by e-mail at bensonbr@chkd.org as soon as possible.

New Resources from www.childrenshealthcampaign.org

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Who are these children, and why is health insurance important for them? This fact sheet provides the answers. (April 2007)

Why Do School-Aged Children Need Health Insurance? A quick fact sheet on the importance of health coverage for school-aged children. (March 2007)

Friday, October 19, 2007

1st Annual CINCH Membership Conference - Don't miss out!

1st Annual CINCH Membership Conference is scheduled for Friday, October 26, 2007, from 11:30 a.m. at Norfolk's Workforce Development Center. This is a FREE Conference but you MUST REGISTER at CINCH@EVMS.EDU.

Do you know someone or an organization who is an outstanding advocate for children’s health? Do they deserve an award? If yes, CINCH will be hosting the first annual Hampton Roads Child Health Advocacy Awards Ceremony during the conference. Please do not miss out on this wonderful opportunity to submit your nomination for someone to be recognized for their work in child health and to recognize those who have stood out in our community as a child health advocate. The deadline is Wednesday, October 23rd!! Please call 668-6426 if you need a nomination form.

Child Health Advocacy Awards for following categories:

□ Grass Roots Advocate
□ Community Leader
□ Community Change Agent
□ Faith Based Advocate
□ School Health Advocate
□ Policy and/or Legislative Advocate
□ Organization – Community Change Agent
□ Organization – Advocate in Action

SCHIP Update - Override vote fails

Jill A. Hanken, Staff Attorney, Virginia Poverty Law Center sent the following information:

The House failed to override the President’s veto of the SCHIP bill on a 273 to 156 vote. With 429 members voting, the override needed 286 votes – so they needed 13 more votes.

The Virginia votes stayed the same:

Voting for the bill and the veto override: Bobby Scott, Rick Boucher, Jim Moran, Tom Davis and Frank Wolf

Voting against the bill – Eric Cantor, Bob Goodlatte, Virgil Goode, Thelma Drake, Randy Forbes

Please express your thanks and disappointment, as appropriate!

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to hold a news conference later today. I understand there will still be a push to insure 10 million uninsured children (6 million already on SCHIP, and add 4 million more). Discussions about details and new compromises should begin soon.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Norfolk City Council Meeting, Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM

Dear Allies Against Asthma Work Group Members,

We need members to attend this meeting, especially (but not limited to) Norfolk residents. Please let us know if you can attend. . If we can have one CINCH member speak, they can say they are speaking also on behalf of CINCH and ask all members present to stand. Non-Norfolk residents can also attend, but cannot speak. So, the more people we have there, the better!

Here is a link to the guidelines for speakers: http://www.norfolk.gov/City_Hall/guidelinesCC.asp

Here is a link to all the contact information for the city council members – please write a letter, email, or fax: http://www.norfolk.gov/City_Hall/ContactInfoCC.asp. You may also e-mail council members at ccouncil@norfolk.gov

Here is some background information:

Norfolk City Council Meeting, Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 PM

In case you are unaware, the Norfolk City Council is considering a ban on smoking in restaurants. The issue was initially brought forward by Terry Whibley and was considered "dead" at one point because of economic concerns. Since then many people have raised concerns allowing the issue to be placed back on the table. Eric Lowe wrote an editorial (text below) with 2 other physicians as concerned citizens and all are going to be speaking at the Oct 23rd City Council meeting in support of the ban. If you know any of the city council please let them know how you feel about the potential ban. Eric has said to please feel free to e-mail him any thoughts or suggestions.

Sincerely,


Department of Pediatrics

Friday, October 12, 2007

Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!

Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!

If you represent a statewide or local VA group*: Please tell your Members of Congress to cover uninsured children and to fund human needs.

The President has vetoed the children's health insurance bill and has threatened to veto appropriations bills that fund critical human needs programs. The House will vote to override the President's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) veto on October 18.

Please sign your organization's name to this letter by Monday, October 15 - to show your Congressional delegation how important it is that they
- vote to override the President's children's health veto;
- vote for vital health, education, nutrition, housing, and other social services programs and reject appropriations vetoes.

Click here to read the letter, to sign it, and/or to get more information:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/t/3748/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=31692

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Help Repair Facial Deformities in Children

Do you all remember playing that really fun game as a kid called Operation. Perhaps playing it motivated you to come here to EVMS (hopefully other factors were involved :) ). I could never quite get all the pieces out without setting off the buzzer. Hasbro, the maker of the game has agreed to donate up to $75,000 to Operation Smile, a nonprofit medical organization dedicated to repairing facial deformities in children worldwide.


All we have to do to make this possible is visit www.operation.com every day and click on the prompt next to the "Oxygen Pump" icon on the page. Hasbro has agreed to donate $.25 to Operation Smile every time someone pushes the button on the following page. Each person can do the free donation through the website once a day.

Increasing Attendance at Parent Work Shops

http://preview.channing-bete.com/special-pdfs/attendance-tips.pdf

Dental Disparities

Previously unreleased figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2003 and 2004, the most recent years with data available, 27 percent of children and 29 percent of adults had cavities going untreated. The level of untreated decay was the highest since the late 1980s and significantly higher than that found in a survey from 1999 to 2002.

Read an article on this topic:
Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth
By ALEX BERENSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/business/11decay.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

American Heart Association Announces 2007 Start! Heart Walk

2007 Start! Heart Walk
Saturday, October 20th
9am registration, 10 am walk begins
Chesapeake City Park
757-628-2609

www.startshrva.org

The Stork's Nest

The Stork's Nest is a national project for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in conjunction with the March of Dimes. The goal of this project is to encourage low income mothers to get pre/post-natal care. Participants in this program can earn points by attending educational sessions and keeping all appointments such as doctors and/or clinic, WIC, and Social Services. Points may be exchanged for baby items to include clothes, papers, and other baby essentials. The educational component to the Stork's Nest provides women with valuable information to have a healthy baby. Workshops such as proper eating during pregnancy, essential vitamins, breastfeeding, warning signs, genetic diseases, preparing the home for the baby, what to expect after the infant is born, and other topics are offered.

Beta Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. has partnered with the South Norfolk Health Center to offer the Stork’s Nest program. For more information, contact Ms. Stevalynn Adams, Stork’s Nest Chair at 757-823-2658. The location of the Stork’s Nest Office is:

Stork's Nest
South Norfolk Health Center
490 Liberty Street
Chesapeake, VA
(757) 382-2600..for more info, call 823-2658

New Reports from the Urban Institute Focus on SCHIP

Series of Briefs Offer Timely Analyses on Coverage Issues
The Urban Institute will be conducting research and releasing several reports over the next few months on key issues related to health insurance coverage in the United States. The two latest briefs focus on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

-- Concerns About Parents Dropping Employer Coverage to Enroll in
SCHIP Overlook Issues of Affordability
-- Eligible But Not Enrolled: How SCHIP Reauthorization Can Help