Blogging Black Miami

The Links, Inc. Team Up with Hispanic Coalition to Sponsor Health Fair and Children's Cook-Off Competition Sat. 1/12

 Community Health Fair and Children's “Iron Chef” Cook-Off Competition

The Miami Cluster of the Links, Incorporated joins the Hispanic Coalition in presenting a community health fair and children's cook-off competition on Saturday, January 12, 2013 in Opa-Locka.

The Miami Cluster of The Links, Incorporated, is comprised of three local chapters of Dade County; Greater Miami; and Miami-Biscayne Bay. They have joined with the Hispanic Coalition to provide health screening for adults and engage children in practices for living a healthy lifestyle at a community health fair and cook-off competition targeting students and families in the Opa-Locka area. 

  

The Links received funding via an “Awareness and Advocacy for Our Children” grant to implement a Florida Pilot Project aimed at combating childhood obesity in Opa-Locka. Students from three area schools: Dr. Robert Ingram Elementary; Nathan B. Young Elementary and Rainbow Park Elementary will go head-to-head in a highly anticipated cook-off competition to engage the students in healthy food choices and easy meal preparation for their families.

 

Childhood obesity poses one of the most urgent and critical threats to the health and well-being of minority children and their families. Obesity rates have reached epic proportions among African American children; particularly among African American girls. Overweight and obese children are at a higher risk for a host of serious illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, asthma, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. The Links, Incorporated National Childhood Obesity Initiative through its Commission on Childhood Obesity, continues to be a trail blazer and model for addressing obesity and nutrition education worldwide.  

 

Several additional activities are planned for children and adults including learning to make healthy food choices; line dancing and Zumba fitness dance.

If You go:

Saturday, January 12, 2013

10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Nathan B. Young Elementary School

14120 NW 24^th Avenue

Opa-Locka, FL 33054

 

About The Links, Incorporated

The Links, Incorporated is a premier international volunteer service organization of women with more than 12,000 members in 276 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The Links, Incorporated, celebrates more than 65 years of enriching, sustaining and ensuring the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. The key programming initiatives of The Links, Incorporated are organized into five facets: Services to Youth, The Arts, National Trends and Services, International Trends and Services, and Health and Human Services.

 

About Hispanic Coalition

The Hispanic Coalition is a non-profit association founded on February 4, 1988 in Miami, Florida with the objective of providing South Florida citizens with a broad range of social services related to immigration, employment, legal assistance, and at-risk youth and family intervention programs.  Its social services are available to the entire community, regardless of ethnic background.

 

So So Much Sadness

It appears the remains of missing UF student Christian Aguilar may have been found in an isolated area east of Cedar Key. Aguilar’s friend and Doral Academy classmate Pedro Bravo and admitted to beating Aguilar and leaving him without medical care.

Three construction workers died and one is still missing in the partial collapse of the parking garage at the West Campus of Miami Dade College in Doral. The five-story structure was set to open in December. OSHA and other authorities are investigating. Classes have been moved to other locations.

Coral Reef High School student Christian Valdes died unexpectedly due to meningoccocal meningitis. Parents have been notified and asked to seek medical care for their child if symptoms arise.  Health authorities advise this death is not to be confused with recently reported deaths due to fungal meningitis.

Let’s pray for everyone impacted by these situations. Amen.

 

 

University of Miami, Clear Health Alliance and Magic Johnson Enterprises Partner to Deliver HIV/AIDS Care

Magic Johnson

MIAMI--Ushering in a new, comprehensive approach to treating underserved South Florida patients living with HIV/AIDS, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has announced a partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises and Clear Health Alliance, a Medicaid specialty plan offered by Simply Healthcare Plans, a minority owned and operated managed care plan. Clear Health Alliance (CHA) was created to provide high quality medical services to the growing HIV/AIDS population in South Florida, many of whom do not have access to care. 

Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Magic Johnson Enterprises are collaborating with the University of Miami and Clear Health Alliance to ensure that these medical services reach ethnically diverse urban communities in Miami-Dade County, which ranks first in the nation for new AIDS cases per capita. Neighboring Broward County ranks second. 

Physicians with the Miller School of Medicine have created a team to provide managed care that will focus on offering quality service, reducing transmission rates and maintaining the health of Medicaid patients living with HIV/AIDS.

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School and CEO of the University of Miami Health System, says this alliance is a new model involving academia, managed care and corporations that work in partnerships. “The extraordinary advocacy and support of Magic Johnson to outstanding care for patients with HIV/AIDS will be invaluable to the ability of Clear Health and UM to serve patients afflicted with HIV/AIDS with increased efficiency,” Dean Goldschmidt said. “We are looking forward to continuing our leading academic role against HIV.”

“This alliance with the University of Miami is the next step in CHA’s efforts to expand access to critically important medical and support services for individuals living with HIV and AIDS,” said Miguel “Mike” B. Fernandez, Chairman of the Board of Simply Healthcare Plans. “CHA’s expertise and knowledge of Medicaid and Medicare, and ability to coordinate the social, healthcare and behavioral healthcare needs of HIV and AIDS patients by one entity is critical. This coordination combined with Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson’s insight of urban communities and his advocacy for Hispanics and African Americans will help meet an increasing need for healthcare services in Florida.”

As a comprehensive Medicaid specialty plan, Clear Health will work with multiple community partners and health care providers offering medical care to patients living with HIV/AIDS and eventually expand to other cities in Florida and the nation.

“The goal of our enterprise is to deliver a variety of services to ethnically diverse communities,” Johnson said. “Aligning with Clear Health Alliance and doctors with the University of Miami will bring a comprehensive approach to caring for many Hispanics and African-Americans affected by HIV/AIDS who, up until now, may have not had access to adequate care. We understand these needs and know that this partnership will bring real solutions to the challenges facing these patients.”

There is no better place to initiate such a groundbreaking approach to providing services to HIV/AIDS patients. Besides Miami-Dade’s number one ranking in new AIDS cases, Florida ranks third in the nation in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS. About $29 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on HIV/AIDS, with half of all treatments funded by federal and state governments through Medicaid and Medicare. This new alliance will enable CHA to gather a sizable portion of Florida’s patients with HIV/AIDS within one managed care company with the support of an academic medical center.

The Miller School of Medicine has played a pivotal role in HIV/AIDS treatments, research and prevention. Researchers investigated and pioneered the use of AZT (azidothymidine) for treatment, led studies that showed a combination of antiretroviral drugs improved health and survival, and discovered how to prevent the transmission of HIV from pregnant mothers to their babies. The Miller School also has the only evidence-based prevention program for Hispanics in the nation.

National recognition of the Miller School’s expertise in the field came with the University of Miami’s recent designation as a Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) by the National Institutes of Health, one of only 21 in the nation. The award brings nearly $7 million over five years to enhance and nurture research in HIV/AIDS.

“It is critical to move the needle in the AIDS epidemic,” said Dean Goldschmidt. “With therapies and prevention programs we continue to develop, and the support of organizations such as Clear Health and Magic Johnson Enterprises, we can foresee a time when we will stop the AIDS virus in its tracks.” 

 

Fighting Childhood Obesity, Part 1of 2

With the average weight of the American population climbing every day, childhood obesity has become a dangerous and widespread health concern affecting families across the country. According to the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPTF), 12-18 percent of U.S. children ages 2-19 are obese. What’s more, enough food is supplied in the U.S. to provide every person in the country with a daily caloric intake of 3,800, far beyond what is recommended—let alone healthy—for the average American. So it’s no wonder that obesity rates in children are increasing in significant numbers.

While genetic factors do play some part in 70-80 percent of obesity cases, poor lifestyle choices are among the biggest contributing factors to why people of all ages become overweight.

“Children whose parents are overweight are twice as likely to become obese,” said Dr. William Muiños, who spearheads Miami Children’s obesity program. Dr. Muiños has helped hundreds of children develop healthier lifestyles leading to lasting weight loss results.

Statistics show that not only are Americans eating more today than we were 20 years ago, we’re also replacing a large number of our home cooked meals with fast food, prepackaged meals and dining out. We’ve also been accustomed to eating very large portion sizes. From a very young age, children are being given excessive amounts of candy and unhealthy snacks, soda and sugary fruit drinks.

Meanwhile, in a world saturated with technology, our children are spending countless hours in front of the TV, computer and video game consoles every day, taking away from the time they could be spending playing outside. And with education budget cuts across the nation, schools are also providing kids with less opportunity for daily physical activities.

To be continued...