by Andrea Baer, MS, Director of Patient Advocacy and Program Management at Mended Hearts “I have been where you are, I know how you feel” – That’s a powerful statement. The sense of connectiveness and bonding that can happen is soothing, and often a key to successful recovery. Individuals who are going through a medical crisis or learning to change their lifestyle can find success in these connections. When my son was born in 2009 with a congenital heart defect, I was scared, alone and feared our future. I was given lots of medical information from healthcare professionals, but […]
Open Enrollment by the Numbers
Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA; aka Obamacare) coverage ended across the United States in mid-December, but the last few states ended their open enrollment period at the end of January. We wrote in November about the state of Open Enrollment, and discussed the impacts of confusion surrounding the healthcare law earlier this year. Now that the open enrollment period has ended, we’re able to look at the numbers of people who took advantage and those still left underserved. Even with enrollment period cut in half and other changes enacted by the Trump administration, nearly 11.8 million people signed […]
American Heart Month
February marks American Heart Month in the US. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women, affecting Americans of all backgrounds. In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds and someone dies from heart-disease related causes every minute. During American Heart Month, everyone is encouraged to examine their heart health and take charge with heart-healthy behavior. There are a number of risk factors for heart disease. High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking are major risk factors for one’s heart health. Almost half of Americans (47%) are affected by at least […]
Tips for Managing your Weight
Last week was National Healthy Weight Week in the United States. So close to the New Year, many are still chasing resolutions they made – often to lose weight. An estimated 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by the first week of February, so we are offering some tips from our partners at Health Storylines. Top 4 Tips to Manage your Weight By: Zana Toulany, R.Ph, Director, Patient Experience Health Storylines It’s the new year, and for many of us, that means new goals. The most common New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight! See below for […]
Thyroid Awareness Month
January is Thyroid Awareness Month. The thyroid is a small hormone-secreting organ in the neck that helps regulate the body’s metabolic needs. When the thyroid isn’t producing enough hormone the body slows all of its functions, a condition known as hypothyroidism. Alternatively, an overactive thyroid could produce too much hormone sending the body’s systems into overdrive causing a condition called hyperthyroidism. Your thyroid’s function is incredibly important to many of the body’s systems, including heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. If something is wrong with the thyroid there are a wide variety of symptoms that may occur. Hypothyroidism often […]