Fighting dementia

They call the article “5 ways to keep Alzheimer’s away”, but it really talks about 6. After mentioning the recent Journal of the AMA article which found ginkgo biloba of no help in warding off dementia, it mentions others with some support.

Certainly, physical exercise and mental exercise are helpful and probably have the least conflicted evidence behind them, so they are easy to recommend. Physical exercise has been shown to keep folks sharp and to at least some extent improve established dementia. I also agree with the article that the mental exercise needs to be varied (“cross training” they call it, with the analogy of only doing pushups developing only the arms). Social interaction should also be included this category. It stimulates the mind and the body and is clearly good for the psyche, a trifecta of anti-dementia goodness.

Their other recommendations have a bit more checkered evidence backing them up. They recommend antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C, and E) which have some support, but overdoing them (particularly vitamins A and E) may not be good and may cause some harm. But do remember “all things in moderation”. Also recommended are phosphatidylserine supplementation, fish-oil supplements, and adding curry to your diet. I think the support is slim for these, but for the most part they are not likely to cause harm. I think the curry (e.g. in Indian food, one of my favorites) is a particularly fun and tasty way to work against dementia, so go for it.

Use-lose law; not OK to not enforce

There was an article in the Chicago Tribune a couple of days ago about the “use-lose” law under which underage kids caught (and convicted of) drinking or being drunk have their driver’s license suspended for a short period of time (3 months with a first offense), even if driving was not involved in or around the drinking incident.

I think the law is an important step forward in limiting underage drinking and the deaths that result from underage drinking. Keep in mind that many of those deaths do not involve driving, nor do most incidents of date rape (alcohol is the number one date rape drug), but affecting their ability to drive will get their attention and is an effective punishment.

I think it borders on criminal that the enforcement of the law is inconsistent (the focus of the article) and think it is great that Lake County leads the state in enforcing the law. Let’s keep it up.

One comment irritated me:

"It is still going after the child, who is a victim of the alcohol industry," said Janet Williams, co-chairwoman of the Illinois Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking.

It is nonsense to think of these kids as victims. While I agree that some ads and some alcohol containing beverages are aimed at kids, it is wrong to write the kids off as (apparently) brainwashed victims. We can give kids the tools to resist this brainwashing if it is taking place at all (making something attractive doesn’t demand use). [The “brainwashing” if it is there at all is more following observed patterned behaviors of others.] We need to put information in their hands and in their heads about the effects of alcohol on their brains and the effects of alcohol on their lives (and deaths). It must be given to them truthfully, repeatedly and in various forms. Their parents and their schools and society must all do their part.

We must be consistent in communicating that underage drinking is not OK.

I will continue to do my part; you must get the information and do yours as well.

Make good choices, don’t take chances.

Crying for what's wrong with you

We all have experienced that crying makes us feel better, but now there are studies that show that crying has health benefits as well.

It makes nine out of 10 people feel better, reduces stress, and may help to keep the body healthy. It's also free, available to almost everyone, and has no known side effects, other than wet tissues, red eyes and runny makeup. Crying may not be a blockbuster drug, but the latest research suggests it's highly effective at healing, and that it improves the mood of 88.8 per cent of weepers...

We cry out stress hormones. Crying stimulates the release of endogenous opiates for pain relief. Crying may help rebalance the body's electrolytes.

So treat yourself to a sad movie and have a good cry from time to time. It can help restore psychological and physiological balance in your life.

Being sad ain’t all bad.

Fun "health" facts

I was reading the Chicago Tribune last Sunday and they had a fun fact list in a sidebar that they had gotten from “The Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu’ and “Germ Proof Your Kids” I thought I’d share some of them:

3 feet: the distance droplets can travel after a cough of sneeze
20 feet: the distance fecal bacteria can travel from the toilet after it’s flushed

49: the number of germs, per square inch, on a toilet seat
25,000: the number of germs, per square inch, on an office telephone

Don’t you just love cool, mostly worthless “health” facts?

So don’t lick a phone at work.
However, knowing that you have “100 billion bacteria in your mouth”, maybe you wouldn’t notice.

Psychache

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to a blog that had some interesting comments about suicide. I thought I’d post one such thought provoking paragraph:

In our average lives we say “I could never take my own life”. We say this from a safe place, able to deal with lifes ups and downs. THIS CAN AND DOES CHANGE. If we lack or lose the ability to handle our emotions, negativity and frustration step in. we start moving towards the spectrum of suicidal thought. we feel we are not coping and life becomes a struggle. The constant struggle seems endless. our needs are not met and we slowly slide into wishing it was all over.

In another place the author of the blog uses a great word (neologism) that fits suicidal thoughts (and other mental health issues) very well: psychache. (I warned them that I was going to use their word)

These are things we need to consider in working to prevent suicide, in working to get folks help that they need, and in understanding the problems that swirl around suicide and mental health. We must not only work to prevent suicide, but work to help them deal with their psychache.

and the elderly selling gravesites for cash...

I thought the last post a bit strange and unsettling, then I saw this one (click through the ad in the link):

For some, a tough economy means hocking their possessions to raise cash. And not just furniture or jewelry. In lean times, even a person's final resting place is for sale.
Activity in the secondary market for burial plots has spiked in recent weeks, according to Bob Ward, who runs the Final Arrangements Network, an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of cemetery space. Most of those looking to sell: fixed-income seniors in their 60s and 70s.

New barometers of financial woes?

The dead evicted

(These are busy times, sorry for the inconsistent posting.)

I came across this article and it struck me for several reasons, so I thought I’d share:

The bodies of five people and cremains for 22 others are on their way to a county medical examiner's office after the funeral home sending them to their place of rest was foreclosed on Friday morning.

Who knew there was a risk of eviction after death?

And then the interesting name of the funeral home (and crematory?):

House of Burns Memorial Chapel

Apparently funeral home staff declined to comment for the article:

"You don't want to let nobody know nothing — you just want gossip," the woman said, adding "have a blessed day" before hanging up.

I don’t bring this up to gossip. Can you imagine such an occurrence? The irony of no rest even for the dead, "have a blessed day" indeed. (I will close saying that they do seem to be handling this unfortunate situation well)

Increasing Suicide Rate

After a decade-long decrease, U.S. suicide rates have started to rise, largely because of an increase in suicides among middle-aged white men and women

A new study out of Johns Hopkins demonstrates increasing suicide rates 1999 through 2005. It also seems to show that those in middle age are more at risk than previously thought. Historically, those at greatest risk were youth/young adults and seniors, but nationwide that age dipole is changing. For many years here in Lake County the ages have been more evenly spread, as has the geographic distribution over the county.

Just as the article wonders (linked here), it has certainly crossed my mind that the present economic “downturn” is likely to affect these demographics. It is early yet, but economics and other problems have always compounded the effects of depression to contribute to the risk of suicide.

Indeed:

"The key is getting people into treatment and getting people to use the resources that are available to them."

[Just a note: we will be sponsoring a site for a local broadcast of the annual American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) National Survivors of Suicide Day event (Nov. 22, noon, Mundelein Fire Dept., 100 Midlothian Rd). Last year when we held the event it was a very interesting shared experience for all of the attendees and included an insightful local discussion.]

"Went to a Party Mom "

I got this today in an email forwarded as a promotional for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers). Check them out; help them out if you can.

I have heard this read at pre-prom events several times. I can’t hear it or read it without getting choked up:

Went to a Party Mom

I went to a party,
And remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom,
so I had a sprite instead.

I felt proud of myself,
The way you said I would,
that I didn't drink and drive,
though some friends said I should.

I made a healthy choice,
And your advice to me was right.
The party finally ended,
and the kids drove out of sight.

I got into my car,
Sure to get home in one piece.
I never knew what was coming, Mom,
something I expected least.

Now I'm lying o n the pavement,
And I hear the policeman say,
the kid that caused this wreck was drunk, Mom, his voice seems far away.

My own blood's all around me,
As I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
this girl is going to die.

I'm sure the guy had no idea,
While he was flying high.
Because he chose to drink and drive,
now I would have to die.

So why do people do it, Mom
Knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me,
like a hundred stabbing knives.

Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom
Tell daddy to be brave.
And when I go to heaven,
put ' Mommy's Girl' on my grave.

Someone should have taught him,
That it's wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had,
I'd still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter,
Mom I'm getting really scared
These are my final moments,
and I'm so unprepared.

I wish that you could hold me Mom,
As I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say, 'I love you, Mom!'
So I love you and good-bye.

Ceiling fan may help prevent SUID/SIDS

We would all think it great to come up with another “simple” intervention to further lower the risk of SIDS (better termed SUID: Sudden Unexplained Infant Death). A recent study may have come up with such an intervention. The study showed that circulating the air in the infant’s bedroom with a ceiling fan (but not just having a window open) lowered the risk of SIDS death

So remember (and tell all new parents): “Back to Sleep”; firm mattress; minimal, non-downy blankets; no bumper pads, pillows or soft toys; keep them cool at night; and (apparently) install a ceiling fan.

Underage drinking is not OK

I was part of a panel today talking about underage drinking, presented to a group of parents. We discussed its effects and its prevention, my portion was the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain.

I led with a comment about an incident written about in the Chicago Tribune today. A limousine driver reported underage drinking among some teens he was driving for homecoming. He turned down a payoff attempt and did the right thing. My feeling is that he should get an award:

Limousine driver Leonel Cesar says he was just doing his job when he called police to report that a group of Highland Park teenagers tried to smuggle booze into his "party bus" on homecoming night

Later in the article was a comment about the “Safe Rides” program:

Similar debate surrounds the Safe Rides program in New Trier Township, which allows student volunteers to pick up their intoxicated peers from parties, no questions asked.

I will only contribute to the “debate” by relating a recent death here in Lake County (I did write about it shortly after it happened). I closed my part of the panel with a mention of the incident, as well. A young man (18 years old) was driven home after a party involving at least one “drinking game”. The young man later died of an alcohol overdose, his ride, while not part of the “Safe Ride” program, certainly did not have a safe outcome.

Underage drinking is not OK.

Don’t take chances. Make good choices.

Remains to Hungary

Nice to report:

A young lady whose skeletalized remains were found May 12, 2007 is on her way to Hungary to be buried by her father. While it is quite likely she died of a drug overdose (drugs were found in the clothing she had on) we can really only conjecture because of the condition of her remains.

While it took a while to make all of the arrangements, we are finally able to reunite at least this part of the family (even in death)as her father wished.

Fake crack

Whoa, a whole week without a post. Either I am slipping or I was as busy as I seemed.

Anyway, I came across an interesting article today checking out online "coroner news" (after participating in a panel on underage drinking information and prevention).

In Cincinnati they are apparently seeing an upsurge in “fake crack”. Now that is not something we have seen here (we have seen both fentanyl and diphenylamine masquerading as heroin, but not fake crack), but I thought it was interesting. We will certainly keep an eye out for it now, although it doesn’t seem very likely that users of fake crack will end up in our office:

Owens said that in recent days, up to 60 percent of the drugs sent to his office for testing on a given day turned out to be fake, usually made of high concentrations of vitamin B3.

Out Of The Darkness Walk

Support the American Foundation for Suicide Awareness Out of the Darkness Walk October 4 with a donation or walking yourself:

WALK TO SAVE LIVES... In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 16 minutes, claiming more than 32,000 lives each year. It is estimated that an attempt is made every minute; with close to one million people attempting suicide annually.
By walking in the 2008 Out of the Darkness Community Walks to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), you will be walking with thousands of people nationwide to raise money for AFSP's vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and assist survivors of suicide loss.

You can donate generally or if you want a specific team to support: “This Team is for Roo Joey Fischer” (If there are any other local teams, send me the info and I’ll put them up here)

Alcohol over-use kills

I am preparing for a series of talks that I will be giving next month regarding the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain. It will be part of a panel presentation regarding underage drinking prevention that a group is presenting at 4 sites. I have spoken on the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain at several venues, so it is primarily a matter of fitting my presentation into the panel presentation.

Of interest to this note is that at one of the group meetings one of the others involved asked me to be sure to specifically mention “alcohol poisoning”. (We also discussed my including the fact that alcohol is the ‘number one’ date rape drug)

We don’t see alcohol overdose deaths in underage drinkers very often, most cases get intervention before they die. While it is an infrequent cause of death, we had one in our county this week. A young 18 year old man died of alcohol overdose (who, as fate would have it, went to high school with my daughter). My daughter described the memorial service to me last evening; many of his friends spoke highly of him and spoke of the tragedy of his death.

We often forget that alcohol kills, not just through car crashes, but because it is itself a toxin, a poison. Consumed in large enough quantities it can and does kill. Adolescents are particularly at risk because they tend to binge drink (5 or more drinks in rapid succession) and do not get the drowsiness shut off cue that most adults get.

The relatively new Illinois felony “social host” law will likely be invoked in this case: if great bodily harm or death results, the parent (host) faces possible imprisonment and possible significant fines.

Kids shouldn’t die when they are still kids
Think, don’t take chances, make good choices

Response to a query, hoping to help with information

I thought this comment/email exchange might have answers of interest (and help) to others (related to Cocaine and Death):

My friend died last year and the autopsy listed Acute fulminant pulmonary edema & congestion, Acute visceral congestion,Moderate hepatomegaly, early CAD under findings. Under Toxicology, there were several drugs listed under Comprehensive Blood Drug Screen; Alprazolam: 15 ng/mL, Citalopram(trace)Cocaine(trace)Benzoylecgonine: 1760 ng/mL & Metoclopramide(trace). Under Comprehensive Urine Drug Screen, there were Alphahydroxyalprazolam, Citalopram, Cocaine, Cocaethylene, Benzoylecgonine, Hydrocodone, Metoclopramide, & Oxazepam. The cause of Death is listed under Accident(Acute Cocaine Toxicity). What is the signifigance of such a large amt of Benzoylecgonine? and it says there is only a trace of cocaine so why is death listed as cocaine toxicity? Some friends have said he wanted to die but I never got that impression from statements he made. He had recently been hosptitalized w/pneumnia and was on a respirator for 2 weeks two weeks before his death. Does it sound like the a high level of the Benzoylecgonine caused his death or the combination of all of the drugs?

Benzoylecgonine is the primary metabolic product from cocaine. It has a longer half-life (the time in which ½ of the substance is cleared from the body) than the parent compound, cocaine, 6 hours as opposed to half an hour. Cocaine also continues to be metabolized by blood cells even after death.

These results are consistent with cocaine-induced death. It is not unusual to find a “trace” of cocaine in the blood in such a situation. Most of those types of death are accidental in that folks tend to consume all of the cocaine they have available, not saving some for later.

Thank you for your response!I would like to ask a couple of more questions as there has been so many unanswered questions and I have had a hard time dealing with his death. He had struggled with his addictions the past couple of years;I think what got him started was the prescription narcotic pain medication he received for legitimate back & shoulder pain. When he ran out and couldn't get more, he would get cocaine or other drugs like oxycontin from "friends". I don't do drugs so it was hard to deal with but we had been in a relationship for several years so it's hard to just leave. I finally had enough and left a week before he died but I was still stopping by every day and he had a Drs appt scheduled the day after he died to try and get into a rehab program. I came home and found him sitting up slumped to the side with a pillow with uneaten food on it. I just thought he was sleeping so didn't try to "wake" him up right away. Our dog was sleeping on his feet. I finally tried to arouse him unsuccessfully and took his blood pressure with the machine his Dr had given him and it said -0- so i called 911. They told me to get him on the floor and try CPR. When I tried to move him, he fell on the floor and hot water squirted out from under his arms and there was really a bad smell all at once. They came really fast and worked on him in the ambulance for quite awhile unsuccessfully before they took him to the hospital but I found out later he was already dead when they got there and most likely had been dead when I got there. He was only 44 so I have been haunted by the vision of him sitting there ever since. He was depressed that I had left but he wanted me to come back and he told me on the phone that morning that he felt pretty good so I really don't think that he committed suicide but some of his friends seem to think he did because of the high levels of drugs. Everyone has their own theory and there has been so many ugly rumors since then, it has caused me alot of grief. One of his friends said he brought him over a 72 hour morphine patch which he sucked all of the juice out of;Another rumor is that he went into a seizure and his friends got scared and set him up the way I found him and left. I think everyone was afraid there would be a Police investigation but there wasn't much of an investigation. They made us leave(the dog too) for 4 hrs. The CSI team came and took some pictures and took all of his medicine and left. It definitely wasn't like the TV show. One of his aunts said there was rat poision in his system. I am having a hard time dealing with his death even though it's been a year now as I feel guilty because I left and wonder if he did, in fact committ suicide even though there wasn't a note.I am confused about the amt of benzoylecgonine. It is in the form ng/mL. How is that in relation to mg/ML? Is 1760 ng/mL really an abnormally large amt? Also, did he most likely smoke it or snort it? The last time I talked to him was 10:30am. I found him @ 2:30 pm when I thought he was sleeping. What was the most likely time of death? The medical examiner put the time he arrived at the hospital but from what the firemen and ems guys said, he was dead when they got to my house because he flat-lined on the machine and didn't have any blood pressure. Even though, the autopsy says accident, I still wonder if he took his own life. He always told me he would never do that, that only cowards would do that plus he had food on his lap and I don't think a person trying to kill theirself would bother to eat but I really don't know. To sum it up, based on this post and my previous post, do you think he committed suicide? What is the most likely time of death? Do you think he suffered? and is the amt of benzoylecgonine a lethal amt? also, how does the ng/mL convert to milligrams per Liter? I have been trying to move on but it has been very difficult. It would put my mind at ease if you could answer these questions even if they are not the answers I want to hear. Thank you so much for your help!

The morphine (or possibly fentanyl) from the patch would have shown up in the tox testing. There are several ways to extract drug from those transdermal patches, sucking on it being just one. It would appear that if it did occur, he didn’t receive a significant amount.

Seizure activity certainly can occur at the time of death and has scared away “friends” in other cases, especially if the death involves some illicit activities.

“Rat Poison” most often involves a blood thinner; signs of its overdose would have been present at autopsy. Arsenic requires special testing, but considering the other tox results I would think it is unlikely.

Cocaine is not a “usual” means of suicide, it is used recreationally and, as I have mentioned, often overused. He tox results are very consistent with any number of cocaine-related deaths. There is really no way, now, of knowing how he took in the cocaine. We often swab the nostrils and screen for the presence of cocaine to discern “snorting”.

I doubt he committed suicide, he likely over-used accidentally, likely died within a few hours of getting to the ER, likely did not suffer (died quickly), and died as result of cocaine intoxication with lethal levels found in his system (remembering, too, that there are no “safe” levels of cocaine).

[Google can help you with the units conversions]

Hang in there, death of friend (particularly a close friend) is often devastating, you will not “get over it”, but the pieces can come back together and your life will continue with the memory and the grief. You can handle it.

Near-death study

I was sent a link to a Times article today:

A fellow at New York City's Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Sam Parnia is one of the world's leading experts on the scientific study of death. Last week Parnia and his colleagues at the Human Consciousness Project announced their first major undertaking: a 3-year exploration of the biology behind "out-of-body" experiences. The study, known as AWARE (AWAreness during REsuscitation), involves the collaboration of 25 major medical centers through Europe, Canada and the U.S. and will examine some 1,500 survivors of cardiac arrest…

When your heart stops beating, there is no blood getting to your brain. And so what happens is that within about 10 sec., brain activity ceases - as you would imagine. Yet paradoxically, 10% or 20% of people who are then brought back to life from that period, which may be a few minutes or over an hour, will report having consciousness. So the key thing here is, Are these real, or is it some sort of illusion?

A point brought up in his interview was interesting because it actually went along with a discussion we were having in the office earlier today in discussing a recent death in our county. That point is that while we have the “social definition” of death being a moment, based on the “clinical definition” death is a process that occurs over time. While that process time is often very brief, there are times when it is prolonged. Not until the heart has stopped, breathing has stopped, and the brain has stopped functioning has death truly occurred. This is the crux of the discussion we were having, but to go a step beyond our discussion…

With these “near-death” experiences, do we also need to consider when the mind ceases to function as really defining death? As the interviewee states, most of the time the brain and mind are not separably observable phenomena, but on rare occasions we get a peek. The information that comes from this study will be interesting. Do we, as the article says, need new science to understand and study this? Will this “new science” give rise to the study of other phenomenology? This may be a first step.

Work-related brain teaser, Is it Murder?

Forgive the intrusion. I found your blog. Hoping you will read this and offer an assessment.

I am researching a reported suicide that took place in the early 20th century. I have an abstract of the autopsy report. I believe the suicide was actually a murder, that the scene was set by the murderer and that cause of death was not by Potassium Cyanide. Here is an excerpt:

"“These two brothers occupied a bedroom and kept house at xxxx. xxxxx was formerly a Roman Catholic priest disposed for immorality. Since leaving the pulpit Fr. xxxxx had been going to the bad, drinking and using his time chiefly in accumulating moral filth to throw at his bishop and other of his clerical brethren. The two were last seen alive at nightfall Dec. 7 by their brother. The latter came by appointment at 2:30 PM Dec. 10 and found the men dead lying in a reposeful altitude on the outside of the bed with their clothes on."

Autopsy: Decomposition in full progress. Blood and tissue fluid suggesting potassium cyanide. No sign of caustic irritant poison in stomach and intestines. Congestion of lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys. Both bodies alike in appearance. Chemical analysis failed to get desired reactions.

Any thoughts?

A strange case indeed, some thoughts:

As you seem to allude to, ingestion of potassium cyanide in toxic amounts usually causes erosions in the esophagus and stomach. The lack of that finding would cast doubt on ingestion of potassium cyanide in toxic amounts, intentional or not.

Death from cyanide inhalation would require the room being sealed fairly tightly (cloth in the gaps around the door, etc.). In a suicide by cyanide inhalation that “addition” to the room would have been found by the individual who found the bodies and others as they arrived on the scene.

Another point to consider here is that a cyanide death by ingestion or by inhalation is not a pleasant, calm death. To find the 2 victims “lying in a reposeful attitude” would be most consistent with their having been placed in “repose” after death, unless some very “peaceful” toxin/drug was taken. Just to mention something that should be obvious, pairs of people do not die of natural causes peacefully in their sleep next to each other.

The autopsy findings (e.g. organ congestion and the bodies “alike in appearance”) would be quite consistent with a toxin or drug-related death. Not knowing the ambient temperature (hotter temperatures speeding up the process of decomposition), it is possible that a cellular (cytochrome) poison would explain the hastened decomposition (the most common cellular toxins are cyanide and carbon monoxide), but the lack of erosions and lack of room “sealing” would seem to argue against cyanide as the cause of death. It is more likely that the bodies were in a hot enough environment to hasten decomposition (as a teacher of mine used to say: when you hear hoof beats think horses, not zebras).

So, all-in-all, I would agree that potassium cyanide is an unlikely cause of death in this case and, considering the information you provide, murder would be a definite possibility (that should certainly have been further investigated at the time).

Updated: One thing occurred to me after I fired off the reply email: in the early 20th century we really didn’t have all the “very peaceful” drug/toxins that we have today to kill ourselves and others. That, too, would limit many of the suicide options we have today being a cause in this case.

Coroner for healthcare reform

I was a featured speaker at something called “Health Care Speak-Out” last evening. I was assigned the task of speaking as an expert on the local healthcare safety net, based on my background and experience. (Note: there is overlap in some of the following year counts) I worked 17 years in ER Medicine, 9 years in HIV Primary Care (after help start the program in the Lake County Health Department), 13 years Primary Care (at HealthReach, a free medical clinic that I founded and served as a volunteer physician and Medical Director). In addition, I have served as the Lake County Coroner almost 4 years.

I have seen problems with our healthcare safety net in every one of these positions. As a matter of fact problems in our healthcare safety net that I saw drove me to do something about it (HealthReach and the HIV practice). I discussed the numbers of uninsured and underinsured in the area, what HealthReach and the Health Department have done to serve as the safety net, the inadvisability of use of the ER as part of the safety net, deaths I have seen due to lack of healthcare access, and discussed some individuals that have stuck out in my mind and are examples of what should not happen in the USA and why we need to change our healthcare system as a whole.

Others spoke about the Health Care for America Now initiative, the YWCA and their efforts in healthcare (primarily health screenings), and the difficulties of small businesses affording health care for their employees. It was a very interesting and well done event.

In addition, audience members were allowed to “speak-out”. I wanted to relate at least a bit of what one of the attendees talked about. I was definitely struck by his story. It is all the more reason to fight for change in our currently health (insurance) care system.

He owns a small business (more or less he and his wife run it) and is in his 50’s. His business got real busy for a stretch and they forgot to send in a monthly payment for their health insurance. A single missed payment to an insurance company he and his family had been insured with many years. He received a notice of cancellation, but when he tried to pay the skipped payment and get reinstated he was told he would have to re-apply, as if new customers. He went through that process, not really understanding why it was necessary, but was denied coverage. A short while before this reapplication he had been diagnosed with high cholesterol. Ultimately, he got his wife and children re-insured with the company, but he remains uninsured/uninsurable.

If he gets ill he fears he will bankrupt his family and business. He is afraid for his health, his life (physically and in the broader sense with his wife and family), his family. He spoke of some drastic plans.

This, too, should not happen in the USA.

Health care access is a nonpartisan, social justice issue worth fighting for NOW.

Anti-violence program for youth in Chicago

I was reading about the “In My Shoes” Program today. It is an anti-violence program run by the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago.

The article I was reading (sorry, hard copy no link) quoted a peer educator and program speaker with the program as saying: “When I was younger, I always thought that if I was in a gang, I would either end up dead or I would end up in jail. Nobody told me that there was a third possibility – that I might end up disabled and confined to a wheelchair [his current condition due to gang violence].”

The program does presentations for large groups and hands-on workshops for smaller groups. The workshop allows youth to experience what it is like to live with various disabilities. What it is like to eat or try to get dressed when you are paralyzed. What it is like to get around in a wheelchair and what other attendant problems of violence-induced disability are like.

Sounds like a great educational experience. Such truth/fact based information presented by peers has got to have an impact. They have proven increased awareness after their presentations, but behavior impact is a bit more difficult to demonstrate. It is hard to prove that something didn’t happen. Anecdotally, they do have some of that information.

I applaud their efforts and hope they can spread it around in the future. It would be a great progam to pattern after, locally. Here is a link with some program information.