Breakfast of a Champion

Post written by CHC Member Amber Adams

Suzanne serves at Heartland Health Centers as a Health Educator

 

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.” 
― A.A. Milne

You may have heard it said before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast gives us energy for our daily activities and sets the momentum for us to perform at our very best.  Starting your day with a balanced breakfast not only gives your body the fuel it needs, but is also an important part of incorporating a healthier diet.

As a Chicago Health Corps member, I meet with patients for individualized nutrition counseling at Heartland Health Center. I stress the importance of making time for breakfast. Skipping breakfast is essentially like fasting for up to 15 hours- during this period of semi-starvation, your body actually accumulates fat, trying to conserve as much energy as possible and slowing down your metabolism.  Studies show that people who skip breakfast often weigh more, and are more likely to nibble on high-calorie snacks to ward off hunger and overeat during later meals.  Even if it requires setting that alarm and crawling out the bed 15 minutes earlier, eating a good breakfast is proven for good health.

 So, you might be asking, “What is a Breakfast of a Champion?” Well, partly, it should include what you like, have time for, and will give your body that good ol’ energy it needs. I recommend following MyPlate guidelines, which suggest trying to incorporate at least 3 of the 5 food groups in at breakfast time. Try a serving of protein, fruit and a high-fiber food like toasted whole grain bread, high-fiber (not sugary) breakfast cereal, or oatmeal.  For more information, visit MyPlate SuperTracker today for free recipes, help with planning, analyzing, and tracking your breakfast, and much more.

Remember, breakfast doesn’t have to be elaborate, but something for breakfast is always better than   

nothing. Whether at the table, on the train, or in the office, start your day with breakfast, it’s the champion thing to do.

The Question Box

Post written by CHC Member Suzanne Williams

Suzanne serves at Erie Family Health as a Health Educator

“If you have sex twice in one day, does that mean you’ll get pregnant and have two babies later?”  

This  is one example of the many questions that I receive when teaching Teen Pregnancy Prevention courses (TPP) in Chicago Public Schools.  TPP is a series of four classes that are taught to elementary, middle, and high school students all over Chicago by AmeriCorps members serving with Erie Family Health Center. This course utilizes lessons from the evidence-based Family Life and Sexual Health (FLASH) curricula and focuses on teaching students about healthy relationships, anatomy and reproduction, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections. Erie health educators have taught TPP courses to over 800 students all around Chicago!

My favorite part of teaching TPP is the QUESTION BOX! At the beginning of each session, we hand out small slips of paper and explain to the students that they can write an anonymous question or comment about ANYTHING to be answered at the beginning of the next class. We collect the slips of paper from all students, so that no one can figure out who asked what question. I love using the question box because it gives students an open forum to address their questions and concerns without fear of being judged by their classmates or going through the awkwardness of asking a parent or teacher. It is a safe way for students to ask whatever is on their mind. The question box is also a great way for health educators to assess their understanding and to determine difficult concepts that should be re-taught to the class. The question box is a great tool to use in all sex-ed classroom sessions!

AmeriCorps – The Second Time Around

 

Post written by CHC member Maggie Sugrue

Maggie serves at the ErRespiratory Health Association as a Lung Educator

 

In honor of National AmeriCorps week, I spent some time reflecting on what service has meant to me. Chicago Health Corps is not my first experience with service- last year I served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest in Juneau, Alaska. Both of these experiences were transformative for me in many different ways.

Maggie with her 6 housemates in Juneau, Alaska. (April, 2012)

Last year, I was able to impact a community much different than one I had ever experienced before. I learned a lot not only professionally, but personally as well. Living in Alaska thousands of miles from home, adapting to a new culture, and living in a house with other volunteers made me much stronger in my convictions and cultivated my sense of self. JVC NW is based on living out four core values. Two of these values, community and simple living, I found both the most challenging and most rewarding.  When living in an intentional community with 6 other volunteers, each person’s opinion is taken into account for every decision made, ranging from something as small as which type of milk to buy to as large as where to live. This shared living experience combined with the lack of modern conveniences, such as TV and internet, provided me with many opportunities for growth. I learned the art of compromise, when to stick up for my beliefs, when to step up and take a leadership role, and what truly matters in life.



Joining Chicago Health Corps brought me back home, where I am able to apply what I learned during my service in Alaska, and continue to build on it here in my own community. Serving in the city I grew up in is an honor, and making a difference in a place I call home is something I have always wanted to do. I serve as a Lung Health Educator at Respiratory Health Association, a non-profit that promotes healthy lungs and fights lung disease through research, advocacy and education. This experience, has given me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills, build connections, and most importantly, learn more from those I serve than they may even learn from me. Service has been a once, ok twice, in a lifetime opportunity that will shape the path my life will take. It has solidified my passion for both public health and public service, and I cannot imagine where I would be without it.



Respiratory Health Associations COPD Team at the

 2012 Living Better Together COPD Conference

(Photo Courtesy of Sooz Main)

AmeriCorps Week Has Arrived!

AmeriCorps Week is a time to salute AmeriCorps members and alums for their service, thank AmeriCorps community partners, and communicate AmeriCorps impact on communities and on the lives of those who serve.  Our members are proud to serve everday.

To show your support for the Chicago Health program and other AmeriCorps programs, like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel.  Check out ways you can get involved with AmeriCorps and start your service adventure TODAY.

 AmeriCorps members, putting words into action everyday..

The Value of Health Education

 

 

Post written by CHC member Melissa Rothman

Melissa serves at the Erie Family Health Center as a Health Educator

 

On February 22^nd, CHC members attended the Minority Health in the Midwest Conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Many presenters brought up the issue of the value of health education, a topic which has been increasingly discussed in the Public Health world.  I am personally very invested in health education, spending most of my service creating curriculums and teaching health classes with a particular emphasis on nutrition and healthy living.  Since 1992, the US Government has recommended different models for healthy eating, ranging from the Food pyramid to the MyPlate model, which is the current recommendation.   Despite these nutritional tools, many argue that health education has not done enough to reverse the negative health outcomes experienced by US residents.  Specifically, the obesity rate has continued to rise despite persistent health education efforts.  How long can we rely mainly on education without seeing significant health improvements?

A handful of CHC & HCC members at the conference deep in discussion, as usual. :)

If health education really is a “Band-Aid” solution, as one presenter suggested, is it better to abandon those efforts and focus on policy?  Would tackling the huge corporations that promote the consumption of high calorie foods with low nutritional value be a more effective use of time and resources?  While policy is important, I do believe that people are capable of making the changes that can transform their health and lives.  CHC has given me the chance to see the impact of education firsthand.  Although not all of my nutrition students have lost dramatic amounts of weight, a few have.  Furthermore, all of them reported feeling that they are better able and more ready to take charge of their own health, and hopefully, will continue to make healthy changes.  In my opinion, providing patients with the confidence and the tools to change their health is the value of health education.  I believe that we must continue these education efforts and combine them with policy changes in order to solve the obesity epidemic and other health issues worldwide.  

County Care

 

 

Post written by CHC member Daniel Broome

Daniel serves at the American Cancer Society at Stroger Hospital as a Patient Navigator

Having applied and received a federal waiver, Cook County has been able to start “County Care,” a niche Program that is part of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion a year in advance.

County Care is a Medicaid program available specifically for Cook County residents who do not receive Medicare or do not qualify for Illinois’ Medicaid program, like many of the clients Chicago Health Corps members serve. County Care is run jointly by the State of Illinois and the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS).

Medicaid eligibility has become complex, mostly covering populations such as children, pregnant women, the disabled, certain non-disabled adults (such as parents and caretakers), and qualifying seniors. Moreover, Medicaid programs differ state to state. County Care, however, exists as a net to catch the specific needs of Cook County Residents who are not eligible for these programs.

So who is eligible?

·         Ages 19-64

·         Residents of Cook County

·         Citizens and 5+ Year Legal Immigrants

·         Must have a Social Security Number or have applied for one.

·         Residents who earn at or below an annual income of $15,282 if Single and $20,628 for Couples

·         Not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare

County Care will cover most health care services including:

·         Inpatient services ·         ER visits ·         Ambulatory services ·         Lab and X-Ray services ·         Prescriptions

·         Family planning services ·         Dental Services (ages 19-21) ·         Mental health assistance ·         Medical supplies ·         Hospice and palliative care.

For a complete list of services offered, visit CountyCare.com

To apply by phone call 312-864-8200 or toll free number 1-855-444-1661. Apply in person at Stroger Hospital, Provident Hospital, Oak Forest Health Center, or Erie Family Health Centers.

For more information regarding health benefits for Illinois residents, check out Illinois Health Matters.

For a quick tutorial on the Affordable Care Act and how it will impact you, check out this Video!

CHC has a YouTube Channel!

We now have a YouTube Channel!  You're excited?  I know, we are too.  

Click HERE to watch video bios of ALL of our members! 

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Just for a taste here is our lovely Abbey Baus talking about her service... Check it out!

For direct links to individual bios go to Our Current Members page.

AmeriCorps* Love