Dental Assistants Recognition Week

Dental Assistants Recognition Week

On Monday, March 5, 2012, Dr. Margaret Drozdowski Maule, the Dental Director of the Community Health Center, Inc., sent the following email to the dental staff of CHC and site directors: “Today marks the start of Dental Assistant Recognition Week.  The American Dental Association and the American Dental Assistant Association started this effort, and we are adding our voice to the recognition and gratitude.  Our dental assistants make our days and they are absolutely invaluable to us and to our…

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Dr. Robert Wallace, Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Living Well With Chronic Illness

Dr. Robert Wallace, Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Living Well With Chronic Illness

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Wallace, Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee that recently released its report and recommendations “Living Well With Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Action”. The report addresses the burden of chronic illness and suggests changes in public health policy and practice and how the country addresses chronic illness.

Health Promotion

Health Promotion

Last week’s  CHCChat, a weekly, Twitter-based discussion about various topics in community-oriented primary health care, was about Health Promotion.   The World Health Organization defines Health Promotion as “the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health”.    First International Conference on Health Promotion was held in Ottawa back in 1986.  It recognized important prerequisites to health like shelter, food, education, sustainable resources and social justice. It struck me as I read this that Health Promotion isn’t…

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Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder of PatientsLikeMe

Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder of PatientsLikeMe

This week on Conversations on Health Care, Mark and Margaret speak with Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder of PatientsLikeMe, an online medical data-sharing portal for patients experiencing a variety of diseases. He is also founder of the ALS Therapy Development Institute, a nonprofit biotech research organization seeking a cure for Lou Gherig’s Disease. He talks about his goal of transforming medical care through patients sharing in-depth data with the public and the medical community to facilitate better treatments and disease outcomes.

Alone we are Rare, Together we are strong

Alone we are Rare, Together we are strong

Today is February 29, 2012. Other than the fact that we are in the midst of a leap year, celebrating this extra day in February, there is also something very important taking place today across the globe.  Today is the fifth international Rare Disease Day. For such a short month, February has a lot of significant occurrences that receive enormous amounts of attention; Black History Month, American Heart Month, and the ever so popular Valentine’s Day are just a few…

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Congressman Joe Courtney Visits CHC in Enfield

Congressman Joe Courtney Visits CHC in Enfield

Wednesday, Congressman Joe Courtney visited the Community Health Center in Enfield, CT for a frank discussion about health care, after participating in two forums about the successes and continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act at other venues in the district.  He was joined by HHS Regional Director Christie Hager as well as several state legislators. This was not the typical dog and pony show focused on a tour of the facilities, photo ops, and sound bites.  Congressman Courtney and…

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