Archive for category: Guest Posts

By Anne Hayse, RDN, LD, RYT-200
Registered Dietitian – Community Health Info Coordinator I
Johnson County Department of Health and Environment

Do you have high blood pressure (also called hypertension) and need to get into the habit of checking your blood pressure at home? Maybe it makes you nervous or you want to be sure you are doing it correctly.

You may have heard that changes to your diet and physical activity can help lower your blood pressure but need help figuring out where to start.

Suppose any or all of those statements are true. In that case, we’d like to invite you to our FREE Healthy Heart Ambassadors (HHA) program, now offered by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment in collaboration with the Health Partnership Clinic in Olathe.

What is the Health Heart Ambassador (HHA) Program?

The HHA Program is a four-month program to encourage self-monitoring and recording of blood pressure, as well as a heart-healthy diet.

 What benefits do participants receive?

• In-person office hour visits to check in and receive support from an HHA
• Weekly check-ins from their HHA via phone or email
• Monthly nutrition education seminars (open to ALL community members who want to learn more about a heart-healthy lifestyle)
• Education and support on how to properly self-monitor blood pressure
• Your own blood pressure cuff if you need one

 What are the goals of the HHA Program?

• Reduction in blood pressure
• Better blood pressure management
• Increased awareness of triggers that elevate blood pressure
• Enhanced knowledge to develop healthier eating habits

Here’s how the American Heart Association defines high blood pressure or hypertension:

High blood pressure doesn’t always have symptoms, meaning you may have high blood pressure and not even know it. The only way to be sure is to take your blood pressure regularly!

For more information, contact: Estella at 913-477-8348, estella.fondzeka@jocogov.org

Post by Sierra Miller, Kansas City University of Medical Biosciences, DO/MA candidate 2021

Changing the Narrative

Healthcare is one of the most divisive and partisan topics in the current political climate. Most people can tell you a horror story of a long ER wait, an enormous medical bill, or some other way the healthcare system has failed them. But what you don’t commonly hear about are the amazing ways that healthcare can improve the life of a person, family or community.

Collectively we have a tendency to ignore things when they are going as we expect them to and focus on the negative or bothersome things that are interrupting our plans. We don’t usually think about the shoes on our feet, until they are causing a blister. Similarly, we are quick to double down on our own opinions when someone expresses an idea that seems different from our own. These reactions have brought us to a point where nearly everyone is dissatisfied with the current system in place, but we seem unable to have a productive conversation about approaches to improve the healthcare system.

Where We Agree

Today, I want to change that narrative and instead of focusing on where we differ in our approach to healthcare policy, I want to talk about where we are more likely to agree.

• One thing we are all likely to agree on is that we don’t want to wait for seven hours in the waiting room of the local ER and then receive a bill for $2,500.
• We don’t want to have to pay more than a $1,000 a month for prescription medications that are required to keep us alive.
• We want to know that when we need healthcare we have quick and affordable access to it, and we want to know that the care we seek will be safe and effective.
• And we also want to know that if we make any changes to the current system that we will benefit from those changes.

If you are shaking you head in agreement with me so far, don’t lose faith when you read the next sentence, hear me out. I believe that the first step toward improving all of these things is through supporting community health programs.

Community Health

When I use the term “community health” I intend to describe the intersection where both the medical and social needs of a group of people within a specific geographic area are met. The health of a community affects everyone who lives or works within it, including you. The community you live in affects your everyday life in more ways than you may realize.

You may not be the person who participates in the annual neighborhood garage sale or volunteers with the PTA, but chances are you do drive on the roads and go to the local grocery store. The health of your community impacts the safety of the roads you drive on, crime rates, educational opportunities, neighborhood green spaces, transportation options, what businesses are willing to operate in your neighborhood and therefore what resources you have access to.

Most of us can identify a few things in our own neighborhoods that we would wish to improve. My ask today, is that when considering how to improve the community you live in, you consider the importance of the health of the members within your community.

Improving the Team

Analogous to a sports team, a community is only as strong as the weakest players. If we want to improve the team, we can see the biggest gains by investing in the players who have the most room for improvement. Community Health Centers (CHC) like Health Partnership Clinic are designed to improve the health of the communities they serve. They function by partnering community resources and federal funding to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for the medically underinsured population.

They provide more than just access to a primary care physician, they also bring improved access to dental care, behavioral healthcare and many other social health services.

Right now, you might be thinking I have insurance, I can pay my bills, or I don’t need this in my neighborhood. I assure you that improving the access for those who might be one paycheck or medical bill away from not being able to pay their rent will have trickle down effects to services you do use.

The Community Health Center Model

The Community Health Center (CHC) model was brought to the United States in the 1950s by Dr. Geiger. From its inception, the CHC model has proven to have compounding health effects throughout all areas of the communities that they serve. They allow patients continuity of care and improved management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90 percent of the $3.3 trillion spent on annual healthcare expenses goes toward managing chronic and mental health conditions.

Helping patients manage these diseases in a primary care setting reduces disease progression and complications rates. Appropriate management of these conditions in an outpatient setting also helps to relieve hospitals from having to function as a primary care physicians office and reduces some of the dramatic economic burden associated with managing chronic diseases in an acute setting. This means reduced costs, reduced waiting time, reduced physician burnout, reduced morbidity and mortality.

This also means that when you have healthy members in your community, you have more people who can contribute to the economy. You see healthier children who are more prepared for their education and to become future contributing members of society. When there is stronger economic strength you also see lower crime rates, more development and improved quality of life.

Solutions to our Biggest Problems

I truly believe that improving community health is vital to changing the narrative we are hearing and experiencing in today’s healthcare system. That is why as a third-year medical student I have chosen to work in community health centers and plan to become a primary care physician. I want to be able to serve my community and be part of the solution. I believe that focusing on our shared interests is the only way forward if we want to change the current healthcare climate and improve the communities that we live in.

When we do this, I believe the solutions to many of our biggest problems will also start to fall into place.

Sierra Miller is a third-year Osteopathic Medical Student at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in the Community Health Center Track and is a dual degree student completing her Masters in Bioethics. Sierra has completed two months of rotations as a student in the areas of Family Medicine and Community Health Center Administration at Health Partnership Clinic in Olathe.

Guest Post by Jamie VanCompernolle, LMSW, Assistant Director Healthy Families, Kansas Children’s Service League

We all want to live in neighborhoods and communities where families are safe and children thrive. But as individuals, sometimes we aren’t sure where to start to make that desire a reality.

The Center for the Study of Social Policy, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have spent decades researching the causes of child abuse and neglect and the most effective methods of preventing it. Their research has identified Five Protective Factors that reduce or eliminate risk and promote healthy development and well-being of children and families.

Protective factors can serve as buffers helping parents find resources, supports or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively even under stress. The following list[i] outlines each of the Five Protective Factors and simple actions each of us can do to help promote these in our own families and communities.

1. Parental Resilience

Parents who can cope with the stresses of everyday life, as well as an occasional crisis, have resilience – the flexibility and inner strength to bounce back when things are not going well. This ability serves as a model of coping behavior for their children as well as helping them to develop resilience at a young age.

You can support Parental Resilience by:

• • Helping parents find ways to make time for themselves and practice self-care;
  • Teaching concrete strategies for relaxation such as deep breathing; and
  • Working with parents to anticipate difficulties and problem solve.

2. Social Connections

Parents with a network of emotionally supportive friends, family and neighbors often find that it is easier to care for their children and themselves. Research has shown that parents who are isolated and have few social connections are at higher risk for child abuse and neglect.

You can encourage Social Connections by:

• • Planning events where parents can meet other families and build new connections;
  • Creating opportunities for parents to be a part of planning social events that reflect their interests or culture; and
  • Hosting special outreach activities for fathers, grandparents and other extended family members.

3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

Parents who understand the usual course for child development are more likely to be able to provide their children with respectful communication, consistent rules and expectations, developmentally appropriate limits and opportunities that promote independence. They are less likely to become frustrated and resort to harsh discipline out of lack of knowledge.

You can promote Parenting Knowledge by:

• Encouraging parents to see the world from their child’s point of view;
• Talking to parents about what children typically do at different ages; and
• Encouraging parents to participate in support groups or parenting classes to learn more.

4. Concrete Support in Times of Need

Families whose basic needs (food, clothing, housing and transportation) are met have more time and energy to devote to their children’s safety and well-being. When parents do not have steady financial resources, stable housing, lack health insurance or face a family crisis, their ability to support their children’s healthy development may be at risk.

You can provide Concrete Support by:

• • Helping parents learn how to navigate service systems, ask for help and advocate for themselves to receive needed support;
  • Distributing local resource guides with information on community resources for things such as food banks, mental health centers, homeless services, etc.; and
  • Encouraging parents to call the Parent Helpline (1-800-CHILDREN) or download the Parent Helpline app to find resources to meet specific needs.

5. Social-Emotional Competence of Children

Parents and caregivers grow more responsive to children’s needs – and less likely to feel stressed or frustrated – as children learn to tell parents what they need and how parental actions makes them feel rather than “acting out” difficult feelings.

You can urge Social-Emotional Competence by:

• • Engaging parents and children in a game or art activity that helps children learn to express themselves in ways other than words;
  • Creating a lending library of picture books about coping with different emotions for parents to read with their children; and
  • Teaching parents which social and emotional skills children develop at different ages.

I hope this list will spur ideas that can be implemented by individuals, neighborhoods, schools, churches and communities. Supporting families and ensuring parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need are effective ways to protect children from the risk of child abuse and neglect. We all can play a role in building healthier communities and creating hope for families!

[i] This information is based on the annual prevention resource guide published by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect.

About Kansas Children’s Service League

Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) is a statewide not-for-profit agency with 125 years of experience keeping kids safe and strengthening families in Kansas. KCSL serves more than 40,000 children and their families each year through a variety of community-based and child abuse prevention programs. KCSL’s mission is to protect and promote the well-being of children. Our services and advocacy efforts focus on preventing child abuse, strengthening families and empowering parents and youth. KCSL is also the Kansas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and Circle of Parents and a Kansas multi-site system of Healthy Families America. KCSL sponsors Healthy Families, a home visitation program that provides supports to struggling families of young children, in 23 Kansas counties including Johnson, Miami, Wyandotte and Leavenworth Counties. Learn more at kcsl.org/HealthyFamilies.aspx.

Guest post by Jon Stoppel, Optometrist

Before your child starts school, you try to make sure all the building blocks are in place: they know their ABCs, 123s, colors, shapes, etc. You buy the backpack and the lunchbox and the perfect first day of school outfit. But did you make an appointment to see your optometrist? If not, you could be missing a crucial step in ensuring your child’s success.

“Eighty percent of learning happens through sight,” says Jon Stoppel, an optometrist with Overland Park and Gardner, Kan.-based Drs. Hawks, Besler, Rogers and Stoppel. “If a child is having difficulties seeing, then comprehension is secondary. Clearing up their eyesight needs to be a top priority.”

If a child can’t physically see information clearly, learning can cease to happen, Stoppel says.

Common vision problems found in children that can impede learning include:

• Hyperopia (far sightedness)
• Myopia (near sightedness)
• Astigmatism
• Asymmetry in sightedness between eyes, which can cause amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Muscle coordination issues such as esotropia (crossed eyes or eye) or exotropia (turned out eyes or eye)
• Accommodative issues such as lack of focusing or delayed focus while reading or transitioning from near to far vision

“Studies show that 20 percent of children entering kindergarten in the U.S. have vision problems,” Stoppel notes. “And that number jumps to 30 to 40 percent by high school.”

In fact, he added, 60 percent of adults in literacy programs have vision problems.

Academics aren’t the only concern with undiagnosed and untreated vision problems either. Many children who can’t see well enough to learn at the same rate as their peers begin to exhibit behavioral issues as well.

“Not to be alarmist,” Stoppel says,” but 70 percent of juvenile delinquents have vision issues.”

Literacy Rates and Prison Populations

He went on to detail how certain states use literacy rates to predict future prison populations. For example, in Indiana officials factor in 2^nd grade reading rates; analyses in Ohio, Texas and Florida take into account reading rates in 3^rd grade; and California uses 4^th and 9^th grade literacy statistics to predict rates of incarceration.

However, educational success and the overall health of a child are Stoppel’s top concern.

“We also make sure the eye is healthy and working properly for the age of the child,” he says. “We run tests to rule out congenital cataracts, glaucoma and retina issues that aren’t commonly seen but can happen at all ages and can greatly affect future sight.”

If your child will be starting school next August, there’s no better time to schedule an eye appointment than the present. And if you’re child’s already started school but hasn’t visited an optometrist, it’s never too late. It’s a quick, painless visit, and it brings with it the knowledge that your child can see well enough to learn well.