tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3565408157801245282024-03-12T19:09:55.634-05:00Minnesota Advocacy BeatYou don't have to be a doctor to save lives...just an advocate with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The Minnesota Advocacy Beat is a resource for those of you working hard to fight heart disease and stroke across MN and the country. Keep up-to-date on state policy issues, check out what is going on in the media and let us know what you are doing as a You’re the Cure advocate!AHA/ASA Advocacy Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01155169867849324635noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-14512349132263634242012-10-10T08:24:00.000-05:002012-10-10T08:24:35.570-05:00We’ve moved!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq26LJbKdY8_g-UjNPnrVnCVbPQ9qVkz-Eoy-icdOPghrqfvYGlGRJ-PElv5sU4VbXJuqTIbdOrW2d67pNCgH6cVTLILM-2zjH01TH7KXSJkQC9MC1HCwxN-LgpZP3OUJ727E2YcPUIbQ/s1600/iStock_000016241833XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq26LJbKdY8_g-UjNPnrVnCVbPQ9qVkz-Eoy-icdOPghrqfvYGlGRJ-PElv5sU4VbXJuqTIbdOrW2d67pNCgH6cVTLILM-2zjH01TH7KXSJkQC9MC1HCwxN-LgpZP3OUJ727E2YcPUIbQ/s1600/iStock_000016241833XSmall.jpg" /></a>As you may have heard, we’ve recently redesigned our You’re the Cure website. The new site now contains our Minnesota blog as well as state advocate stories, state-specific facts and events all in one place! Be sure to bookmark our new address and continue to follow our advocacy work. Our new address is: <a href="http://www.yourethecure.org/Minnesota">www.yourethecure.org/Minnesota</a></div>
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Thank you for your conversation here, be sure to bring that with us as we move – we don’t know what we’d do without you!</div>
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Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-81297072732110592512012-09-20T10:44:00.001-05:002012-09-20T10:44:54.598-05:00Upcoming Event: 12 Lunch Hours to Master the Affordable Care ActDo you find the Affordable Care Act a little daunting? Are you wondering what it will mean for your organization and the people you serve? Over the course of 12 lunch hours, you can get the information you need to make sure that Minnesota makes health care reform decisions that are in the best interest of your community. Starting September 27, the <a href="http://www.mnbudgetproject.org/events">12 Lunch Hours to Master the Affordable Care Act series</a> will give you the opportunity to hear from experts and ask your burning questions.<br />
<br />
All lunch hour discussions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits conference room, located at 2314 University Avenue West Suite 20, in Saint Paul. <a href="http://www.mnbudgetproject.org/events">Lunch hours</a> are free and participants are encouraged to bring a lunch. This series is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Budget Project, Legal Services Advocacy Project, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and TakeAction Minnesota. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Christina Wessel at <a href="mailto:cwessel@mnbudgetproject.org">cwessel@mnbudgetproject.org</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/">Minnesota Council of Nonprofits</a><br />
<br />Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-41910583763562091372012-09-19T15:08:00.000-05:002012-09-19T15:13:31.115-05:00Minnesota obesity rate expected to climbKare 11 News<br />
<br />
Minnesota's obesity rate is expected to climb significantly over the next 20 years, but to be fair, so is every other state in our nation. <a href="http://www.kare11.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1848088486001&odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|featured">Select to watch video. </a>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-10691276535064176692012-09-12T09:53:00.000-05:002012-09-12T09:53:42.101-05:00Tax hike cuts tobacco consumption<span id="byLineTag">By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY</span><br />
<br />
A giant federal tobacco tax hike has spurred a historic drop in smoking, especially among teens, poor people and those dependent on government health insurance, a USA TODAY analysis finds.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Politicians,+Government+Officials,+Strategists/Executive/Barack+Obama" title="More news, photos about President Obama">President Obama</a> signed the tax hike — the biggest to take effect in his first term — on his 16th day in office, reversing two vetoes by <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/George+W+Bush" title="More news, photos about President Bush">President Bush</a>. The federal cigarette tax jumped from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack on April 1, 2009, to finance expanded health care for children. Since then, the change has brought in more than $30 billion in new revenue, tax records show. <br />
<br />
Yet the tax hike and its repercussions remain mostly unknown to the non-smoking public. The tax increase's size and national reach lifted prices 22% overnight, more than all state and local tax hikes combined over the past decade when adjusted for inflation.<br />
<br />
Result: The tax hike has helped restart a long-term decline in smoking that had stalled in recent years. About 3 million fewer people smoked last year than in 2009, despite a larger population, according to surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br />
<br />
The tax hits hardest on families who make less than $50,000 a year and account for two-thirds of smokers.<br />
<br />
"The federal tax increase was the win-win that we thought it would be and the evidence shows that," says Danny McGoldrick, research vice president at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.<br />
<br />
Teen smoking immediately fell 10% to 13% when the tax hike took effect, says researcher Jidong Huang of the University of Chicago at Illinois. "High prices deter kids from picking up cigarettes," he says.<br />
<br />
Higher taxes aren't the only reason smoking has fallen dramatically among adults since the early 1980s and among teens since the mid-1990s.<br />
<br />
Health concerns, smoke-free buildings and marketing restrictions have played a role. Tobacco companies have raised their prices, too, making money off fewer customers.<br />
<br />
It's difficult to be specific about what influences individual adult consumer behavior, but taxes are one thing in the mix," says David Sutton, spokesman for Altria Group, maker of Marlboro cigarettes. He says taxes and fees are so high — 55% of Marlboro's retail price — that they unfairly burden adults who choose to smoke.<br />
<br />
Taxes are the sledge hammer of anti-smoking efforts. The federal tax hike helped push tobacco use down to 18.9% in 2011, the lowest level on record, according to the CDC surveys. Even smokers who don't quit light up less. In the 1990s, one of every 20 high school students smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day. Today, one out of 71 students smoke that much.<br />
<br />
Other findings:<br />
<br />
•Who quit. The elderly and Hispanics slashed smoking most dramatically, each down more than 15% from 2008 to 2011, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. Women quit more than men. Least moved: middle-age men, down just 1.2%.<br />
<br />
•Health care for poor. About 1 million adults on Medicaid quit smoking, which could reduce future health costs. <br />
<br />
•Tobacco industry. Consumer spending on tobacco rose from $80 billion in 2008 to $98 billion in 2011 in inflation-adjusted dollars — even though the amount of tobacco purchased fell 11% , Bureau of Economic Analysis data show. Higher taxes accounted for about half that spending increase. The rest went to tobacco companies and retailers<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-09-10/cigarette-tax-smoking/57737774/1">http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-09-10/cigarette-tax-smoking/57737774/1</a>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-88245595151721155022012-09-07T09:11:00.000-05:002012-09-07T09:11:11.117-05:00High blood pressure is out of control for too many Americans and Minnesotans<h4>
About one-quarter
of Minnesotans have high blood pressure</h4>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div>
High blood pressure is a nationwide concern and a costly health problem.
Almost 67 million American adults have high blood pressure, and half of them do
not have it under control. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a major
contributor to heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in
the U.S. and Minnesota. <br />
<br />
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday released a report
finding that nearly one in three adults (67 million) has high blood pressure
and of those about half (36 million) have uncontrolled blood pressure. High
blood pressure is defined as having systolic blood pressure (top number)
greater than or equal to 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (bottom number)
greater than or equal to 90 mmHg.<br />
<br />
The latest <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwOTA2LjEwMzAzNDkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEyMDkwNi4xMDMwMzQ5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MTQ3NzY2JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZ1c2VyaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/docs/dpk-hypertension-MMWR_VS-9-4-2012.pdf">CDC
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (pdf)</a> did not include Minnesota
specific numbers. However, data from a separate national survey released in
August found that 26 percent of adult Minnesotans report being told that they
had high blood pressure, according to the <em>Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System Survey Data</em>, from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.<br />
<br />
As for treatment of the disease, in 2010 about 75 percent of Minnesotans aged
18-85 who received a diagnosis of hypertension and received treatment in a
clinic had their blood pressure adequately controlled after diagnosis,
according to Minnesota Community Measurement. This is an improvement upon
Minnesota's 2008 rate of 69 percent. <br />
<br />
"Though we're doing better than national averages in terms of preventing
high blood pressure and treating it, we are really encouraging people to “know
their numbers" and seek treatment in order to avoid a disabling stroke,
heart attack, or even death," said Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of
Health. <br />
<br />
The Department of Health is combating high blood pressure by improving the
quality of care in clinics and by encouraging healthy communities and healthy
living. Minnesota has embraced team-based care in its clinics, which according
to the CDC report, is one successful approach to controlling high blood
pressure. In 2008, Minnesota passed legislation allowing primary care clinics
to voluntarily be certified as health care homes, which is a team-based
clinical model that is particularly effective for caring for patients with
diseases such as high blood pressure. With this approach, doctors, pharmacists,
nurses, dieticians, and community health workers can work together to identify
and treat high blood pressure. About 2 million Minnesotans now receive care at
certified health care homes.<br />
<br />
In addition, the Minnesota Department of Health is combating high blood
pressure by promoting changes in communities that promote healthy living, such
as adding walking and biking paths, opening farmers markets, and adding smoking
restrictions. The department also addresses high blood pressure with worksite
initiatives that focus on helping employees “know their numbers." The goal
is to make the healthy choice the easy choice, so Minnesotans can lower their
risk of developing high blood pressure by eating fruits and vegetables,
consuming less salt, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking. <br />
<br />
To learn more about high blood pressure in Minnesota visit, the <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwOTA2LjEwMzAzNDkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEyMDkwNi4xMDMwMzQ5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MTQ3NzY2JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZ1c2VyaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&102&&&http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cvh/bloodpressure.html">MDH
blood pressure page</a> or <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwOTA2LjEwMzAzNDkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEyMDkwNi4xMDMwMzQ5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MTQ3NzY2JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZ1c2VyaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&103&&&http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cvh/cvhplan.html">Minnesota's
state plan to combat heart disease and stroke</a>. To learn more about national
efforts, visit <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwOTA2LjEwMzAzNDkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEyMDkwNi4xMDMwMzQ5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MTQ3NzY2JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZ1c2VyaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&104&&&http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/">www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/</a>.
Controlling high blood pressure is also a key component of Million Hearts ™, a
national initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes by 2017 <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTIwOTA2LjEwMzAzNDkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEyMDkwNi4xMDMwMzQ5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MTQ3NzY2JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZ1c2VyaWQ9cmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZyZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&105&&&http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html">www.millionhearts.hhs.gov</a>.<br />
<b><br />
<strong>-MDH-</strong></b><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />
</div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=356540815780124528" name="1"></a><strong><i>For more information, contact:</i></strong><br />
<strong>Scott Smith</strong><b><br />
<strong>MDH Communications</strong><br />
<strong>651-201-5806</strong></b><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>James Peacock</strong><b><br />
<strong>Disease & Stroke Prevention Unit</strong><br />
<strong>651 201-5405</strong></b></div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-90526982936026939132012-09-06T14:57:00.000-05:002012-09-06T14:57:25.453-05:00In Minn., new effort to get the farm to the food shelf by <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/about/people/mpr_people_display.php?aut_id=91">Julie Siple</a>,
Minnesota Public Radio
<div class="date">
September 4, 2012</div>
<br /><div>
Hunger relief organizations are stepping up their efforts to capture the
millions of pounds of produce from Minnesota fields that go to waste each year,
and put it on the plates of those who need it. <br />
<br />
With that in mind, volunteers for the Neighborhood House food shelf visit the
St. Paul Farmers Market on Sunday afternoons. After customers have left, the
volunteers haul carts around the market. <br />
<br />
Vendors gladly hand over what they didn't sell -- piles of beans, tomatoes,
and beets. <br />
<br />
"A lot of it would go to waste, because after today, we pick everything all
over again," said Julie Yang, a farmer whose family donates leftovers every
week. <br />
<br />
The food shelf collects about 1,500 pounds each Sunday from the downtown St.
Paul farmers market, mostly produce that would otherwise be composted or tossed.
<br />
<br />
Increasingly, hunger relief groups are trying to bring in what's called
"agricultural surplus." They're also looking beyond farmers markets to potential
sources for larger amounts of food. <br />
<br />
They have their eyes on some of Minnesota's biggest consumable crops:
potatoes, sweet corn and peas. <br />
<div class="pullquote">
<div class="quote">
<br /></div>
</div>
An estimated 210 million pounds of those three crops go unharvested in
Minnesota each year, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group that
was based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Millions more are
picked but never sold to retailers or consumers. <br />
<br />
"The potential is substantial," said Tony Mans, director of food sourcing for
Second Harvest Heartland food bank. "We're looking for a new stream, and this is
the next big thing." <br />
<br />
Mans said hunger relief groups need a new stream of food, because traditional
sources of donations are declining. For example, they're getting fewer
nonperishable donations from big food manufacturers. <br />
<br />
"You know, manufacturers are really tightening up their inventories and doing
a better job of controlling waste, as they should," he said. "As the economy has
tightened, they've really changed their systems and become much more efficient.
That's made it harder for us and our food shelves to help serve our clients."
<br />
<br />
Mans hopes agricultural surplus will help fill the gap. One of the biggest
challenges is logistics: figuring out how to get perishable donations quickly.
<br />
<br />
To do that, Second Harvest has refrigerated trucks that crisscross much of
southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The trucks pick up produce as soon as
a farmer calls. <br />
<br />
When Second Harvest receives more produce than it needs, it sends the extra
to food banks outside Minnesota. In return, it receives other produce, perhaps
tomatoes in January. <br />
<div class="pullquote">
<div class="quote">
<br /></div>
</div>
The biggest volume of unused produce could come from large-scale food
processors -- the companies that can and freeze vegetables. Hunger relief groups
are talking with some of those companies and hope to bring in high-volume
donations, Mans said. <br />
<br />
Second Harvest is also reaching out to vegetable farmers like Gary Pahl in
Apple Valley. As Pahl recently walked through fields of sweet corn and
cucumbers, he stopped to check the crops, then conferred with his brother to
make a game plan for the day's harvest. <br />
<br />
"We'll just pick whatever cukes we get, cut our cabbage so we don't have to
mess around with that tomorrow," Pahl said. <br />
<br />
It's an art to get the vegetables ready just in time to sell. Pahl plants
sweet corn in batches, so it will ripen bit by bit through the summer. But
sometimes, the weather doesn't cooperate -- then there's too much corn at once,
and he can't get a good price for it. That leads to something he hates to do.
<br />
<br />
"Put a disc to it, till it back into the ground," Pahl said. "That's the only
thing you can do. If nobody wants it, you know, what else are you going to do
with it?" <br />
<br />
That changed last year, when he had truckloads of corn still in the fields
and called Second Harvest. The food bank paid him a small fee to help cover the
cost of harvest. He said he still lost money, but it was nice to see the corn go
to someone in need. <br />
<br />
"You have a lot of input costs in there; you got a lot of sweat equity," he
said. "To see it go to waste, it's disheartening." <br />
<br />
In the end, the produce winds up at a food shelf. <br />
<br />
At Neighborhood House in St. Paul, Sarah Yang, basic needs manager for
Neighborhood House, is thrilled to be able to offer food shelf users a healthy
option. It can be hard for low-income families to afford healthy food, she said.
<br />
<br />
"We're trying really hard not to have Ramen noodles," she said. "We're trying
to get more nutritious food in here." <br />
<br />
The food shelf offers vegetables from the farmers market, potatoes and sweet
corn from farmers' fields. But Yang has a problem: not enough refrigerator
space. <br />
<br />
The food shelf is trying to expand. Yang wants a walk-in cooler that would
allow the food shelf to store more vegetables and keep them fresh longer. <br />
<br />
"It's hugely important," she said. "Produce is huge."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/03/regional/foodshelf-produce/">http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/03/regional/foodshelf-produce/</a> </div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-28975252405446839312012-09-06T13:37:00.000-05:002012-09-06T13:37:09.040-05:00Lunchroom menus push healthy foods Article by: <a href="http://www.startribune.com/bios/10644381.html" peppycount="139" title="MARIA ELENA BACA">MARIA ELENA BACA</a> , Star Tribune * Updated: September 3, 2012 - 11:39 PM<br />
<br />
<div class="resizeFont" peppycount="160" sizcache="30" sizset="140">
<div class="articlePageDiv" id="pageDiv1" peppycount="161" sizcache="30" sizset="140">
As Minnesota students return to school, healthy living is on the menu and the
syllabus.<br />
<br />
For the first time in more than 15 years, federal school nutrition standards
are changing. Cafeterias must offer more fruits and vegetables and cut
carbohydrates, meat and calories overall.<br />
<br />
Minnesota is going a step further, requiring all districts to adopt minimum
physical education standards and issuing optional guidelines for "active
recess."<br />
<br />
Across the state and the nation, school cafeterias are adding new equipment,
retraining staff and overhauling menus to reflect a sea change in school
nutrition, just one part of broader recognition of the dual problems of
malnutrition and obesity among children. Today, 17 percent of American
schoolchildren are obese, and as many as 1 in 5 are at risk for going
hungry.<br />
<br />
Some parents and educators wonder how well the changes will go over at
schools. But supporters say the healthy overhaul is overdue.<br />
<br />
"It's just common sense," said Deb Loy, director of Coordinated School
Health, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education. "There's a
recognition that the quality of the nutrition is important, for kids to get the
essential nutrients that their bodies need for brain development, physical
development, attention, moods, energy levels, those kinds of things."<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>Fix it and they will eat</b></div>
<br />
Despite concerns that students won't swap chips for chard, school nutrition
experts say they've found the opposite to be true, if kids can choose among
several healthier options, help create menus and see foods that are prepared and
displayed to look delicious.<br />
<br />
The changes in school lunch were approved by Congress in 2010 and reflect
current thinking about the optimal proportions of different food groups. They
adjust portion sizes for students of different ages. They also dial up daily
fruit <i>and </i>vegetable servings and set a limit on protein, breads and
grains.<br />
<br />
Right now, the federal government pays a percentage for each meal certified
to meet USDA nutritional requirements, from a minimum of 27 cents for paid meals
to a maximum of $3.04 for meals served free to the poorest kids in the country,
and in Minnesota, the state adds 12 cents per qualified meal.<br />
<br />
The new federal rules include an additional 6 cents for each qualified meal.
Food service directors said they expect the decrease in meat and grains to
offset much of the expense of produce, but food costs depend on many factors.
They said they won't know for a few months how the changes will affect their
budgets.<br />
<br />
The standards were written for the average U.S. student, raising some
questions about whether the calories will be enough to fuel high school
athletes.<br />
<br />
Dr. Bill Roberts, chairman of the sports medicine advisory committee of the
Minnesota State High School League, said it's more relevant to ask where
students get their calories.<br />
<br />
"You can get quite a lot of calories by plopping 2 or 3 pats of butter on a
piece of bread," he said. "Or you can aim toward fruits and vegetables and
healthy fats ... and some milk. It sounds like they're barking up the same tree
I am with my patients."<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>Schools roll out their menus</b></div>
<br />
Last Monday, aromas of fresh basil, basmati rice and baked mushrooms filled
the Hopkins High School kitchen, as workers made lunch for 1,000 teachers and
administrators. Cook Paul Kapala topped trays of grilled chicken with
brilliantly red roasted peppers, feta and basil, and extended services manager
Anne Ferreira consulted a well-thumbed cookbook, "Mediterranean Food of the
Sun," which inspired several dishes on the menu.<br />
<br />
Students in the district of 7,200 won't see much change in their lunchrooms
on Tuesday, said Barb Mechura, the district's director of Student Nutrition
Services. For the past several years, Hopkins has been committed to "scratch
cooking." Nutrition directors find great dishes and hand them to professional
chefs like Kapala, who adapt the recipes to feed thousands of students. The
chopping, mixing and cooking are done daily in nine school kitchens, often with
local ingredients.<br />
<br />
Hopkins' experience shows that students are more likely to buy in if they are
involved in the process, Mechura said. She recalled the day she introduced
chili, which can be loaded up with veggies.<br />
<br />
"We had to beg kids to take a bite of it, and there were lots of
inappropriate comments," she said. "But just last winter, I was in the same
serving line area and there were kids coming in, and they were jumping up and
down and saying, 'Oh, yay! It's chili today!'"<br />
<br />
Changes will be more noticeable elsewhere.<br />
<br />
For decades, all of the Minneapolis school District's cooking has taken place
at the Nutrition Center in north Minneapolis. Hot and cold items are precooked
and prepackaged.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div sizcache="30" sizset="140">
"The biggest issue is that when you package
everything in a TV dinner, that's what you get," said Bertrand Weber, who took
over as Minneapolis' director of culinary and nutrition services<a href="" name="continue" peppycount="150"></a>in January.</div>
</div>
<div class="articlePageDiv" id="pageDiv2" peppycount="162">
<br />
Starting this year, Weber's staff is installing fresh fruit and vegetable
bars in every cafeteria. Two elementary schools that still have their own
kitchens now will reheat bulk foods separately and serve portions on trays.
Cooks are preparing meals from scratch in all the high schools. The changes have
resulted in 31 new positions; some are new hires, and others have shifted from
packaging jobs to cooking.<br />
<br />
Weber says the changes are long overdue. "The biggest resistance I've always
had were adults saying, 'Kids won't eat that,'" he said. "Kids <i>will </i>eat
the food if it's presented well, if it tastes good and if we keep reinforcing
and keep doing it over and over again."<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>But will it work?</b></div>
<br />
Families visiting the Minnesota State Fair last week were largely supportive
of the changes.<br />
<br />
"Schools never should have been in the business of teaching unhealthy
habits," said Tim Rust of Glenwood, father of a high school senior. "It's just a
lack of common sense, and I'm glad to see it going in a different
direction."<br />
<br />
Charlie Marble, a fifth-grader at Lake Marion Elementary School in Lakeville,
noted that kids at his school like to eat fruit, though some try to take seconds
of dessert.<br />
<br />
James Shelton III, a St. Paul third-grader, wasn't sure.<br />
<br />
"I think there's enough fruits and vegetables," he said. With some prompting
from his dad, James Shelton Jr., he admitted that he'd like to see more
strawberries and pineapple.<br />
<br />
The elder Shelton was among a few adults who worried that the produce will
end up in the garbage. "When you waste food, it's like wasting money," he said.
"But they've got to try it."<br />
<br />
The program has other skeptics. Work by Food and Nutrition Services in the
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan schools has been recognized for excellence.
Coordinator Wendy Knight understands about giving students options and has seen
attractive displays entice kids to try new foods. But she worries that portions
are too small for active teens.<br />
<br />
"I support the program; I just feel that kids need more calories than I think
what this is allowing them," she said. "Right now I've got some of them
scavenging the lunchrooms after lunch because they're hungry. ... Kids need
calories, and kids need good protein sources, and they're going to be looking at
their burger and thinking, 'Where's the beef?'"<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>From food to phys ed</b></div>
<br />
Beyond the lunchroom, students will need to meet the very general goals for
physical competence and active lifestyle, as set out by the National Association
of Sport and Physical Education and outlined by the state Department of
Education. Students must take physical education yearly through eighth grade;
school districts will continue to set their own high school requirements.<br />
<br />
This fall, the department will release "Quality Recess Guidelines" to help
students make the best use of active time. The optional guidelines will include
suggestions that students take a 20-minute activity break, daily, before lunch
if possible. It also suggests the use of group games.<br />
<br />
In Loy's mind, the nutrition and activity are linked.<br />
<br />
"If you attend to making sure that kids have good, nutritious food, or that
they have breaks throughout the school day to get physically active, then you're
not spending so much time dealing with disciplinary issues," she said. "The kids
are more focused and their brains are more primed to learn."<br />
<br />
Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/168412536.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue">http://www.startribune.com/local/168412536.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue</a></div>
</div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-33965935831181178892012-08-28T08:54:00.000-05:002012-08-28T08:54:21.776-05:00Two New Resources about Access to Healthy Food<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
<a href="http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/">Public Health Law Center</a> is happy to announce the release of two new
resources related to access to healthy food:<span style="color: #1f497d;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRyag0JF-hZsxqlUvxnUhSwvUIIBiv4HZuDCN4w7f7gzoVo2u2Sa3AvIeFXv2hmQJvCtTEtL_AOI4zFZ3DuuQANLcZb0QyAVADgKioOd0epEUe97TovJ0akZWTJNoHPs16RhfTr52u7Y/s1600/blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRyag0JF-hZsxqlUvxnUhSwvUIIBiv4HZuDCN4w7f7gzoVo2u2Sa3AvIeFXv2hmQJvCtTEtL_AOI4zFZ3DuuQANLcZb0QyAVADgKioOd0epEUe97TovJ0akZWTJNoHPs16RhfTr52u7Y/s200/blog.JPG" width="155" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our new policy brief, <b><i>Access to Healthy
Food: Challenges and Opportunities</i></b>, provides public health advocates,
policymakers, and community organizers with an overview of key policy and legal
strategies being pursued to reduce or prevent obesity by increasing access to
healthy food. These strategies can support efforts to develop and implement
policies that will increase access to healthy food and reduce obesity. This
document is attached, and can also be found on our website at: <a href="http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/PHLC%20Access%20to%20Healthy%20Food%20-%20Challenges%20and%20Opportunities%202012.pdf">www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/PHLC%20Access%20to%20Healthy%20Food%20-%20Challenges%20and%20Opportunities%202012.pdf</a><span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrX52RGK1SWEjhgvcjd_OYZaJXfAJpw1nU-iLeFEKJjPRdFClVdue5qc58u96Un-_0utbNRQHTdb05wA0zHZrvo21wbleTqKpTZRc_sMPczua4IcyM8UE4PBYrfX4n8pLapCL27EiDw8/s1600/blog2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrX52RGK1SWEjhgvcjd_OYZaJXfAJpw1nU-iLeFEKJjPRdFClVdue5qc58u96Un-_0utbNRQHTdb05wA0zHZrvo21wbleTqKpTZRc_sMPczua4IcyM8UE4PBYrfX4n8pLapCL27EiDw8/s200/blog2.JPG" width="155" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We also compiled a new fact sheet, <b><i>Healthy
Vending and the Randolph Sheppard Act</i></b>. Federal, state, and local
governments can increase access to healthy foods and beverages for their
residents by requiring all vending service providers to ensure healthier
options are sold in vending machines on public property. Legally blind vendors
can be particularly influential in what is sold in vending facilities located
on government property because of the Randolph Sheppard Act. This fact
sheet discusses the Randolph Sheppard Act and what the law means for healthy
vending efforts. This document is attached, and can also be found on our
website at: <a href="http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/PHLC%20Healthy%20Vending%20and%20the%20Randolph%20Sheppard%20Act%208.21.2012.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/PHLC%20Healthy%20Vending%20and%20the%20Randolph%20Sheppard%20Act%208.21.2012.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-61275901117437932222012-08-27T10:38:00.000-05:002012-08-27T10:38:09.533-05:00Police get cross about crosswalks Article by: <a href="http://www.startribune.com/bios/101372379.html" peppycount="154" title="KELLY SMITH">KELLY
SMITH</a> , Star Tribune * Updated: August 17, 2012 - 10:50 AM<br />
<br />
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Robbinsdale's first-ever major crosswalk crackdown netted 80 citations over
two days for drivers who blew past two neon signs, painted pavement and even an
undercover pedestrian.<br />
<br />
The ramped-up enforcement comes amid a rise in pedestrian deaths in Minnesota
and as cities promote walkability, which puts more pedestrians in the danger
zone.<br />
<br />
"People are driving aggressively, they're not paying attention. ... It's not
safe," Robbinsdale Police Chief Steve Smith said about the need for crackdowns
like the sting, which prompted some residents to pull up lawn chairs to watch
the action.<br />
<br />
Part of the problem is that drivers and walkers are more distracted than ever
before, cued in to smartphones and other diversions. The dangerous combination
is sparking new safety efforts this year by many Twin Cities communities and
also by the state, which is launching its first crosswalk safety campaign in
nearly 15 years with a slew of ads, billboards and events in the next month.<br />
<br />
"There are more distracted drivers and more distracted pedestrians," said
Gordy Pehrson of the traffic safety office at the Minnesota Department of Public
Safety. "Not only do we need more enforcement, but we need to educate people
more, especially motorists."<br />
<br />
In short, drivers are supposed to stop or yield to pedestrians whether
they're in a marked crosswalk or not, while walkers are supposed to enter a
crosswalk with care.<br />
<br />
"There's a shared responsibility," he said.<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>Seniors requested help</b></div>
<br />
The blitz to enforce and educate comes at a time when walkability is a
growing priority, with the number of people walking to their destinations up 18
percent from 2007 to 2011, according to Bike Walk Twin Cities. Cities such as
Minneapolis, Bloomington, Edina, Hopkins and St. Louis Park are all looking to
make streets more walkable with infrastructure changes.<br />
<br />
That's prompted residents in Edina to request better enforcement of
crosswalks, spurring police to start a new annual three-week crosswalk safety
campaign this year. In July, Edina police handed out an estimated 20 citations
around popular areas such as Southdale Center and the 50th and France commercial
area.<br />
<br />
"We've never had a focused effort like this," Edina Sgt. Tim Olson said.<br />
<br />
In Robbinsdale, it was also residents, particularly senior citizens, who
prompted the city to step up crosswalk enforcement. Last week, police enlisted
the help of several metro area officers to nab 80 drivers, to the cheers and
thumbs-up of onlookers.<br />
<br />
"It's an issue that generally doesn't get a lot of attention, and I think
it's an issue that needs it," Robbinsdale officer Ryan Pankratz said.<br />
<br />
Robbinsdale enlisted the help of last year's newly formed Hennepin County
Traffic Enforcement Group, traffic officers from Minneapolis, west and north
metro suburbs and other agencies that assist one another. Initially they were
asked to help with speeders, but after Robbinsdale officers were inundated with
stops for drivers violating the crosswalk law near Sanborn Park, they reassigned
the group to visibly boost crosswalk control.<br />
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<div class="subhead">
<b>Pedestrians vs. drivers</b></div>
<br />
All too often, it takes a tragedy to spur action.<br />
<br />
Between Chanhassen and Eden Prairie, a pedestrian flasher system will be
added to an intersection on Hwy. 101 after a 12-year-old girl died when struck
by a car while crossing the highway.<br />
<br />
In the blame game, crashes are often attributed to actions by both drivers
and pedestrians. In the 857 cases last year of Minnesota pedestrians killed or
injured -- a rise of nearly 50 from the year before -- 35 percent of drivers had
failed to yield to the pedestrians. The next biggest cause: distraction or
inattention. Of the 40 pedestrians killed, 11 were trying to cross a road
without a crosswalk or signal and 12 had consumed alcohol.<br />
<br />
Pehrson said both drivers and pedestrians are more distracted, texting while
walking or driving (which is illegal in Minnesota), checking phones or tuning
out with music.<br />
While other traffic-death causes such as drunken driving or not wearing seat
belts continue to dip, pedestrian deaths in Minnesota have risen since 2008
after declining over the previous decade. Because other traffic deaths have
fallen in number, pedestrian deaths now make up a higher proportion -- about 10
percent -- of overall traffic deaths.<br />
<br />
In states like California, Pehrson said, "people literally slam on the brakes
to stop for you." It will take a cultural shift, he said, to change Minnesotans'
mind-set about crosswalks.<br />
<br />
Starting Sept. 25 -- just ahead of October, the deadliest month for
pedestrians -- the Minnesota Department of Transportation will unveil new
billboards, radio and bus ads and stage events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, St.
Cloud, Rochester and Duluth to spread the word that every corner should be
treated as a crosswalk, marked or not.<br />
<br />
So far this year, 15 pedestrians have died.<br />
<br />
"We're not really seeing any big change," Pehrson said. "If we do absolutely
nothing, I don't think that the trends are going to change."</div>
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<br />
Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141; Twitter: @kellystrib<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/west/166496886.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#continue">http://www.startribune.com/local/west/166496886.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#continue</a><br />
<a href="" name="continue" peppycount="168"></a></div>
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Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-18851348961593745652012-08-27T09:21:00.001-05:002012-08-27T09:21:26.114-05:00School food workers grapple with new USDA guidelines and how to get children to eat healthier Article by: KRISTEN WYATT , Associated Press * Updated: August 21, 2012 - 2:06 AM<br />
<br />
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DENVER - There will be more whole grains on school lunch menus this year,
along with a wider selection of fruits and vegetables and other healthy options.
The challenge is getting children to eat them.<br />
<br />
"We don't want healthy trash cans. We want kids who are eating this stuff,"
said Kern Halls, a former Disney World restaurant manager who now works in
school nutrition at Orange County Public Schools in Florida.<br />
<br />
At a School Nutrition Association conference in Denver this summer, food
workers heard tips about how to get children to make healthy food choices in the
cafeteria.<br />
<br />
The problem is a serious one for the nation's lunch-line managers, who are
implementing the biggest update to federal school-food guidelines in 15
years.<br />
<br />
New Department of Agriculture guidelines taking effect this fall set calorie
and sodium limits for school meals. Schools must offer dark green, orange or red
vegetables and legumes at least once a week, and students are required to select
at least one vegetable or fruit per meal. Flavored milk must be nonfat, and
there's a ban on artificial, artery-clogging trans fats.<br />
<br />
At the conference, Halls demonstrated some healthy recipes for curious
cafeteria managers, joining White House chef Sam Kass to prepare a veggie wrap
using a whole-wheat tortilla.<br />
<br />
Halls' main mission, though, was not pushing new recipes but teaching
cafeteria managers marketing strategies used to great success by private-sector
restaurants and food producers.<br />
<br />
The first step, cafeteria workers were told, is to stop thinking of lunchtime
as a break from academics, but a crucial part of a child's school day.<br />
<br />
"Your job is not to serve kids food. Your job is motivate kids to be
adventurous and healthy eaters," said Barb Mechura, head of nutrition services
at schools in Hopkins, Minn.<br />
<br />
Her school district recruited parent volunteers to be elementary-school "food
coaches," touring cafeterias and handing out samples of fruits and vegetables.
The food coaches would also demonstrate eating them. Food coaching may seem
silly, but kids who have had chicken only as nuggets or patties may not know how
to eat bone-in chicken and need to see how a grown-up eats it before trying it
themselves.<br />
<br />
As the kids graduate to middle and high schools, and grown-ups in the
cafeteria aren't as welcome, schools can tap student ambassadors to be food
coaches, perhaps asking the baseball team or a popular student athlete dish out
veggies. Or, high school seniors might give underclassmen samples of a new
vegetable coming to the cafeteria.<br />
<br />
School cafeterias also are using cutting-edge market research. They're
filming what kids eat, test-marketing new products before they go on the line
and doing menu surveys to find out exactly what students think about a dish's
taste, appearance and temperature.<br />
<br />
A Colorado State University professor studied the dining habits of kids in
Loveland, Colo., with an eye toward measuring ways to get them to choose
healthier foods. Leslie Cunningham-Sabo, who photographed "before" and "after"
pictures of kids' lunch trays, found that kids eat more fruits and vegetables if
they have lunch after recess, instead of before recess. She found that corn
consumption went up when generic "corn" labels were replaced with colorful cards
describing the vegetable as "mellow yellow corn."<br />
<br />
"Don't put veggies in opaque containers or give them boring labels like
`corn,'" Cunningham-Sabo told the lunch workers, showing diagrams of how to lay
out a service line to encourage trips to the salad bar.<br />
<br />
Another trick — just like supermarkets place impulse buys like candy and
chewing gum by the checkout, lunch lines should place easy-to-grab fruits and
veggies by their own cash registers. Her study saw cafeterias double their sales
of fresh fruit when they placed it colorful bowls in a convenient place.<br />
<br />
"You really have to be in their face with what's available," Cunningham-Sabo
said.<br />
<br />
The marketing doesn't stop at the cafeteria doors. Lassen View Elementary
School in Redding, Calif., got children to eat more fruits and vegetables when
cafeteria manager Kathie Sardeson started a recess snack cart bringing the foods
straight to the playground for kids to munch on.<br />
<br />
Her school also bought an iPad 2 to raffle away to students who entered by
choosing a healthy breakfast yogurt parfait and turning in tickets attached to
the bottom. She tempted kids to try unusual flavors by giving out "Fear Factor
Smoothies" including unexpected ingredients such as spinach. Sardeson said
schools can be persuaded to invest more in nutrition promotions because the
payoff is better students.<br />
<br />
"We get a lot of feedback from teachers that behavior problems are way down
because the kids are eating right," Sardeson said.<br />
<br />
Educators are coming around to recognizing value in having better school
food, Mechura told the cafeteria workers.</div>
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<br />
"Food is one of the most important influences on your everyday brain cells,"
Mechura said. Healthy eating habits, she argued, is as important as everything
else schools are trying to teach.<br />
<br />
"We have to change," Mechura said. "We have to build an environment that
creates excitement about what we are doing rather than fear of new foods."<br />
___<br />
<div sizcache="30" sizset="146">
Follow Kristen Wyatt at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt" peppycount="168">http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/166770936.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue">http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/166770936.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue</a></div>
</div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-17698457823627804332012-08-24T09:39:00.000-05:002012-08-24T09:39:43.121-05:00Quick-thinking Joyce helps save woman's life <h2 class="article-subhead">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Veteran umpire performed CPR on non-responsive D-backs employee</span></span></h2>
<div class="article-byline">
<span class="timeStamp"></span></div>
By Steve Gilbert/MLB.com|<span class="timeStamp">08/21/12 9:55 PM ET</span></div>
<div class="article-byline">
<span class="timeStamp"><br /></span></div>
<div class="article-byline">PHOENIX -- Jim Joyce's timing could not have been better.<br />
</div>
<div>
<div class="article-byline">
<br />
The veteran Major League umpire performed CPR on D-backs food service
employee Jane Powers prior to the D-backs-Marlins game on Monday night.
<br />
<br />
"[The doctors] are pretty confident that they got her to the hospital in a
shape where they could treat her and get her well again," said Russ Amaral, a
D-backs vice president in charge of facilities and event services.
<br />
<br />
Joyce, who was scheduled to work the game behind the plate, arrived at the
ballpark around 5:15 p.m. MST. He was walking down a ramp that leads to the
umpire's dressing room.
<br />
<br />
Nearby, a briefing to the Levy food service workers had just broken up, and
Powers, who has worked for the D-backs since their inaugural season in 1998, was
speaking with a co-worker. She suddenly grabbed her co-worker's arm, began to
shake and then fell to the ground.
<br />
<br />
"I knew something was wrong," Joyce said. "And I knew if something wasn't
done, this lady could actually die in front of me. It was more instinct than
anything else."
<br />
<br />
Joyce began to perform CPR, something he learned in high school.
<br />
<br />
"I've always stayed up with it," Joyce said. "Everybody should know it. I
truly mean that. Everybody should know it. Because if you only have to use it
one time, it can, well ... you can see what happened."
<br />
<br />
Not long after, Marlins bullpen coordinator Jeffrey Urgelles arrived on the
scene. Urgelles was a firefighter/paramedic in the Miami-Dade County area. He
assisted Joyce and later also helped out the paramedics.
<br />
<br />
"Somebody called for a trainer," Urgelles said. "I saw one of the security
guys sprinting up the stairs. I knew then something was up, and I started
walking out of the cage to see what was happening. Ricky Nolasco screamed for
me. He was saying, 'Urgy, Urgy, they need someone who knows CPR.'
<br />
<br />
"I ran down the hallway and the lady was down on the ground. When I got
there, there was a lady down and two people there. One of the guys was doing
compression. That man ended up being Jim Joyce, the umpire. Until then, I didn't
know who he was until late last night."
<br />
<br />
A call had already been made to the D-backs' security control room to send
help, and a first responder arrived on the scene within minutes with an
automatic external defibrillator (AED). Joyce continued with the CPR while the
first responder worked with the AED.
<br />
<br />
Some 20 minutes later, Powers was transferred to an ambulance, which took her
to Good Samaritan Hospital, where she finally regained consciousness.
<br />
<br />
Joyce, meanwhile, went to the umpire's room to get ready for the game. His
fellow umpires offered to let him work third base, a less strenuous assignment
rather than working the plate.
<br />
<br />
Joyce turned them down flat.
<br />
<br />
"I couldn't stand on third base and think about it all night," Joyce said.
"And my job is to do my rotation in the crew, and nothing would have kept me
from working the plate last night. Not only that I could get my mind off it
because there's action on every pitch."
<br />
<br />
D-backs executive Roland Hemond called Joyce over to the screen behind home
plate during the game to let him know that Powers had regained consciousness and
looked like she was going to be OK.
<br />
<br />
"Obviously I wanted to know, unless it had been bad news," Joyce said. "My
wife actually told everyone if it's bad news, you don't tell him. Because I
wouldn't have been able to continue."
<br />
<br />
By Tuesday morning, Powers was doing better and doctors told D-backs
officials that she might be able to go home later this week.
<br />
<br />
"The doctors have said, 'I'll tell you what -- if it wasn't for the first
person who was on scene and the fact that you had those AED's, there's a very
fairly decent chance this would not have turned out well, and she might not have
made it to the hospital at all,'" Amaral said.
<br />
<br />
The D-backs have AED's at different locations throughout the ballpark and
have trained various front-office and event-staff members on how to operate
them.
<br />
<br />
Until Monday, though, they had never been used.
<br />
<br />
"You never know how people are going to respond until they have to use it,"
Amaral said. "Thank God we purchased these things."
<br />
<br />
Joyce and his wife, Kay, visited Powers on Tuesday, and when the umpire
walked into the room, he was so overcome with emotion, he was unable to speak.
<br />
<br />
"Thank God my wife Kay was with me, because she interpreted," Joyce said.
<br />
<br />
While he was performing CPR, Joyce was singing the song "Staying Alive" as a
way of keeping the compressions going at the right time.
<br />
<br />
Joyce asked Powers if she remembered him singing to her.
<br />
<br />
"She didn't remember that," Joyce said. "But she told my wife she remembered
my voice. I was yelling for her to come back and everything. She said she
recognized my voice, so that's really kind of cool."
<br />
<br />
A big league umpire for 24 seasons, Joyce gained notoriety in 2010 when his
missed call at first base cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game.
<br />
<br />
Certainly Powers and the entire D-backs' organization will now remember him
for an entirely different reason. As he prepared to work Tuesday's game, Joyce
was stopped by D-backs day of game employees and front-office personnel.
Everyone, it seemed, wanted to thank him for what he had done.
<br />
<br />
"I'll be very honest with you," said Joyce, who teared up at times while
being thanked. "The way I look at it is, somebody needed help and I was
fortunate enough to know what to do. I just looked at helping someone who really
needed it. She was in bad shape and needed help."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120821&content_id=37090842&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb">http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120821&content_id=37090842&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb</a></div>
</div>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-80594170959203612722012-08-22T08:16:00.000-05:002012-08-22T08:16:33.492-05:00Should Lack Of Exercise Be Considered A Medical Condition? by Eliza Barclay, National Public Radio
<br />
<div class="date">
August 16, 2012</div>
<br />
"You've got a bad case of deconditioning," the doctor says.<br />
<br />
Actually, it would be the rare doctor who would say that to anyone. And
though it might sound like something to do with hair, in fact, deconditioning is
a familiar and more profound problem: the decidedly unnatural state of being
physically inactive.<br />
<br />
At some point in the last few decades, the human race went from being a
species that is active most of the time to one that is increasingly sedentary.
<em>The Lancet</em> recently <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673612610319">called
it</a> an "inactivity pandemic," responsible for 1 in 10 deaths worldwide.
That's a major shift, and a major public health problem, many researchers have
pointed out. Inactivity is linked to heart disease, diabetes and some types of
cancer.<br />
<br />
Now <a href="http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/staff/joyner_mj.cfm">Michael
Joyner</a>, a physiologist at the Mayo Clinic, argues in a <a href="http://jp.physoc.org/content/590/15/3413.full?sid=0e4f4cc4-52c4-40e3-a811-4d4740c7a694">commentary</a>
out this month in the <em>Journal of Physiology </em>that one way to deal with
the problem is to make physical inactivity a mainstream medical diagnosis. It's
one of the most common preventable causes of illness and death, and Joyner
writes, there is "one universally effective treatment for it — exercise
training."<br />
<br />
Shots called up Joyner to get him to elaborate a little more on just why
doctors need to get more involved with this problem.<br />
<br />
"The entire medical research industrial complex is oriented towards
inactivity," he tells us. Insurance companies will reimburse patients for pills
for diseases related to inactivity, but rarely for gym memberships. "Physicians
really need to start defining the physically active state as normal," he
says.<br />
<br />
Joyner says that he thinks about 30 percent of the responsibility to fight
inactivity should fall on the medical community. "Physicians need to interact
with patients about being active, and they need to write prescriptions for
exercise," he says.<br />
<br />
He points to two of the greatest public health triumphs of the 20th century —
improvements in traffic safety and the decline in smoking rates — as models for
how we should tackle the inactivity epidemic. About one-third of the behavior
change came from individuals who started using seat belts and car seats, and
those who quit smoking, and doctors directly influenced that, he says. The rest
was up to the public health community — to enact indoor smoking bans and harsh
drunken driving laws — that helped support the right behavior.<br />
<br />
For inactivity, doctors can push patients to get exercise, and cities and
towns can make it easier for them to do it, he says, with more bike lanes and
parks that can be an alternative to the gym.<br />
<br />
Joyner says he increasingly sees two types of patients in his clinic: the
ones who follow health guidelines and keep active; and those whose don't and see
no connection between their behavior and their health outcomes.<br />
<br />
"We have to be more innovative and creative to figure out how to help the
people who aren't empowered to exercise for their health," he says.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=158831652">http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=158831652</a><br />
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-82634223968139973202012-08-20T09:56:00.000-05:002012-08-20T09:56:00.982-05:00First-of-its-Kind Food Access Summit in Minnesota This WeekJohn Michaelson, Public News Service-MN<br /><a href="http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27964-1">http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27964-1</a> <br />
<br />
(08/20/12) DULUTH, Minn. - With food shelf use in the state at a record high, Minnesota is stepping up its efforts to increase access to healthy food for the poor. A first-of-its-kind Food Access Summit will be held this week (August 21-23) in Duluth, bringing together local food activists, direct service providers, the public health community, and others involved with food and nutrition. <br />
<br />
Christine Pulver, basic needs program director with Keystone Community Services, says there is a segment of Minnesotans who are hungry for the long term.<br />
<br />
"But at the other end we're also seeing new people come into these programs who have never needed help before in their lives. And those are the families that are most difficult to serve, because there's a lot of pride that's getting in the way of using the services they need."<br />
One issue of focus at the summit will be getting more senior citizens to access food programs. It's estimated that less than half of those eligible for SNAP benefits - what used to be known as food stamps - are enrolled, and Pulver says seniors can be a group that's hard to reach.<br />
<br />
"The response that I've had from a number of seniors is they don't want to utilize the program because they want that to go to families with young children. And you want to say, 'Here you've come to a time when you yourself need it. Why not access it?'"<br />
<br />
Pulver says another current challenge is making sure young people who are struggling with finances and finding shelter are getting nutritious meals.<br />
<br />
"We're seeing an increase in the number of homeless youth. And those kids need a more welcoming environment when they're served in nutrition programs. They need food that's easy to prepare, and access to other services, because they're quite an at-risk population."<br />
Pulver says that often, as things get better for those who just need help short term, they turn around and become donors themselves to various food programs. Currently, 500,000 Minnesotans access SNAP benefits monthly.<br />
More information is at <a href="http://www.hungersolutions.org/">www.hungersolutions.org</a> .<br />
<br />
Click here to view this story on the Public News Service RSS site and access an audio version of this and other stories: <a href="http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27964-1">http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/27964-1</a> Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-53219632148561268022012-08-14T08:44:00.002-05:002012-08-14T08:44:43.952-05:00New federal rules require student take fruits and veggies starting this fall by <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/about/people/mpr_people_display.php?aut_id=53">Tim Post</a>,
Minnesota Public Radio
<br />
<div class="date">
August 9, 2012</div>
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota students heading back to school in a few weeks
are going to notice something different about their lunches. <br />
<br />
To meet new federal guidelines, schools across the country are required to
serve up healthier lunch-time fare. That means smaller portions of meat and
protein, fewer calories and a new requirement that forces students to take more
fruits and vegetables. <br />
<br />
The stricter school lunch guidelines set forth by the government have led
lunch directors like Jean Ronnei of the St. Paul School District to test new
lunch tray figurations. <br />
<br />
Ronnei, the district's director of nutrition, has spent the summer poring
over recipes with her staff of dieticians. <br />
<br />
"Fewer grains, controlled portions of meat, meat alternative, less sodium, no
trans fats," she said of the new menu. <br />
<br />
Given such changes, it's a sure bet that the first thing students are going
to notice this fall is what's not on their plates. <br />
<br />
The new U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines limit student lunches to
650 calories for younger students, and 850 for those in high school. <br />
<br />
That means smaller burgers and buns, and students can forget about topping
that burger off with cheese. <br />
Another change: lunch line workers will no longer be able to toss more bread
or extra rice on students' plates to fill them up. <br />
<br />
The new lunch is healthier, but cafeteria workers are already bracing for the
inevitable calls from parents who will say their children are hungry because
they're not getting enough meat and protein. <br />
<br />
So what's the option for famished students? Simple: go crazy on fruits and
vegetables. <br />
<br />
Ronnei said students can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they want. <br />
<br />
"Students that come through are going to need to fill up on fruits and
vegetables because some of those other items they're used to eating just won't
be there," she said. <br />
<br />
The new federal rules go beyond encouraging students to choose healthy fruits
and vegetables. They require them. That makes for half a cup of fruits and
vegetables a day for elementary school students, three quarters of a cup for
students in grades six through eight and a full cup for high school students.
<br />
<br />
Schools that plop fruits and veggies on trays will receive a new six-cent per
meal reimbursement from the government. Whether students eat it, however,
doesn't matter. <br />
<br />
Among the students who may go for more fruits and veggies are seven-year old
Aubrey Ross and nine-year old Kendall Ross, who attend Chelsea Heights
Elementary in St. Paul. They love vegetables. <br />
<br />
But the lunchroom insiders know what's going to happen this fall: kids who
don't want to eat their veggies won't, regardless of the requirement. <br />
<br />
"You should at least eat one or two pieces," Kendall said. <br />
<br />
Among school officials, wasted food is one of the top concerns over the new
federal lunch requirements. <br />
<br />
That's in part because schools across the country have raised their lunch
prices in recent years in anticipation of the new rules. Fresh fruits and
vegetables, especially those bought locally, cost more than the canned fruit
cocktail that used to pass muster. <br />
<br />
The Minnesota Department of Education has been working with schools all
summer on the best way to convince students to eat the fruits and veggies they
must take on their trays. They settled on a strategy of offering a wide variety.
<br />
<br />
"This year we'll be figuring out which menus work, which foods the kids
like," said Debra Lukkonen, supervisor of school nutrition programs for the
state Department of Education. "Let's push through this together and by May
you'll have a really good menu." <br />
<br />
Lukkonen is telling school officials that the first year of the new
requirements might be tough. She suspects that that middle and high school
students will protest the most over the new smaller bread and meat portions, and
the forced vegetable and fruit servings. <br />
<br />
But Lukkonen is confident that younger students, especially those just
starting school, won't know lunchtime any other way and will grow into fruit and
vegetable connoisseurs in coming years.<br />
<br />
MPR News: <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/08/09/education/new-lunch-menu/">http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/08/09/education/new-lunch-menu/ </a><br />
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-39349240624461325002012-08-13T15:08:00.000-05:002012-08-13T15:08:09.511-05:00School snack laws might be working Updated: August 12, 2012 -
11:52 PM<br />
<br />
<div class="articlePageDiv" id="pageDiv1" peppycount="346">
Adolescents in states with strict laws regulating the sale of snacks and
sugary drinks in public schools gained less weight over a three-year period than
those living in states with no such laws, a new study has found.<br />
<br />
The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, found a strong association between
healthier weight and tough state laws regulating food in vending machines, snack
bars and other venues that were not part of the regular school meal programs.
Such snacks and drinks are known as competitive foods, because they compete with
school lunches.<br />
<br />
The conclusions are likely to further stoke the debate over what will help
reduce U.S. obesity rates, which have been rising drastically since the 1980s.
About a fifth of U.S. children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.<br />
<br />
Public health experts have urged local and state governments to remove
competitive foods from schools. In recent years, states have started to pass
laws that restrict their sale, either banning them or setting limits on the
sugar, fat or calories they contain.<br />
<br />
The study tracked weight changes for 6,300 students in 40 states between 2004
and 2007, following them from fifth to eighth grade. It then compared weight
changes over time in states with no laws regulating such food against those in
states with strong laws and those with weak laws.<br />
<br />
Researchers used a legal database to analyze state laws. Strong laws were
defined as those that set out detailed nutrition standards. Laws were weak if
they merely offered recommendations about foods for sale, for example, saying
they should be healthy but not providing specific guidelines.<br />
<br />
The study stopped short of saying the stronger laws were directly responsible
for the better outcomes. It concluded only that such outcomes tended to happen
in states with stronger laws.<br />
<br />
But the authors argued that the study offered evidence that local policies
could be effective.<br />
<div class="noteText">
<br />
<div class="noteText">
NEW YORK TIMES</div>
<div class="noteText">
<br />
<div class="noteText">
Star Tribune:<br />
<a href="http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/165940396.html">http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/165940396.html </a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-14703367257007166392012-08-08T10:34:00.000-05:002012-08-08T10:34:21.819-05:00Olympics & MN - How to promote healthy lifestyles?<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Olympics provide ample examples for young people to engage in fun, healthy
activities. Hopefully it will serve as an inspiration to all of us. For a
generation now, we’ve dismissed the childhood obesity epidemic, blaming it on
lazy kids and video games. Meanwhile, budgets and NCLB have some of our schools
phasing out non-high profile sports, cutting physical education and limiting
recess. Because of all the forces mentioned above, policymakers and health
advocates must get involved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What
policies will promote healthy lifestyles that young people can carry into
adulthood? Which Olympic events inspire you to live more healthfully?</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://out02.thedatabank.com/?r=MTAwMg0KSjQxNDM3LUMzMTUtTTExODQ0OC0tbW5fMjAyMA0KMzcxNTYzMTU1NjIyNTg2MDM5NTY5MTE4NDQ4MTIzDQo2YzAwMDAwMDMzY2I3Zg0KaHR0cDovL2JpdC5seS9PR2o5MnE%2fdXRtX3NvdXJjZT10dWUmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249dHVlcw0KdHVlcw0KcmFjaGVsLmNhbGxhbmFuQGhlYXJ0Lm9yZw%3d%3d" target="_blank">Share your thoughts at this week's Tuesday Talk </a></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><strong><br /></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><strong><a href="http://www.mn2020hindsight.org/">MN 2020 Hindsight Website</a></strong></span><br />Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-36437048182932202012-08-07T09:44:00.003-05:002012-08-07T09:44:44.515-05:00PEP Grants to 2 MN School Districts to Improve PE and Nutrition Ed<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>FY2012
Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant Recipients:
Including 2 MN school districts – a success story.<o:p></o:p></u>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">…Through the Carol M. White Physical
Education Program, or PEP, the U.S. Department of Education awards competitive
grants to expand and improve phys. ed. and nutrition education programs for
students of all ages. In this round of funding, 25 states split $27
million. The winning programs must help students make
progress toward passing their state standards for physical education and
secondarily, must teach students about good nutrition and healthy eating
habits. (edited from news clip published in <i>Education Week.</i>) “The PEP
grant money can be spent on staff and teacher training, to buy equipment—though
not entire playgrounds or other facilities, develop curricula, assess students'
fitness, and to collect data and evaluate programs.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s the link to the
full article:<i> </i><a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2012/07/schools_community_groups_win_27_million_in_phys_ed_nutrition_grants.html">http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2012/07/schools_community_groups_win_27_million_in_phys_ed_nutrition_grants.html</a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14.4pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14.4pt;">As you may recall, prior to enactment of the MN Healthy Kids
legislation in 2010, MN school districts were ineligible for the federal PEP
grant funds because our state lacked statewide PE standards. The 2010 legislation
required MN school districts to adopt PE (NASPE) standards by the 2012-13
school year, thus opening the door for the districts to apply for PEP funding.
The program specifically targets school districts that are having difficulty
meeting state standards. </span><span style="line-height: 14.4pt;">Two
MN school districts are among this year’s recipients:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 525px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 27.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="37"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 305.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="407"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fridley Public School District 14<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$431,611 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 27.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="37"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 305.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="407"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warren-Alvarado-Oslo ISD 2176 – School District <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$625,476 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-12714599611620415402012-08-06T14:03:00.000-05:002012-08-06T14:03:48.449-05:00News Release: Public-private partnership approves framework for a healthy Minnesota<i>August 2, 2012</i><br />
<i>Statewide assessment finds uneven health opportunities across Minnesota</i><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/">Healthy Minnesota Partnership</a> on Monday approved Healthy Minnesota 2020, a framework for creating a Minnesota where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy.<br />
<br />
The Healthy Minnesota Partnership is a broad statewide coalition of community leaders from business, government, academia, nonprofits, advocacy groups, providers, insurers and others. Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger convened the group in January of this year.<br />
<br />
“It is our hope that this provides a framework for different groups to work together to make sure that every Minnesotan has the opportunity to be healthy,” said Donna Zimmerman, a member of the partnership, a member of the Itasca Project, and senior vice president of government and community relations at HealthPartners. “We are not only talking about health care or the medical system here but are talking about how we can achieve what we all want, which is to live in communities that help us lead healthy and fulfilling lives.”<br />
<br />
In the development of the <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/hm2020/">Healthy Minnesota 2020 framework</a>, the partnership considered an extensive range of factors that contribute to health, including social, economic and environmental conditions, as well as individual and community factors. The framework is based on the results of a first-of-its-kind in Minnesota <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/sha/">statewide health assessment</a> conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health.<br />
<br />
“Where we live, play, learn, and work has a huge impact on our health,” said Ehlinger. “Because of this, our goal is to improve the social, economic, and physical environments of our communities so that all Minnesotans have the opportunity to be healthy and reach their fullest potential.”<br />
<br />
The framework notes that good health is the result of complex factors that go beyond any one sector or organization. The framework features wide-ranging strategies that provide ways for multiple sectors to collaborate to pursue the goal of statewide health improvement.<br />
<br />
The major themes of the framework call for Minnesota to:<br />
•Capitalize on the opportunity to influence health in early childhood.<br />
•Ensure that the opportunity to be healthy is available everywhere for everyone.<br />
•Strengthen communities to create their own healthy futures.<br />
<br />
The implementation of Healthy Minnesota 2020 will be led by the Healthy Minnesota Partnership and the Minnesota Department of Health and representatives from diverse sectors and communities.<br />
<br />
The partnership hopes that the framework will help change the conversation about health and energize the public, private and nonprofit sectors to work toward a more comprehensive approach focused on creating health.<br />
<br />
To support the partnership’s effort, the Minnesota Department of Health produced the Health of Minnesota, a two-part assessment that provides a comprehensive look at the state of health in Minnesota.<br />
<br />
The first part of the assessment discusses a wide array of factors affecting health in Minnesota, such as education, housing, economic vitality, transportation, and the environment. The second part reports data on a wide array of health outcomes including some related to cancer, heart disease, infectious disease, obesity, injuries and violence.<br />
<br />
The assessment reflects a growing body of research indicating that health starts outside of the doctor’s office. In fact, only about 20 percent of health outcomes are influenced by clinical care. In reality, health is much more strongly influenced by physical and social environments – where people live, work and play. The assessment looks at health in this broader sense as a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.<br />
<br />
The statewide health assessment finds that Minnesota in many respects is one of the healthiest states in the country and a great place to live. However, the report also found that not all Minnesotans have the same chances to be healthy: those with less money, and populations of color and American Indians, consistently have less opportunity for health and experience worse health outcomes. The rapidly changing demographics of Minnesota and the increasing income inequities indicate that this issue will most likely get worse.<br />
<br />
Here is a sampling of some of the other statewide public health trends the assessment found.<br />
•Minnesota has some of the largest race- and ethnicity-based health disparities in the United States.<br />
•Minnesota also has major inequities in the factors that create the opportunity to be healthy, including childhood poverty rates, per-capital income, employment, on-time high school graduation rates, and incarceration rates.<br />
•Minnesota has one of the highest binge drinking rates in the country, although rates are declining among teens.<br />
•Exposure to secondhand smoke at work in Minnesota has been cut in half since 2003.<br />
•Safety belt use has considerably increased and traffic fatalities have accordingly decreased.<br />
•Cancer is now the No. 1 cause of death in Minnesota, due to a dramatic decrease in deaths from heart disease.<br />
•The state has seen a tenfold increase in tick borne diseases.<br />
<br />
Online Resources<br />
Healthy Minnesota Partnership<br />
<a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/">http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/</a><br />
Healthy Minnesota 2020<br />
<a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/hm2020/">http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/hm2020/</a><br />
Statewide Health Assessment<br />
<a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/sha/">http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthymnpartnership/sha/</a><br />
<br />
-MDH-<br />
<br />
Scott Smith<br />
MDH Communications Office<br />
651-201-5806<br />
<br />
Jeanne Ayers<br />
MDH Assistant Commissioner<br />
651-201-5540<br />
<br />Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-53287389970844430952012-08-02T11:14:00.000-05:002012-08-02T11:14:50.797-05:00Many Faces Conference 2012<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #f56549; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">October
25-26, 2012</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #f56549; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Online
Registration Now Open!</span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<img align="right" height="173" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1043" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs077/1101576051054/img/1043.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026" vspace="5" width="222" /><strong><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">New Logo, New Partner</span></u></strong><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We have redesigned the conference logo to fit
with the evolving nature of the program and its focus. We have also added
a new partner, Greater Twin Cities United Way.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">About the Conference</span></u></strong><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Many Faces of Community Health is a two day
conference that explores ways to improve care for chronic illness and help
underserved populations and those living in poverty achieve health equity. Our
2012 theme is <strong><i>Stepping
Up to Transform Health Care</i></strong>. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As policy reform heats up, Community Health
Centers are "stepping up" to challenges and
opportunities in the new environment of market innovation. CHCs and
their partners are forging the best ideas and tools into new delivery models
to promote health equity, to prevent chronic disease, and to assure access
for the underserved - now and into the future. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Conference Information and Content
All Online</span></u></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In an effort to keep your conference costs as
low as possible and to be more sustainable, we have moved all conference
information and content online. No conference brochure will be mailed
out; instead you can view the current content and registration information
online. All updates to conference information will be posted online
ensuring you will always have the most current information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<strong><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Conference Audience</span></u></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Many Faces Conference brings together a
diverse group of over 300 individuals, including health care professionals and
students, clinic management, payers, government and community organizations,
public health, social services, policy makers, health activists and others.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001dYlK7J7y11NrNj1KeHXG9K2SMQ-OjUO-4xxzphcd5ccgwFVM3CQ4vJ6AtPnicIUsRLa4uccpPxmIGK7hhOFTUwMmz_t9PkCyh2ph9sAE67QUzA7VbNVKMozw4m3uyAEl" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> to visit the conference website to learn more
and register today.</span></b>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-22556921724233403372012-08-02T08:45:00.000-05:002012-08-02T08:45:34.517-05:00Sens. Franken, Lugar, Rockefeller Introduce Legislation to Extend Diabetes Prevention Program to Millions of Seniors on Medicare<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Extending
National Diabetes Prevention Program Could Save Billions of Dollars, Reduce Diabetes
Incidence in Seniors by over 70 Percent</span></i></span></div>
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WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/31/12]—Today,
U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), and Jay Rockefeller
(D-W.Va.) introduced legislation that would extend the National Diabetes
Prevention Program – which has been proven to significantly reduce the
incidence of diabetes among seniors – to all seniors covered by Medicare.
Studies have shown that extending the program to Medicare patients could save
the federal government billions of dollars per year.<u5:p></u5:p></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b>"Hundreds
of thousands of Minnesotans struggle with diabetes, and even more are at risk
of developing it, but for many people, this disease is very
preventable," </b>said Sen.
Franken. <b>"That's why I introduced this legislation, which would
extend the proven Diabetes Prevention Program to millions of seniors all over
the country. For adults at a high risk for diabetes who are over the age
of 60, this program reduces the likelihood that they will get type 2 diabetes
by over 70 percent. By extending this program, we can
help seniors stay happier and healthier and, at the same
time, save our taxpayers billions of dollars every year."</b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b>"We
need to focus on common-sense health care policy approaches that save money
while also improving Americans’ health outcomes,"</b> said Sen. Lugar. <b>"The Diabetes
Prevention Program achieves this aim by preventing the development of type 2
diabetes for many individuals at high risk for the disease. By offering disease
prevention initiatives like the Diabetes Prevention Program to Medicare
beneficiaries, we stand to reduce the prevalence of costly and life-threatening
chronic disorders and save taxpayers money in the process."</b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b>"Diabetes
is a national epidemic and a serious problem in West Virginia, affecting more
than 1 in 10 adults in the state," </b>said Sen. Rockefeller.<b> "This bill will reduce diabetes by
expanding a proven diabetes prevention program to seniors on Medicare. It
will improve the health of millions of seniors, and in many cases help them
avoid diabetes altogether. It also reduces health costs nationwide since
diabetes is one of the most burdensome diseases to our health care system. And
it will create jobs to help build these diabetes prevention programs in
communities throughout the country. This bill is a win-win, and I can’t
overstate the importance of it and this program for our families and
communities."</b></span></div>
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Also cosponsoring the legislation
are Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). For more
information on the <i>Medicare Diabetes Prevention Act</i>, please click <a href="http://franken.senate.gov/files/documents/120731_Medicare_Diabetes_Prevention_Act.pdf">here</a>.<u5:p></u5:p></div>
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<u5:p></u5:p>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-88371405210291211232012-08-01T10:59:00.001-05:002012-08-01T10:59:54.440-05:00'The Obesity Olympics': Marketing junk food to kids<div class=" byline fieldlayout node-field-submitted" jquery1343836411497="8">
By
<a href="http://www.minnpost.com/author/susan-perry">Susan Perry</a> | 07/27/12</div>
<div class=" byline fieldlayout node-field-submitted" jquery1343836411497="8">
<div class=" byline fieldlayout node-field-submitted" jquery1343836411497="8">
Somehow I doubt that the athletes competing in the London Olympics trained on
a diet that included regular servings of McDonald’s Happy Meals, Coca-Cola soft
drinks and Cadbury’s chocolate bars.<br />
<br />
But that’s what our children may think as they’re bombarded with ads from
these three official Olympic food sponsors over the next two weeks. For, as a
public health official <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17744446" target="_blank">told a BBC news reporter</a> earlier this year, research suggests
that children perceive junk food to be less unhealthy when it’s associated with
sporting events.<br />
<br />
And the food manufacturers know this. Cadbury’s (the games’ official “treat”
sponsor) <a href="http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=237" target="_blank">has called</a> the Olympics “the biggest sales opportunity of our
lifetime.” That’s not hyperbole. Cadbury’s pre-games Willy-Wonka-like “Unwrap
Gold” promotion was <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/334333/Sponsoring-the-" target="_blank">the most successful</a> in the company’s history.<br />
<br />
Coca-Cola also had huge pre-game success with its sponsorship of the Olympic
torch relay celebration that (literally) ran throughout England for weeks. The
company’s logo was constantly visible at these family-oriented events, and
Coca-Cola promotional products and samples were handed out to children as well
as adults by people in tracksuits along the relay route. (Marketing junk food
directly to children is normally banned in Britain.)<br />
<br />
McDonald's has celebrated the Olympic spirit by building its largest-ever
restaurant (seating capacity: 1,500). The company expects to sell 50,000 Big
Macs, 100,000 servings of french fries and 30,000 milkshakes during the 29 days
of the Olympics and its companion event, the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/sports/" target="_blank">Paralympics</a>.<br />
<h4>
<b>‘The Obesity Olympics’</b></h4>
Earlier this week, the London-based <a href="http://www.sustainweb.org/childrensfoodcampaign/" target="_blank">Children’s
Food Campaign</a> (CFC) released a scathing report called <a href="http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?id=237" target="_blank">“The Obesity
Olympics”</a> that takes the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to task for
permitting junk-food manufacturers to continue to sponsor the Games.<br />
<br />
“Even before a medal has been won, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Cadbury’s are
already big winners of the Games,” write the authors of the report. “Their
sponsorship buys them unchallenged prominence and it gives them a particularly
valuable association with athleticism and success. They want people either to
forget that their flagship brands are high in calories, sugar and fat, or
believe instead that consuming such food and drink is part of a healthy, and
‘winning’ formula. The increased emphasis these companies place on
‘obesity-offsetting’ — funding sports equipment and exercise schemes — is also
part of their drive to convince us that they are trying to be a positive force
for the nation’s health.”<br />
<br />
You’d have to do a lot of “offsetting” to counter the calories in the
flagship junk-food products sold by McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Cadbury, the
report points out. To burn off the calories in a meal that includes a Big Mac
and a medium-sized Coca-Cola, you’d need to bicycle for 110 minutes, for
example. And to undo the calories in a Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bar, you’d
need to swim laps for 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
“The Olympics have become a celebration of 'big,'” a CFC official <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jul/26/olympics-attacked-fast-food-fizzy-drink-links?newsfeed=true" target="_blank">told the Guardian</a>. “For the junk food companies who sponsor
the Games, that means big restaurants, big audiences, big brand value, big
profits. But for children that could also mean bigger waistlines and bigger
health problems later in life."<br />
<h4>
<b>A cynical strategy</b></h4>
IOC president Jacques Rogge <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/07/should-fast-food-company-be-sponsoring-olympics/2514/" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> this summer that there might be a “question mark”
over the suitability of having fast-food manufacturers sponsor the Olympics. But
that didn’t keep the IOC from letting McDonald’s and Coca-Cola sign up for
another two rounds of the Games.<br />
<br />
“What we now see coming to fruition in London2012,” write the authors of the
CFC report, “is a cynical money-before-health strategy that values pounds in the
pocket, but ignores the pounds of fat in our already obese society, contradicts
medical advice and undermines parents’ best efforts to encourage their children
to eat healthily.<br />
<br />
“Members of the International Olympic Committee must hold up their hands and
recognise that they bear some responsibility,” the report adds. “Ultimately
though, it is up to all of us — whether spectators, armchair fans or Olympic
refuseniks — to make a stand against the double standards which see companies
making fat profits out of a sporting event at the expense of the health of our
children and young people. If we do so, London2012 could yet have a more
positive legacy: as the start of a successful movement to change the way the
Games, and other major sporting events, select their sponsors and expect them to
behave.”<br />
<br />
Don’t hold your breath.<br />
<h4>
<b>Countering the message</b></h4>
Parents will need to make an extra effort this Olympics to point out to their
children that athletes don’t become top competitors by eating nutrient-poor and
calorie-laden burgers, soft drinks and chocolate bars, no matter what the TV ads
suggest. In fact, <i>not</i> eating such foods is what makes them more
competitive.<br />
<br />
Take the example of Ryan Lochte, the 27-year-old American swimmer who is
likely to win several medals in London. He overhauled his diet after not
performing as well as he hoped in the 2008 Olympics.<br />
<br />
Before, his typical breakfast was often “two or three McDonald’s egg
McMuffins, some hashbrowns and maybe a chicken sandwich,” <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20612751,00.html" target="_blank">he
told People magazine’s Kristen Mascia</a>. And he’d down a whole bag of chips
before each practice. Now, however, Lochte starts his day with scrambled eggs,
fruit and oatmeal, and eats salads or healthy wraps for lunch and dinner. His
new diet has made him much fitter, he told Mascia.<br />
That’s a great message for our children — and one no Olympics sponsor will be
promoting.<br />
<br />
Minn Post:<a href="http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/07/obesity-olympics-marketing-junk-food-kids"> http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/07/obesity-olympics-marketing-junk-food-kids</a><br />
</div>
Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-17902772323039211312012-08-01T08:21:00.001-05:002012-08-01T08:21:33.184-05:00Food Access Summit in Duluth<strong><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">August
21st - August 23rd</span></strong><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Duluth Entertainment Convention Center</span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
The Food Access Summit is focused on increasing access to healthy food for
low-income Minnesotans, learning about the health and economic benefits of a
healthy food system, and increasing the dialouge between the public health,
anti-hunger, and food production and distribution communities in Minnesota.
</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />How can we
work together to increase access to healthy food for low-income Minnesotans?
What are the health and economic benefits of a healthy food system?<br /><br />This
statewide summit will provide information and action-oriented ideas on how food
policy, food systems and food literacy impact low-income Minnesotans.
Participants will learn about barriers to healthy food for low-income
Minnesotans and share perspectives from a variety of sectors.<br /><br />Who should
attend?<br /><br />• Food shelves, food banks, meal programs, state & federal
nutrition programs (SNAP, SNAP-Ed, TEFAP, WIC, and school meal
programs)<br /><br />• Policymakers, state & county public health, State Health
Improvement Program and Community Transformation Grantees<br /><br />• Food policy
councils, farmers markets, grocery retailers, farmers, distributers, and anyone
working to increase access to healthy food for low-income
Minnesotans<br /><br />More information at
<u>hungersolutions.org/food-access-summit</u> or call 1-800-782-6372</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://ning.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=582b880b5a18403a75aba7fbd&id=38ffec7287&e=dd5b9dc168" target="_blank">More information here.</a> </span>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-2134009093696497932012-07-31T15:05:00.000-05:002012-07-31T15:05:03.882-05:00Help Make Safe Routes to School a Priority in Minnesota<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As you may know, this
past May the legislature established the Minnesota Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
program which was signed into law by Governor Dayton on May 10, 2012. The
law requires the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation (MNDOT) to establish a state
SRTS program and account. While the policy language was established, the
program received no funding. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yourethecure.org/composeletters_open.aspx?AlertID=30115"><strong><span style="color: red;">Ask Governor Dayton to fundSafe Routes to School in Minnesota as part of his budget proposal</span></strong></a>
<br />
<br />
SRTS is a national and international movement to create safe, convenient, and
fun opportunities for children to bike and walk to and from schools. The goal
of the program is to get more kids walking and biking to school, which can play
a critical role in reversing the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood
obesity and inactivity. <br />
<br />
Establishing the Minnesota SRTS program was a great first step, but now the
program needs to be funded in order to be effective. The Governor is
working on preparing his biennium budget right now. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yourethecure.org/composeletters_open.aspx?AlertID=30115"><strong><span style="color: red;">Ask Governor Dayton to fundthe state’s Safe Routes to School program</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: red;">.</span></strong>
<br />
<br />
The SRTS program seeks to increase physical activity among school children and
decrease transportation costs. Each funding cycle MNDOT receives millions more
dollars in grant requests than they are able to fund - five to ten times the
amount of funding that is available. In the last federal funding cycle
MNDOT received 82 applications from local schools requesting $23 million but
only $3.8 million was available and awarded to 16 applicants through the federal
program. <br />
<br />
The program would be open to all Minnesota schools (the federal program
excludes high schools from applying) and requires a resolution of support from
the local school board. The law also requires the commissioner of MNDOT to
establish criteria for the program, publish a manual on the safe routes to
school program, and requires an annual report to the Legislature on the
program. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yourethecure.org/composeletters_open.aspx?AlertID=30115"><strong><span style="color: red;">Take action today!</span></strong></a>
<br />
<br />
Thank you for helping to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease
and stroke. <br />
<br />
Your MN Advocacy Team,<br />
Anne, Justin, Ngia and Rachel</span>Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-81335674229494119802012-07-31T13:38:00.001-05:002012-07-31T13:38:45.181-05:00A HALF FULL GLASS – MINNESOTA ESTABLISHES BUT DOES NOT FUND A SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAMSt. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Legislature has created a Safe Routes to School Program for the state but fell short when it came to funding the program. <br />
<br />
Supporters of the program say they will work over the next six months to convince the governor’s office to request funding for Safe Routes to School in his budget and to build legislative support for the program. <br />
<br />
“Last year, we made huge inroads in the effort to get Minnesota policymakers to understand the importance of creating a Minnesota-based Safe Routes Program,” said Rachel Callanan, Regional Vice President of Advocacy for the American Heart Association. “Next year we will go back to the legislature to help them better understand the need to fund the program." <br />
<br />
Safe Routes to School creates safe and convenient opportunities for children and youth to bicycle and walk to and from schools. The program is designed to reverse the decline in children walking and bicycling to schools. Safe Routes to School can also play a critical role in reversing the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity. <br />
<br />
Under the program, projects that would be eligible for funds include pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, traffic diversion improvements near schools, sidewalks, and other infrastructure to help enhance the safety of those who walk and bike. <br />
<br />
One of the arguments in favor of creating and funding a Safe Routes to School program for the state is because the existing federal program inadequately funds the needs of Minnesota’s schools to create safer routes for children. In the 2011 funding cycle, only 16 of the 82 applications from Minnesota schools were awarded funding. In addition, the federal program provides no funds directed toward high schools – a key age group for biking and walking to school. <br />
<br />
Callanan said that crash statistics point out the need to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. “In 2009, more than 23,000 children ages 5 to 15 were injured and 250 killed by cars when they were struck while walking or bicycling. Those figures represent 25 percent of all children’s traffic fatalities and 15 percent of all children’s traffic injuries,” she said.<br />
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The effort to establish a Safe Routes to School program for Minnesota is supported by 30 organizations, including American Heart Association.Heart of the Midwesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12503047653021065681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356540815780124528.post-32952490953025982342012-07-27T12:38:00.000-05:002012-07-27T12:38:01.275-05:00Yoga may help stroke survivors improve balance<br />
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<span class="articleDate">July 26, 2012</span> </div>
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<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Study
Highlights</span>:</strong></div>
<ul>
<li>Group yoga can help patients’ balance improve long after a stroke.
</li>
<li>Yoga for chronic stroke patients appears to be cost effective and might help
them become more active.</li>
</ul>
DALLAS, July 26, 2012 — Group yoga can improve balance in stroke survivors
who no longer receive rehabilitative care, according to new research in the
American Heart Association journal <em>Stroke</em>.
In a small pilot study, researchers tested the potential benefits of yoga
among chronic stroke survivors — those whose stroke occurred more than six
months earlier.<br />
<br />
“For people with chronic stroke, something like yoga in a group environment
is cost effective and appears to improve motor function and balance,” said
Arlene Schmid, Ph.D., O.T.R., lead researcher and a rehabilitation research
scientist at Roudebush Veterans Administration-Medical Center and Indiana
University, Department of Occupational Therapy in Indianapolis, Ind.
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The study’s 47 participants, about three-quarters of them male veterans,
were divided into three groups: twice-weekly group yoga for eight weeks; a
“yoga-plus” group, which met twice weekly and had a relaxation recording to use
at least three times a week; and a usual medical care group that did no
rehabilitation.</div>
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The yoga classes, taught by a registered yoga therapist, included modified
yoga postures, relaxation, and meditation. Classes grew more challenging each
week.
Compared with patients in the usual-care group, those who completed yoga or
yoga-plus significantly improved their balance.
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Balance problems frequently last long after a
person suffers a stroke, and are related to greater <a class="external" href="http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/EffectsofStroke/Effects-of-Stroke_UCM_308534_SubHomePage.jsp" target="_blank">disability <img alt="External link" src="http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/images/icon_ext.gif" title="External link" /></a> and a higher
risk of falls, researchers said.</div>
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Furthermore, survivors in the yoga groups had improved scores for
independence and quality of life and were less afraid of falling.</div>
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“For chronic stroke patients, even if they remain disabled, natural
recovery and acute rehabilitation therapy typically ends after six months, or
maybe a year,” said Schmid, who is also an assistant professor of occupational
therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and an
investigator at the Regenstrief Institute.</div>
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</div>
<br />
Improvements after the six-month window can take longer to occur, she said,
“but we know for a fact that the brain still can change. The problem is the
healthcare system is not necessarily willing to pay for that change. The study
demonstrated that with some assistance, even chronic stroke patients with
significant paralysis on one side can manage to do modified yoga poses.”
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The oldest patient in the study was in his 90s. All participants had to be
able to stand on their own at the study’s outset.</div>
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Yoga may be more therapeutic than traditional exercise because the
combination of postures, breathing and meditation may produce different effects
than simple exercise, researchers said.</div>
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</div>
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“However, stroke patients looking for such help might have a hard time
finding qualified yoga therapists to work with,” Schmid said. “Some occupational
and physical therapists are integrating yoga into their practice, even though
there’s scant evidence at this point to support its effectiveness.”
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<div>
</div>
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Researchers can draw only limited conclusions from the study because of its
small number of participants and lack of diversity. The study also didn’t have
enough participants to uncover differences between the yoga and control groups.
The scientists hope to conduct a larger study soon.
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Researchers also noticed improvements in the mindset of patients about
their disability. The participants talked about walking through a grocery store
instead of using an assistive scooter, being able to take a shower and feeling
inspired to visit friends.</div>
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</div>
<div>
<br />
“It has to do with the confidence of being more mobile,” Schmid said.
Although they took time to unfold, “these were very meaningful changes in life
for people.”</div>
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</div>
<br />
Co-authors are Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Ph.D., C.T.R.S.; Peter A.
Altenburger, Ph.D., P.T.; Nancy L. Schalk, R.Y.T.; Tracy A. Dierks, Ph.D;
Kristine K. Miller, P.T.; Teresa M. Damush, Ph.D.; Dawn M. Bravata, M.D.; and
Linda S. Williams, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
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</div>
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The VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) funded the
research.
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Learn about the importance of <a class="external" href="http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/RegainingIndependence/PhysicalChallenges/Keeping-Your-Balance_UCM_309772_Article.jsp" target="_blank">maintaining balance <img alt="External link" src="http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/images/icon_ext.gif" title="External link" /></a> after stroke, <a class="external" href="http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/ForFamilyCaregivers/CaringforYourLovedOne/15-Things-Caregivers-Should-Know-After-a-Loved-One-Has-Had-a-Stroke_UCM_310762_Article.jsp" target="_blank">15 things caregivers should know after a loved one has had a
stroke <img alt="External link" src="http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/images/icon_ext.gif" title="External link" /></a> and <a class="external" href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Yoga-and-Heart-Health_UCM_434966_Article.jsp" target="_blank">yoga and heart health <img alt="External link" src="http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/images/icon_ext.gif" title="External link" /></a>.</div>
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