Volunteers Visit with Senator Lincoln on Healthcare Reform

Volunteers Amber and Diana Boulton and Wonder Lowe visited with Senator Blanche Lincoln on Wednesday, August 12th. The visit was conducted during the August Congressional Recess. They were delivering the American Heart Association's message on health care reform which includes the following priorities:

• Avalibility - healthcare for everyone


• Affordable - healthcare regardless of age, gender or any other factors


• Adequate - healthcare for all Americans regardless of prior health problems


• Understandable - provide better, more easily understandable information about their heatlh insurance benefits, cost and quality.

Senator Lincoln was also presented thank you messages from volunteers across the state. The messages were from participants of the Association's Go Red For Women movement that is designed to impower women to take control of their heart health. Lincoln is a co-sponsor of a federal piece of legislation the HEART for Women Act that will provide screening and educational components for women of all socio-economic populations. The bill is on the current Congressional agenda.

From left to right: Amber Boulton, Diana Boulton

Senator Blanche Lincoln and Wonder Lowe

Health Care Reform-What to Ask in a Town Hall

With the health care reform debate sweeping the country, many politicians are turning to Town Hall style meetings to answer questions and get feedback from their constituents. This is a great opportunity to voice your concerns on the current state of health care and how it can be improved.

We encourage You’re the Cure advocates to participate in these Town Hall meetings and share how health care reform can improve outcomes for heart and stroke patients. Here are some tips when participating in a Town Hall:

Tell Your Story

First and foremost, you should share your personal story.

• Has a preexisting heart condition or stroke made it difficult or impossible for you
or a loved one to get health insurance?
• Have you struggled to afford health insurance for yourself or your family?
• Have you reached the maximum for your insurance coverage and now struggle to
pay the bills out-of-pocket?
• Do you struggle with complicated insurance forms and processes that make it
difficult to get the care you need?
• Have you been denied treatment that your doctor says is needed?
• Is the cost of necessary medications forcing you to make other sacrifices?
• Do you have difficulty seeing the healthcare provider or specialist you need to
see?
• If you are a healthcare provider, have you witnessed your patients going without
needed care and suffering poorer outcomes because they don’t have health
insurance coverage?

Your story will help illustrate for lawmakers the urgency of our request and the need to do something now to reform our ailing healthcare system.

Ask Your Question

In addition to you personal story, you should ask how the Representative/Senator will
address your struggles with the healthcare system.

• What will you do to make sure people can afford the healthcare they need?
• How will you ensure that all Americans have access to the best care possible?
• What will you do to ensure that quality healthcare is available in all areas of our
country for all Americans?
• How will you ease the red tape, ensuring that people get the care they need
without unnecessary administrative barriers?

Your Conclusion

However you phrase your question- the conclusion of your message should be “Please
move forward on healthcare reform quickly - and in any reform efforts, please correct
MY problems(specify the problem)with the current system”

Little Rock Parks Move to Smoke Free

ANNOUNCEMENT:

For the past twenty months or better, the Coalition for A Tobacco Free Arkanas lead the efforts along with American Heart Association and many other health partners and supporters, including the YES Team members worked with the City of Little Rock on a smoke-free parks policy. Speaking specifically, community advocate, Joe Arnold is to be commended for his relentless efforts to gain a smoke-free park policy for those who suffer from severe respiratory problems whereby they are prevented from enjoying the many activities offered in Little Rock Parks. But on October 1, 2009 things will change---October 1st is the date Little Rock’s smoke-free/tobacco free policy goes into effect. The entire public, many who suffer from heart and other chronic diseases will now be able to enjoy the great outdoors without concern of secondhand smoke exposure that can trigger a heart attack.

On July 15, 2009, City Manager, Bruce Moore took a giant pro-health step---he approved the proposed departmental smoke-free/tobacco free parks policy for all Little Rock parks including golf courses. The tobacco-free policy approved by Mr. Moore came via a recommendation from the very progressive Park Commission.

Let’s thank Mr. Moore and the Park Commission for setting the example that parks are meant to promote community wellness and tobacco free policies fit with this idea. Tobacco-free policies establish the community norm that tobacco use is not an acceptable behavior for young people or adults.

Thank You Tour

Arkansas volunteers for the American Heart Association from all across the state conducted Legislative Thank You Tours to several state legislators. The tour was designed to thank decision makers on passing legislation that will have a life saving impact for years to come.

The targeted legislators were Senator Tracy Steele and Representative Gregg Reep who were lead sponsors of the tobacco tax increase bill that passed during the 87th General Assembly. Additional tour visits will be conducted throughout the summer.

The major piece of legislation was the 56 tobacco tax increase. With this bill the state will fund a statewide trauma system, Community Health Centers, provide funding for a statewide stroke registry, funding for automated external defibrillators for school across the state and many other health care needs.

All of those programs will address heart disease and stroke and reduce the death and burden caused by cardiovascular diseases.

The other legislation critical to heart and stroke was the passage of the AED/CPR Antony Hobbs, III Act, which requires all public schools to have on campus an automated external defibrillator and school personnel trained in CPR. Senator Steele was the lead sponsor of this bill as well.











Pictured left to right - Valarie Wade, Barbara kumpe, Rep. Gregg Reep, Janet Winslow, Wonder Lowe, Russell Melchert, Ph.d. and in front Ashton and Jordan Dollar.

Congress Moves Closer to Increasing Funding for NIH research.

In a July a Congressional subcommittee approves a 3.1% increase in research for the National Institute of Health. In a statement AHA President Clyde Yancy, M.D. commended the committee for their work:

“This increase, during these tough economic times, demonstrates a renewed national commitment to sustained and predictable funding growth for biomedical research. We urge the committee to maintain stable funding for 2011 when the temporary resources from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expire,” Yancy said

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What Moves U Challenge receives health information award

The What Moves U Challenge – a joint program of the American Heart Association and National Football League – has been honored with a National Health Information Award. The awards recognize the nation’s best consumer health information programs and materials.

The What Moves U Challenge received a Silver Award in the “Total Health Information Program” category. It was chosen from more than 1,000 entries judged by a national panel of health information experts.

The awards program is coordinated by the Health Information Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for consumer health information programs and materials.

Adult obesity rose in 23 states last year

Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states last year, and didn’t decline in any, according to a new report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

According to the report:

· Mississippi had the highest obesity rate, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row
· Oklahoma ranks 6th most obese at 29.5% for adults.
· The childhood obesity rate is also at 29.5% but that ranks 33 among all states.

According to the report, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009,” obesity-related costs to Medicare and Medicaid are likely to grow significantly as the Baby Boomer generation ages, because of the large number of people in this population, the high rate of obesity and obesity’s negative health impact.

See F as in Fat 2009.