Issue No. 5
March 31, 2010
In This Issue:
Upcoming Common Pathways Leadership Council Meeting
Affordable Health Care for America: Key Questions and Answers You Want to Know
Inside Colonoscopy Screenings: A National and Local Focus
Smoking 2.0
YWCA Leads Healthy Way: Program addresses health care disparities
Teach Your Kids to Call 911, It Could Save Your Lives
Also Teach Them to Call 211 for Non-Emergency and Referral Information
Commissioner Auerbach Back in Worcester
Other Announcements
Upcoming Work Group Meetings:
MassCONECT -
Monday, April 5, 10:00 to 11:30am
Public Health & Medical Services -
Thursday, April 8, 10:30am to 12:00pm
Mental Health & Social Services -
Tuesday, April 9, 9:00 to 10:30am
Transportation -
Monday, February 8, 9:30 to 11:00am
Held at the Central MA Regional Planning Commission in Union Station
2 Washington Square
Worcester, MA 01609
Education -
Wednesday, February 10, 10:00 to 11:30am
Upcoming Governance Group Meeting:
Steering Committee -
Thursday, April 15, 3:00 to 4:30pm
Leadership Council -
Thursday, April 22, 7:45 to 9:30am
Held at the Worcester Youth Center
326 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA 01602
Unless otherwise stated, all Common Pathways Meetings are held at the office of the Central Massachusetts Center for Healthy Communities (CMCHC),
44 Front Street, Suite 280, Worcester, MA 01609
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Upcoming Common Pathways Leadership Council Meeting
Source: Common Pathways
Common Pathways is convening its Leadership Council on April 22nd from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the Worcester Youth Center to discuss several topics, including new technologies in Worcester public transportation as well as the MassCONECT Work Group, their accomplishments over the past five years, and their plans for the future.
We hope to see all Leadership Council members there.
Affordable Health Care for America: Key Questions and Answers You Want to Know
Source: House Committee on Ways & Means
Published: March 26, 2010
The final health insurance reform legislation (the Senate bill as improved by the Reconciliation Bill) that the House passed on March 21st will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and significantly reduce long‐term health care costs. The non‐partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that it will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 94% percent of Americans, while lowering health care costs over the long term. This historic legislation will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years, with $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.
Click here to continue reading the 3-page summary.
Click here to see “What Health Reform Does for You.
Click here to see “Key Provisions That Take Effect Immediately.”
Click here to see “Health Care by the Numbers.”
Click here to see “Health Care Reform Q & A.”
Click here to see “Employers and Health Reform.”
Click here to see “The Cost of Inaction.”
Click here to see a list of more than 325 organizations, representing millions of Americans, who support H.R. 4872.
Click here for more many informative documents like these explaining hot topics like About the Bill and Helping Americans.
Inside Colonoscopy Screenings: A National and Local Focus
Source: CBS News, Early Show , and St. Vincent Hospital
Dr. Mark Pochapin Explains How Doctors Perform This Important Test for Colon Cancer
(CBS) "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith made history Wednesday with an on-air live colonoscopy at the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Pochapin explained colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States in men and women combined, killing nearly 50,000 people each year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Last year, the ACS estimated 146,970 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the U.S.
But how is a colonoscopy really done?
Click here to view Smith’s entire video-recorded colonoscopy experience.
Click here to see the whole story on Smith’s colonoscopy.
Click here to view CBS’s colon cancer screening, prevention facts, and resources.
Worcester’s Saint Vincent Hospital Presents Lowering Your Risk for Colon Cancer through Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment on March 11
Held in the hospital’s atrium, nearly 60 people heard gastroenterologists Dr. Elise Jacques, Dr. Curuchi Anand, and surgical oncologist Dr. Konstantino Avradopoulos present ways to lower one’s risk of colon cancer – from nutrition and lifestyle adjustments to the latest screening tools and genetics testing.
Click here to view the entire press release from St. Vincent Hospital.
Click here for more information about the colon and colon cancer from Saint Vincent Hospital.
Smoking 2.0
Source: Common Pathways and the Worcester Division of Public Health
Breath Mints or Tobacco?
Common Pathways has been working with Worcester’s Division of Public Health on spreading the word to all sectors of our community on new nicotine products targeted towards kids. Many are disguised as candy!
Click here to read more about these new methods of getting our youth hooked.
Click here to see how the Mass. Tobacco Cessation & Prevention program is fighting the tobacco industry.
Click here for a fact sheet about smoking in the Worcester community.
Click here to see www.makesmokinghistory.org from the Mass. Department of Public Health’s Mass. Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program in the Mass. Executive Office of Health & Human Services.
YWCA Leads Healthy Way: Program addresses health care disparities
Source: Hayley C. Stefan special to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Dr. Lucy M. Candib, staff family physician at Family Health Center of Worcester, says “It’s challenging to eat in a healthy way if you’re poor. Cheap foods aren’t really good for you, and cheap food is really what people have access to. You can’t beat 99 cents for a burger with one-and-a-half apples in terms of feeling full,” she said.
In 2008, the YWCA was awarded $69,996 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation to address health care disparities in the Latino community of Worcester. YWCA officials said they directed the project toward Latinos after finding that they had the highest rate of obesity in Worcester. In Common Pathways data from 2008, 63.6 percent of Hispanics were reported to be overweight compared with 63 percent of black non-Hispanics, 55.3 percent of white non-Hispanics and 25.7 percent of the Asian/Pacific Islander population.
La Hora de Cena Saludable/Healthy Dinner Hour is a free program and offers healthy alternatives to cultural favorites. It is part of the YWCA’s Peso Sano Ahora/Healthy Weight Now, also known as the PASA coalition, created from the grant to encourage healthy lifestyles in Worcester’s Latino community.
Click here to read the entire T&G story.
Click here to read La Hora de Cena Saludable’s flyer in English.
Click here to read La Hora de Cena Saludable’s flyer in Spanish.
Click here to read the PASA Coalition’s March Newsletter.
Teach Your Kids to Call 911, It Could Save Your Lives
Also Teach them to Call 211 for Non-Emergency and Referral Information
Source: CBS News and 9-1-1 for Kids
(CBS/AP) A 7-year-old boy who called 911 while armed robbers threatened his parents hugged and delivered a high five to the dispatcher who took his call.
The boy, identified only as Carlos, told reporters he remained calm during the ordeal because his mother used to make him practice dialing 911 in case of emergencies.
"If not for the brave and educated actions of the 7-year-old boy, this might have ended tragically," said sheriff's Capt. Pat Maxwell.
Click here to read the whole story from CBS News.
Click here to listen to the Carlos’s 911 call.
Click here to view more information on 211.
9-1-1 for Kids
The 9-1-1 for Kids® program has reached over five million children since its inception in 1994, and has helped to save thousands of lives and properties through preparing youngsters to know what to do in an emergency. The award-winning student tested and teacher approved 9-1-1 Caller Training classroom kit and educational support collateral is a comprehensive child-friendly presentation which teaches everyone: (1) When it's OK to call 9-1-1; (2) How to dial 9-1-1; and (3) What to say to the 9-1-1 dispatcher.
Click here to see the homepage of 911forkids.com, which includes resources, tools, questions, and answers just for kids, educators and parents, and public safety officials, as well as emergency and disaster information.
Commissioner Auerbach Back in Worcester
The Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health invites you to participate in their Fifth Round of Regional Health Dialogues. The Central Regional Dialogue will be on Friday, May 14th, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the YWCA of Central Mass., One Salem Square, 01608. Click here to see the entire flier, which includes several other locations the Dialogues will take place. Common Pathways hopes to see you there as a part of our public health discussion.
The panel will feature Michael O’Brien, City Manager, and Dennis Irish of St. Vincent Hospital. They will present on new local public health restructuring for the city of Worcester.
Other Announcements
MA Dept. of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Services is hosting a conference - You Can Make a Difference: Preventing & Treating Inhalant Abuse held in Worcester on Wednesday, May 5th. Click here to see more information, including registration.
Please join the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Latino-American Advisory Commission for an important public hearing on the education of Latinos on April 8th, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Worcester State College. Click here to see more information.
The 2010 Food Stamp/SNAP Advocacy Guide provides practical information about how and where to apply, who is eligible, and how to appeal a denial or termination. This Guide has been updated to reflect significant changes in Food Stamp/SNAP policy since January 2009. Click here to download a free copy of the guide and learn how to purchase a hard-copy.
Click here to download CommunityBuild’s Parent and Caregiver’s Support & Resource Guide 2009.
Click here to download “Helping Youth with Substance Abuse Problems: A Free Resource Guide for Parents, Caregivers, & Providers” developed by CommunityBuild.
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visit CommonPathways.org
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Worcester Regional Transit Authority
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City of Worcester website
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