Growing Up Healthy

A Bilingual and Multicultural Cookbook!

Soraya — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:46:38 +0000

Looking for a new salsa recipe? Ever wish you knew how to make tamales? Want to make simple and delicious pizza crust from scratch while you brush up on your Spanish vocabulary?

Stop by the LINK Center (or e-mail janet@growinguphealthy.org) to pick up your copy of A Bilingual and Multicultural Cookbook. Cookbooks cost $7 and all proceeds will benefit Growing Up Healthy’s Multicultural Cooking Club!

You want to fix the health care crisis? Increase spending on social services

Sara — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:21:21 +0000

The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program tracked the medical expenses of 119 chronically homeless people for several years. In one five-year period, the group accounted for 18,834 emergency room visits estimated to cost $12.7 million.”

Four out of five physicians agreed that unmet social needs led directly to worse health.”

These are just a couple of the pieces of evidence that Elizabeth H. Bradley, professor of public health at Yale University, cited in her recent article published in the New York Times (click here for the full article). The United States spends the most on health care among industrialized countries but ranks much lower among these same countries when measuring health status indicators like life expectancy and infant mortality. What accounts for this discrepancy? Much lower spending on social services relative to health care. Published Dec. 8, 2011, Bradley compares the United States’ spending regime to those of other industrialized countries and asserts that in order to solve our health care crisis and improve the health of all Americans, the United States must reconsider its view of government spending and allocation toward social supports. Read the full article here.

Rice County Public Health will resume Face-to-Face hours at the LINK Center!

Soraya — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:11:41 +0000

Rice County Public Health will hold Face-to-Face hours at the LINK Center every Tuesday from 2:30-5:30pm, beginning next Tuesday, December 13th. Call the LINK Center to make an appointment (507) 664-3500.

November 2011 Talking Points: Culture and Health

Sara — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:05:48 +0000

Did you know that intentionally identifying the things in your life for which you are grateful can actually improve your health? Read more in our latest newsletter about how gratitude and other positive aspects of culture actually benefit your health.

Give to the Max day is November 16th!

janet — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:37:16 +0000

Ever hear the song about the magic penny? The one that says if you give it away you’ll have more, but if you hold it tight you won’t have any? Well, I can’t verify that giving away money will bring more, but by citing someone else’s work I can verify that giving it away will make you happy. Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues (Aknin & Norton) have done research on money and happiness for years. In a study that I read recently, they were able to show that how people choose to spend their money is at least as important as how much money they make. AND (and here’s the kicker), spending money on someone else – a friend, a charity, etc. – promotes happiness more than spending money on oneself.

Here’s the link to the article so you can read it yourself:

“Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness”

How lucky that I came across this article just in time for the Give MN Give to the Max day! That’s right – this is a poorly veiled attempt to encourage you all to make yourselves happy by giving to Growing Up Healthy through the Give to the Max day. Just click and give on Wednesday, November 16^th.

http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Growinguphealthy

Blue Cross features our work

janet — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:57:45 +0000

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN Foundation has featured our work in their latest statewide newsletter. Check out the following link to read the article and then click around to see what other great projects the Foundation is supporting around the state.

Perspectives

Campus Community Partnerships

janet — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:43:27 +0000

Here is a video that pairs with our latest newsletter issue – all about Campus-Community Partnerships.

September 2011 Newsletter is here!

janet — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:08:22 +0000

Click here to view the September 2011 newsletter kicking off the school year and discussing the relationship between education and health. Did you know that an extra 4 years of education can decrease the risk of both heart disease and diabetes? Read the newsletter to learn more interesting stuff!!

May 2011 Talking Points Newsletter!

janet — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:59:32 +0000

Here is the May 2011 Talking Points Newsletter, focusing on Mental Wellbeing! Lots of great videos and information. What do you think of the videos? What does mental wellbeing mean to you? How can we best support mental wellbeing here in Rice County? We want to know your thoughts!

Zoom Out: Environment and health

janet — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:24:28 +0000

March’s Talking Points Newsletter is about Asthma, Air Quality, and Health, thanks to a wonderful group of Carleton students, professors, and the ACE office.

In the Zoom Out: All about Asthma, socio-economic status is presented as an environmental factor which can aggravate or increase the likelihood of developing asthma. This relates to where people may live, how regularly they may visit the doctor, or how much chronic stress exists in their lives.

For this blog conversation, it seems interesting to consider how else financial stability and status might effect one’s health. The Unnatural Causes film series talks a great deal about how poverty negatively impacts one’s health. In thinking of your day-to-day life and the things you need in your life to feel well, how else do you think that poverty impacts health? Where are these issues of poverty addressed in our Rice County community? How could further understanding the relationship between poverty and health impact our healthcare system?

Please comment and discuss!