Press Releases 2013

May is Older Americans Month, a perfect opportunity to show our appreciation for the older adults in our communities. Since 1963, communities across the nation have come together to celebrate Older Americans Month—a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to recognizing the contributions and achievements of older Americans.

Learn more about how you can help Unleash the Power of Age:  http://www.olderamericansmonth.acl.gov/ 

Paper in JAMA Shows Marked Decrease in Rhode Island Hospital Readmissions, Associated with Efforts of Healthcentric Advisors

Work by Healthcentric Advisors Reduced Readmission Rates in Rhode Island by 6.66 Percent, One of Just 14 Communities Participating Nationwide

Providence, RI (January 22, 2013) Hospitalizations and readmissions among Medicare patients declined nearly twice as much in communities where Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) coordinated interventions that engaged whole communities to improve care than in comparison communities, according to a study in the January 23rd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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May is High Blood Pressure Awareness month.  High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.

"Blood pressure" is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.

Overview

About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has HBP. The condition itself usually has no signs or symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body.

Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you're feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your body's organs.

 Available resources

Learn more:  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp/ 

RI Firm Awarded Research Grant Aimed at Making Health Care Choice Easier for Consumer

Healthcentric Advisors selected to evaluate the impact of public reporting of home health care outcomes

Providence, RI (January 3, 2013) Healthcentric Advisors has been awarded a three-year $835,000 research and evaluation grant from the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). AHRQ is the lead federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of the nation’s health care primarily through the funding of health services research that will improve healthcare quality and promote evidence-based decision-making.

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For more than 60 years, Mental Health America and our affiliates across the country have led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media, local events and screenings. This year's theme is Pathways to Wellness.

Key Messages

  1. Wellness - it's essential to living a full and productive life. It's about keeping healthy as well as getting healthy.
  2. Wellness involves a set of skills and strategies that prevent the onset or shorten the duration of illness and promote recovery and well-being. Wellness is more than just the absence of disease.
  3. Wellness is more than an absence of disease. It involves complete general, mental and social well-being. And mental health is an essential component of overall health and well-being. The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health.
  4. Whatever our situation, we are all at risk of stress given the demands of daily life and the challenges it brings-at home, at work and in life. Steps that build and maintain well-being and help us all achieve wellness involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and community.
  5. These steps should be complemented by taking stock of one's well-being through regular mental health checkups and screenings. Just as we check our blood pressure and get cancer screenings, it's a good idea to take periodic reading of our emotional well-being.
  6. Fully embracing the concept of wellness not only improves health in the mind, body and spirit, but also maximizes one's potential to lead a full and productive life. Using strategies that promote resiliency and strengthen mental health and prevent mental health and substance use conditions lead to improved general health and a healthier society: greater academic achievement by our children, a more productive economy, and families that stay together.

Learn more:  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may