Category: Awareness

Awareness, Diabetes, Patient Assistance
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National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.  In previous blog posts, we have offered tips for prevention and saving costs.  We have also held special topic webinars on empowering patients to self-manage their diabetes.   In the United States, nearly 30 million people are diagnosed with diabetes, with another 86 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes; that’s nearly one out of every 11 people with diabetes, with 1 out of 4 unaware they have the condition.  Awareness of the disease can not only prevent future cases for those at risk, but also help raise funds to develop new treatments […]

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Awareness, Medicine Safety, Patient Advocate
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Health Literacy and Continuing Your Health Education

Since 1999, October is Health Literacy Month.  This week is also National Health Education Week.  Health literacy is defined as the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Being able to disseminate health information allows people to navigate the healthcare system, keep track of their medical history, competently engage in self-care, and understand probability of health risks.   Health literacy is the main form of defense against misinformation prevalent in our society. Knowledge of the facts is key to combat the influence of […]

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Awareness, Mental Health
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Mental Illness Awareness Week

For 25 years, the first full week of October has been Mental Illness Awareness Week.  One in five, or 20% of the population, live with some kind of mental health condition, with one in 25 living with a serious mental illness that substantially limits one’s life activities.  Those living with mental illness fight stigma while trying to survive under internal duress.  Awareness is important so that resources are made available to those who need them and the stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental illnesses will be reduced.   Everyone has stress and difficult emotions on occasion, and this is completely normal. […]

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Awareness, Cancer, NeedyMeds, Patient Assistance, Pediatrics, Social Media and Healthcare
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Resources for Childhood Cancer

In 2012, President Obama declared September National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  Social media has taken to many users posting pictures of comic book heroes in an effort to spread awareness of childhood cancer throughout the month. For many, September is a time to honor and remember families affected by these rare diseases and raise support to find treatments and cures.  Every year, 15,780 children under 21 years old are diagnosed with cancer in the US. It is estimated that 25% of them will not survive.  NeedyMeds has information on programs that offer various kinds of assistance for children, their families, […]

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Awareness, Healthcare Reform, Patient Assistance
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National Service Dog Month

Service dogs have had a place in American healthcare for almost 100 years. While companion animals were relatively common in European mental institutions during the late 19th century, dogs were not incorporated into American therapy settings until 1919.  Guide dogs for the blind began being trained in the United States in 1929, after World War I left many veterans without their sight. Though the use of service animals expanded after World War II and the Korean War, it wasn’t until the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that people with assistance dogs were guaranteed access to businesses and services available […]

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About Us

Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.