December 2013 - International AIDS Awareness

We have reached the final month of the year. The focus for Amplify Your Expertise for December 2013 is International AIDS Awareness sponsored by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. The alliance consists of independent civil society organizations, county offices, technical support hubs, and an international secretariat dedicated to ending AIDS through community action. Focusing on healthy people,  stronger health and community systems, resulting in inclusive engaged societies. For more information on the International HIV/AIDS Alliance log onto www.aidsalliance.org

We here at Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) hope that A.Y.E. has been enlightening for you. We look for to sharing more information with you in 2014. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

V. H. HUGHES

November 2013 - Hospice/Palliative Care Month

For the month of November Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) is focused on Hospice/Palliative Care Month sponsored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. When a patient is in Hospice care they can either been in a hospital, nursing home or their own home. They received treatment from a team of professionals to ensure that their end of life journey is one of comfort. Much of hospice care is patient centered but they also make sure the entire family is comfortable. Palliative care goes hand in hand with Hospice care because it deals with the treatment of pain whether physical or mental without curing the cause of the pain. Palliative care is usually giving to patients who are terminal.

In the year 2000, our family had our first experience with hospice and palliative care. The Henry Ford Bon Secours Hospice Team took excellent care of my grandmother and mother at the end of their lives. They also took care of my family by answering any questions I had to helping us with bills and food. That experience helped in laying the foundation of Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P). My family and I will forever be thankful for the care we all received in that brief span of time by that awesome team of doctors, nurses, and clergy.

H3P took that experience and decided that they wanted to help the community at large. The best place to start was healthcare. To help people understand healthcare and to make better choices with regard to their healthcare. It is our plan at H3P to be just as helpful and effective to the community as Hospice teams throughout the United States.

October 2013 - Health Literacy

For the month of October 2013, Amplify Your Expertise is celebrating health literacy sponsored by Helen Osborne and Health Literacy Consulting. Health literacy is defined by the World Health Organization as “Health Literacy has been defined as the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health.” (WHO, 2013).  On the health literacy consulting site you will find podcasts, workshops, newsletter signup, and other items to use in raising health literacy awareness. For information on health literacy consulting contact www.healthliteracy.com or Helen@healthliteracy.com.

Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) is a health literacy nonprofit organization and has the mission to break down barriers to healthcare for communities. For H3P health literacy is more than giving pamphlets to the community. H3P developed public health programs to help the community at large obtain a better understanding of health topics to become self-sufficient in making health care decisions. If you have any questions please contact H3P at hendersonhugheshealthpartners@gmail.com.  

September 2013 - National Recovery Month

Amplify Your Expertise for the month of September 2013 is focusing on National Recovery Month. This observance began in 1989 with the mission to educate the nation on the benefits of treatment for mental health and addiction resulting in achieving happy healthy lives. National Recovery Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration “SAMHSA.” For more information on National Recovery Month please check www.recoverymonth.gov

As a child of a parent who suffered from both substance abuse addiction and mental health problems, I know the journey to recovery can be difficult. Although the addict feels that it is their journey they fail to realize that there’s always someone who takes that journey with them. For many years I watched my mother rise and fall in her journey to be free from the hold of drugs and mental health problems. It was so embarrassing to see my mother using her apartment as a place to use drugs and how frightened I was to see her walking down the center of the street with nothing but a gown on declaring she was in her right mind. There are many stories that come to mind in her journey to recovery but what is important is that she did indeed recover and in her recovery process our family was allowed to do the same. If you or someone you know is or has been in this situation don’t let them go through it alone. Your presence on their journey just may be the catalyst to help them fight a little harder.

-VHHughes

August 2013 - Relay For Life

The focus for August 2013’s Amplify Your Expertise is the Relay For Life fundraiser sponsored by the American Cancer Society. This relay brings together people for the common goal to fight cancer, celebrate survivors, and honor lost loved ones. Teams are created and camp out overnight taking turns walking or running on a designated track or path. The events are to be schedule up to 24hrs in length and each team is to have at least one participant on the track or pathway at all time because cancer never sleeps.

So what happens at a Relay For Life event? First is the opening ceremony that welcomes the relay teams. Survivors have a lap to celebrate their victory over cancer. Caregivers then take a lap of recognition for caring for cancer patients. Next all the relay teams walk together for the opening lap. After the opening lap a Luminana Ceremony is done where luminana bags and candles are lit to honor loved one who passed or still fighting cancer. At night individual walking is done throughout the night, family games, activities, and entertainment. The relay ends with closing ceremony where the final lap is done and a pledge is taken to take action and spread the knowledge of cancer research, treatment, and prevention.

We here at H3P find is appropriate that the Relay For Life observance is in August because we celebrate our grandmother’s birthday on August 14^th. She lost her battle with lung cancer in April 2000. H3P looks forward to having a Relay For Life in her honor soon. If you are interested in having a Relay For Life event check out www.relayforlife.org

July 2013 - UV Safety Month

The month of July 2013 is UV Safety Month sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.  The focus is to make sure that everyone has the correct type of sunglasses with UV protection of 99% or greater as well as a hat with a brim while out in the sun for long periods of time. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan there was not much emphasis on sun protection. Spent many summers out and about without any eye protection as well as a hat for shade.

In 2007 our family moved to Arizona where shade trees are not plentiful as Michigan. The sun truly does beam down on you in Arizona and if you are not prepared you can cause harm to yourself. I got sick my first year in Arizona by being out in the sun with nothing on my head, no water, or shade protection. It is not as simple as getting a great pair of sunglasses and a hat but often times water and a umbrella is for shade. After being in Arizona for six years I have learned how to protect myself from the sun's rays to ensure no more incidents of heat sickness.

No matter where you are in the country protection is needed from the sun's radiation. For more information on UV Safety month check out www.aao.org

Week of June 13th-June 21st

June 13th -June 20th is Nursing Assistant's Week sponsored by the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants. This year marks the 36th observance. Having worked with nursing assistants in the past we know here at H3P just how hard nursing assistants work and at times are unappreciated. www.cna-network.org

June 17th-June 21st is Health Risk Management Week sponsored by the American Society for Health Risk Management more information can be found at www.ashrm.org/week

Lastly, June 16th-Happy Father's Day! We here at H3P celebrate fathers all over the world. This 24/7 job is not meant for everyone so to those of your who have blessed with the moniker of dad/father/pop, etc. we say enjoy your day because you deserve it.
-VHHughes

June 2013 - Aphasia

Many people have experienced dealing with a family member or even themselves having a stroke. So much information is out about what to look for with regard to strokes, medications, and prevention. Our spotlight is shining on the June 2013 monthly observance of Aphasia sponsored by the National Aphasia Association. Aphasia, what is it? How is it diagnosed? How do you cure it? Excellent questions and we have the answers. Aphasia is defined according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) as a disorder that results from damage to the brain where speech develops usually the left side of the brain for most people. Aphasia can develop slowly as in cases of dementia or injection or fast in cases of brain injury or stroke.

Aphasia has different types Global, Broca’s, Wernicke's, Mixed, and Anomic. Global Aphasia is considered the most severe aphasia. Patients with Global aphasia have severe communication difficulties and may be extremely limited in their ability to speak or comprehend. Global aphasia is often seen after a person suffered a stroke but symptoms can improve if the damage to the brain is not extensive.

Broca’s aphasia patients have damage to the frontal lobe of the brain. They speak in short phrases that make sense but are produced with much effort. These patients are often have right-side weakness or may have a paralyzed arm or leg. Wernicke’s aphasia is where the patient’s ability to grasp the meaning of words is impaired but has the ability to speak. Patients with Wernicke’s aphasia have damage to the left or right temporal lobes where people make long sentences that have no meaning.

Mixed aphasia is similar to Boca’s aphasia the difference is that the patient is limited to understanding speech. These patients ability to read and write will not go beyond elementary school level. Lastly Anomic aphasia is where patient do not have the ability to speak.

Aphasia is diagnosed by a doctor usually a neurologist. Tests performed where a patient is to follow commands, answer questions, name objects and carry on a conversation. If aphasia is believed to be the cause of patients ailment a speech pathologist is called in to do a more comprehensive exam on the patient’s ability to communicate. The treatment for aphasia can vary from no treatment to needing speech language therapy this all depends on the damage the patient’s brain has.

When I met my grandmother-in-law she was recovering from a stroke. She did have the ability to speak however she was did have limited mobility which frustrated her. She was a very independent woman and the effects of the stroke clipped her wings. She felt like a burden to her family. My job was to let her know that not only was she not a burden but she was loved and it was my pleasure to help her in any way she needed. If did not treat her as someone who has a stroke, I treated her as what she was my grandmother and she deserved the utmost respect. Know that patients with aphasia are people and not a condition and need to be treated that way.

For further information on aphasia check out The National Aphasia Association http://aphasia.org

-VHHughes

May 2013 - Liver Awareness

Take care of your liver and it will take care of you. Most people are not aware of the many important jobs the liver does within the human body. The average liver weighs about 3lbs and is one of the largest organs in the human body. I bet you didn’t know that the liver has well over 500 functions that it performs daily in the body. Some of the functions of the liver are: 
* metabolizing proteins, fats, and carbohydrates
* storing vitamins, minerals and sugars
* filtering blood
* creating bile
* storing extra blood and
* clotting factors

What happens if you don’t take care of your liver? If you consume alcohol, the amount you drink should be limited because alcohol can damage and destroy liver cells. The damage may lead to inflammation of the liver known as alcohol hepatitis and or scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis. Medication can also cause harm to the liver so it is very important to follow the directions as prescribed for the medication but also ask questions about how the medication will affect the liver. Lastly avoid breathing in or touching toxins because toxins can hurt liver cells.

The liver our body’s filter and laboratory is vital to sustain our lives so please be sure to thank your liver every day for all the hard work it does. I know I am working on thanking mine. How do you thank your liver? You thank your liver by eating healthy and exercising regularly this helps the liver perform well. So raise a glass of water and drink to the liver the large organ that handles many jobs on a daily basis without it our bodies would be in trouble.
The month of May’s Amplify Your Expertise on liver awareness was sponsored by the American Liver Foundation. www.liverfoundation.org

May also has other monthly health awareness focuses here are a few:
*Arthritis Awareness Month sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation www.arthritis.org

* Hepatitis Awareness Month sponsored by Hepatitis Foundation International www.hepfi.org

* Better Hearing and Speech Month sponsored by the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery www.entnet.org
 * Better Sleep Month sponsored by the Better Sleep Council www.bettersleep.org
 
* Lupus Awareness Month sponsored by the Lupus Foundation www.lupus.org

* Stroke Awareness Month sponsored by the National Stroke Association www.stroke.org
and

* Ultraviolet Awareness Month sponsored by Prevent Blindness America www.preventblindess.org

There are many more unnamed monthly observances. Next week we observe Children’s Mental Health Week sponsored by the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health www.ffcmh.org 
 Occupational Safety and Health Week in North America sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers www.asse.org/ naosh and lastly Run a mile days sponsored by the American Running Association www.runmile.org

I strongly suggest that you look into the listed and unlisted observances for the month of May to Amplify Your Expertise.

-VHHughes

April 2013 - National Minority Health and Disparities Month

Welcome to April’s Expand Your Expertise. April is filled with monthly health observances. Some of the month long observances include National Alcohol Awareness Month, National Cancer Control Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Donate Life Month, and National Humor Month. The weekly health observances of April include but are not limited to National Public Health Week April 1-7, National Week of the Ocean April 7-13, National Library Week April 14-20, and National Volunteer Week April 21-27. A few of April’s daily health observances are the National Day of Hope on April 3^rd, World Health Day on April 7^th, and National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16^th.

Our focus for Expand Your Expertise is National Minority Health and Disparities Month sponsored by the Office of Minority Health Resource Center. The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was created in 1986 and is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through developing health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. (Office of Minority Health, 2013). “OMH programs address disease prevention, health promotion, risk reduction, healthy lifestyle choices, use of healthcare services, and barriers to healthcare.” (Office of Minority Health, 2013). It is through partnerships with communities and organizations in the public and private sectors the OMH focuses on eliminating health disparities, national planning to identify priorities and coordinated responses. (Office of Minority Health, 2013). “The purpose of the National Partnership of Actions to End Health Disparities (NPA) is to improve nationwide cohesion and coordination of strategies and actions to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity.” (Office of Minority Health, 2013). The five goals of NPA are to increase awareness, leadership strength on every level, improved health and healthcare, improved cultural and linguistic competency, lastly data availability, and coordination, utilization and diffusion of research and evaluation of outcomes. (Office of Minority Health, 2013). Reference: Office of Minority Health. (2013). About OMH. Retrieved online. March 31, 2013. www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov

Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) mission is aligned with the practice of the Office of Minority Health. The more people we help obtain a better understanding of health and healthcare through the services at H3P, the end result will be more people with better healthier lives. It is no coincidence that our open house is during Public Health Week for we are a champion of Public Health. Our motto is knowledge that leads to healthy lives and it is through our various partnerships and our own healthcare knowledge that we will help others achieve the healthy lives they deserve and seek.

VHHughes

March 2013 - Hemophilia Month

The month of March has a few health observances such as American Red Cross Month, Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Colorectal Awareness Month and Workplace Eye Wellness Month to name a few. Our focus for the month of March is Hemophilia Month. Hemophilia month is sponsored by The National Hemophilia Foundation.

Hemophilia is defined according to the National Hemophilia Foundation as a genetic bleeding that prevents normal blood. Uncontrolled and spontaneous bleeding is the main symptom of hemophilia. There are two types of hemophilia, A and B. Hemophilia A is a deficiency of clotting Factor VIII (factor 8). The recessive trait located on the X chromosome causes hemophilia a. Hemophilia B also known as “Christmas disease” is a result of a deficiency in factor IX. Although there is no cure currently for hemophilia there are treatments that help prolong the lives of those infected with hemophilia through infusion of manufactured human plasma or using recombinant technology.  “Hemophilia occurs 1 in 5,000 live male births, of these 80% are hemophilia A and 20% are hemophilia B.” (The National Hemophilia Foundation, 2013).

von Willebrand disease is another bleeding disorder that prevents blood from clotting and is genetically based. Affecting both men and women, “von Willebrand factor which is a protein that affects platelet function.” (The National Hemophilia Foundation, 2013). This disease has three categories type 1 is the most common and mildest form of the disease. Type II where von Willebrand disease has sub classifications of IIa and IIb. “In Type IIa, the level of von Williebrand factor is reduced as is the ability of platelets to clump together.” (The National Hemophilia Foundation, 2013). “In Type IIb, although the factor itself is defective, the ability of platelets to clump together is actually increased.” (The National Hemophilia Foundation, 2013). Type III is severe von Williebrand disease. “These people have a total absence of von Williebrand factor and factor VII levels are often less than 10%.”(The National Hemophilia Foundation, 2013).

Hemophilia related HIV/AIDS occurred when factor products were created in the late 70’s and early 80’s from human blood. Some of those donations came from people who were infected with the HIV virus and this resulted in about 60% of hemophiliacs that were treated with the contaminated blood products contracting the HIV virus. Today most of the blood products are man-made.

In the state of Arizona there is an agency that can help hemophiliacs. The Arizona Hemophilia Association located in Phoenix, Arizona has programs to help hemophiliacs and their families. Youth programs such as HAPY (Hemophilia Association Program for Youth) is an educational and recreational program for ages 8 to 15 that helps build self-esteem and increases the knowledge of bleeding disorders. HAPY Jr. for ages 4 to 7 was created for younger children to learn about hemophilia on their level. Lastly EPIC is where teens learn about hemophilia.

There are camp programs where children can go for a week to have fun, learn, and make new and lasting friendships.

There are educational outreaches that can help with finding health insurance, medical treatments, and educational programs for the families. An annual women’s retreat that focuses on daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers who have inherited bleeding disorders. Emergency financial assistance is also available to families in need. Educational scholarships are available through the Arizona Hemophilia Association for students. There are also client services available to hemophiliacs from various places within the state of Arizona. The Thrombosis Center is located in Tucson, Arizona deals with bleeding/clotting disorder management, outpatient and inpatient care, and care of person and families with thrombophilia. The treatment center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital serves children and adults with bleeding disorders as well as children with clotting disorders.

Hemophilia although a very frightening disease is very much controllable. Just as we highlighted the Arizona chapter that deals with hemophilia issues there are chapters nationwide that can help people in other states. Check out the National Hemophilia Foundations page to find the chapter for your state.

 

Reference: The National Hemophilia Foundation (2013). Fast Facts. Retrieved online February 27, 2013. http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/MainNHF.aspx?menuid=259&contentid=476

February 2013 - Wise Health Consumer Month

Welcome to amplify your expertise my monthly blog for Henderson-Hughes Health Partners (H3P) that focuses on little or unknown health care subjects. The month of February is known nationally as Heart month sponsored by the American Heart Association. Amplify your expertise for the month of February will focus on Wise Health Care Consumer month which is sponsored by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. Wise Health Care Consumer month is to help people receive the right care at the right time in the right place. This can only happen if the consumer is an active member in their own health care by knowing which symptoms can receive self treatment and which symptoms require treatment from a medical professional.

Recently I proved myself to be a wise health care consumer by stepping in as an advocate for my oldest daughter who was in her final weeks of her third trimester of her pregnancy with her second son and experiencing pain. I took her to the hospital to be checked out. One of the first things that I noticed that as soon as she was hooked up to the fetal monitor, the pulse rate alarm began to sound. I began asking the nurse why was the alarm sounding and the nurse said it was that her pulse was high but it was nothing to be alarmed about. The nurse then placed the alarm on silent and left the room.

My daughter was admitted to the hospital for observation and was released the next day. The run back and forth to the hospital game had started and my daughter and I were the contestants. We play this game for majority of the week until I finally had enough on Saturday, February 2, 2013 and I called my daughter’s doctor answering service requesting that her doctor call me immediately. The doctor called about ten minutes after my calling the answering service and I explained to the doctor that he needed to do something about the pain my daughter was having at the end of her pregnancy. The doctor responded with two options for us. The first option was to come to the hospital that he was currently at and be checked out or wait until Monday and go into the office to be seen. I told the doctor there was no way that we were going to wait until Monday when my daughter was in so much pain and it was not getting any better.

We arrived at the hospital and were taken to an observation room. The nurse told me if my daughter had no dilated past 2 centimeters she would just be discharged from the hospital because she was less than 39 weeks and the state of Arizona did not allow induction of pregnancies less than 39 weeks unless it was an emergency. My daughter who was at 38 weeks of pregnancy was checked by the doctor and he found that she was dilated to 4 centimeters and it had just been twenty-four hours that passed. Once again my daughter is hooked up to the fetal monitors and her pulse rate is high but this time so is her blood pressure. Her systolic (top number) kept rising over 140. The doctor came in and told us that in order for him to schedule an induction, my daughter needed to have three blood pressure reading at or over 140. The criteria were met in less than an hour and the induction process started. Deondre Martin was born February 3, 2013. The birth of my grandson should have relieved my daughter of her pain, high pulse rate, and elevated blood pressure. Her blood pressure did return to normal after the delivery of the baby and she was discharged from the hospital on February 5, 2013 only to return to the emergency room on February 6, 2013 because her feet were swollen like water balloons in addition to her ankles and legs.

After running tests and speaking with my daughter’s doctor, the emergency room doctor discharged her and told her to make an appointment with her doctor as soon as possible. My daughter’s appointment was on Friday, February 8, 2013. It was at this appointment when she learned that she had preeclampsia. Like most women who have giving birth, my daughter and I knew that preeclampsia was a pregnancy related problem that was relieved with the birth of the baby. What a surprise to find out that a woman can develop preeclampsia after giving birth. The Mayo Clinic defines postpartum preeclampsia as a rare condition that happens when a woman who has high blood pressure and excess protein in her urine after having a child. In most cases post partum preeclampsia develops 48 hours after childbirth but can take as long as four to six weeks to develop after childbirth.

If left untreated post partum preeclampsia can result in seizures and thus requires prompt treatment of the patient. Signs of postpartum preeclampsia to look for are high blood pressure 140/90 or greater; excess protein in the urine; severe headaches; changes in the vision including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision, or light sensitivity; upper abdominal pain (usually under the ribs on the right side); nausea and vomiting; decreased urination; and sudden weight gain (typically more than 2lbs per week). Risk factors are high blood pressure during a recent pregnancy, obesity, or a cesarean delivery. The complications are post partum Eclampsia which is post partum preeclampsia with seizures; pulmonary edema, stroke, and the HELLP syndrome which stands for hemolsysis (destruction of red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count. Just as with preeclampsia in pregnancy, postpartum preeclampsia does have the risk factor for future cardiovascular disease.

Although it seemed like a long journey to obtain the final diagnosis on postpartum preeclampsia, if I had not continued to stay on my daughter about seeing her doctor in the midst of her frustration of the lack of care she was getting neither she nor my grandson would be here today. Get to know your health and in my case your families health you could save someone’s life even your own.  -VHHughes