Veterans Day Message: Honoring Latino Military Servicemembers And Their Commitment To America.

October Health News

Nutrition:

USDA Continues to Support and Help Schools Serve Healthier Meals Heading into the 2015 School Year

Kevin Concannon, Undersecretary for Food and Nutrition and Consumer Services, encourages schools to maintain momentum and continue striving toward a healthier generation by offering nutritious, balanced meals to all students.
“This school year we will work together to continue making historic steps, ensuring that the healthy choice for students is the easy choice in schools. USDA is committed to helping school meal programs fulfill their highest potential, and we look forward to this upcoming school year and the promise it offers for our nation’s youth.” said Undersecretary Concannon.
Across the country, schools and districts of all sizes have successfully implemented the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and many are seeing increased participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), and serving more meals than in previous years. 
In the first year of nationwide CEP implementation, over 14,000 schools in high-poverty areas offered nutritious meals at no cost to more than 6.8 million students. An evaluation of schools that implemented CEP experienced average increases in participation of 9% in school breakfast and 5% in school lunch. For more information about the nutrition assistance programs, click here

LULAC and Tyson Foods Donate 40,000 Pounds of Protein to South Texas Food Bank

Since 2009, LULAC and Tyson Foods have donated more than 1 million pounds of protein to food banks across the country and Puerto Rico. This latest donation represents LULAC and Tyson Foods’ commitment to eradicating hunger in some of America’s most vulnerable communities.

LULAC National President, Roger C. Rocha, Jr. said, "We are honored to continue our partnership with Tyson Foods which will help feed thousands of Texas families. As a proud Laredo native, I am pleased to see this partnership take place in South Texas, and look forward to seeing its benefits throughout the community.”

As the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the country, LULAC is committed to alleviating hunger disparities among the Latino community. The South Texas Food Bank serves one of the poorest areas in Texas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some of the counties served by the food bank have a poverty rate of over 30%.

Advocacy:

LULAC National Vice President for Women, Lourdes Galvan, Pens Op-Ed Supporting Planned Parenthood

LULAC National Vice President for Women, Lourdes Galvan, penned an op-ed in the San Anotnio Express-News supporting the important health services provided to women across the state of Texas by Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Lourdes Galvan states, “Texas needs Planned Parenthood. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Texas has one of the country’s highest rates of teen pregnancies. In 2011, Texas had the fifth-highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. We need organizations like Planned Parenthood to discuss family planning and provide information on contraception and sex education to young people in need.

I continue to believe in Planned Parenthood’s mission and know firsthand of its tireless effort to bring quality health care services to women. As Latinos, we must fight to keep centers such as Planned Parenthood open to ensure that our young people have access to sex education classes and choices of contraception”
Click here to view the article on the San Antonio Express-News website.

LULAC ACTober Fall Advocacy Day

LULAC marked Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting the annual ACTober: Fall Advocacy Day. Over 100 of the organization’s members conducted advocacy visits with members from both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. LULAC members also met with Members of Congress from the Judiciary Committee, Education and the Workforce Committee, Natural Resources Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, and Members from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. This year Advocacy Day included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which will permit LULAC councils to become environmental stewards through family fishing activities and monarch butterfly conservation efforts.

US Surgeon General launches campaign with National Call to Action on Walking

Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities articulates the health benefits of walking while addressing the fact that many communities unacceptably lack safe and convenient places for individuals to walk or wheelchair roll. It calls on Americans to be more physically active through walking and calls on the nation to better support walking and walkability.

We know that an active lifestyle is critical to achieving good overall health. And walking is a simple, effective and affordable way to build physical activity into our lives. That is why we need to step it up as a country ensuring that everyone can choose to walk in their own communities.” said Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the 19th U.S. Surgeon General.

The Surgeon General’s report discusses the health benefits of walking and calls on individuals to make walking a priority in their lives. Physical inactivity contributes to heart and lung disease, diabetes and cancer, which account for 86 % of our nation’s health care costs. Building walking into daily life can reduce disease and save money.

To read the Surgeon General’s Call to Action and learn how to promote walking and walkable communities, please click here, check below for some #StepItUp Tips

  • No time? No problem! Just about 22 minutes/day of brisk walking helps reduce risk of Heart Disease & Diabetes.
  • Schedule regular walks w/ a friend. You can get regular exercise and life updates.
  • Need to work something out or clear your head? Walk it out.

CMS Releases First Ever Plan to Address Health Equity in Medicare

The CMS Equity Plan for Improving Quality in Medicare (CMS Equity Plan for Medicare) is an action-oriented plan that focuses on six priority areas and aims to reduce health disparities in four years.

“As we strive to create a health care system that provides better care, spends dollars more wisely and creates healthier people, CMS is committed to achieving equity for minority and other underserved populations and eliminating health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries,” said CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt.

The Equity Plan focuses on Medicare populations that experience disproportionately high burdens of disease, lower quality of care, and barriers accessing care. These include racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas.

HHS takes next step in advancing health equity through the Affordable Care Act

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the proposed rule, Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities, which assist some of the populations that have been most vulnerable to discrimination and will help provide those populations equal access to health care and health coverage.

The proposed rule establishes that the prohibition on sex discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity. It also includes requirements for effective communication for individuals with disabilities and enhanced language assistance for people with limited English proficiency.

“This proposed rule is an important step to strengthen protections for people who have often been subject to discrimination in our health care system,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said.

Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities proposed rule applies to Health Insurance Marketplaces, any health program that HHS itself administers, and any health program or activity, any part of which receives funding from HHS.

For more information about the proposed rule and the new protections click here

The Affordable Care Act

Special Enrollment Period

The next open enrollment period for Marketplace coverage begins on November 1, 2015 for coverage starting on January 1, 2016. Some people can sign up for health coverage outside of open enrollment, before November 1, because they qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP). A consumer can qualify for a SEP for such circumstances as loss of health coverage, losing Medicaid eligibility, changes in family status (for example, marriage or birth of a child), or other exceptional circumstances.

“Life changes are often impossible to predict, but access to affordable and quality health care coverage should never be. So far this year, nearly 950,000 people have gained the peace of mind that comes with access to coverage by taking advantage of a special enrollment period, providing us with further evidence that the Health Insurance Marketplace is working for America’s families,” said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplace. “We want people to know that if they lose a job, get married, have a baby, or experience other life changes, we’re here to help them find coverage they can afford.”

To access the full Fact Sheet click here

CMS awards $67 million in Affordable Care Act funding to help consumers sign-up for affordable Health Insurance Marketplace coverage in 2016

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced grant awards totaling $67 million to support outreach efforts designed to connect people with local help as they seek to understand the coverage options and financial assistance available at HealthCare.gov.

CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplaces, Kevin Counihan said, "There are a lot of choices when it comes to signing up for health insurance and we want to help make sure consumers feel confident that they’ve picked the right plan. I am pleased that Navigators and assisters will be available in even more geographic areas this year."

Navigators and assisters are trained specialists who provide consumers in their communities with in-person help, answering their questions about their health insurance and financial assistance options and assisting them as they complete their application.

For a list of HHS Navigator awardees or more information about Navigators and other Marketplace resources, please click here

Help From the Obama Administration for Community Health Centers

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would distribute $169 million provided by the Affordable Care Act to open 266 new health centers in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. That is on top of more than 700 new health centers that have already opened as a result of the A.C.A. They were all financed by a trust fund that could not be touched for five years and by annual discretionary appropriations that can be cut at any time.

The health centers have become the largest primary care system in the United States. They serve some 23 million patients a year in over 9,000 locations across the country. Their professional association says they save the health care system some $24 billion a year by providing timely treatment and preventive care designed to meet local needs and preferences.

To read the full article please click here

Recipe of the Month:

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Turn your basic plain oatmeal into a delicious tasty fall breakfast with the following ingredients.

  • 1 cup of oatmeal
  • 3/4 cup of almond milk
  • 1/2 cup of pure pumpkin
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Handful of walnuts

Prepared by Jenifer Silva and Helen Toloza, LULAC National Health Program and Advocacy Interns