Happy Holidays!

Over the course of December, many holidays will be celebrated. In addition to many celebrations of fun national days like National Cookie Day, Brownie Day and Cupcake Day we also celebrate traditions that have been happening for generations. 

This year, Hannukah began on December 4th and ended on December 10th. Hannukah is an 8-day celebration in which a candle is added the menorah after sundown. The ninth candle, the shamash, is used to light the others. Learn more about Hannukah here!

Lots of people like to celebrate Winter Solstice, which is the changing of the seasons and happens on December 21st. It is also the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. The solstice is important as is only happens twice a year including June. In many cultures, the solstice holds important meanings. 

Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd. This celebration was made popular by an episode of Seinfeld in the 90s but has been celebrated for many many years prior. This is a holiday that is considered an alternative to others to help those escape the pressures of the over commercialized holiday season. One activity that takes place is the "airing of grievances." 

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. It is an ancient holiday that tons of people partake in, in many different ways. People like to spend time with family and friends as well as exchanging gifts.

December 26th is the start of Kwanzaa. This holiday is celebrated by millions of people worldwide. Kwanzaa honors it's seven principles which are Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani. 

Lastly is New Year's Eve on December 31st! This day is meant for reminiscing on the past years' events and bringing in the new year! Break out the pots and pans and let's make some resolutions for 2019!

S.A.D.

Seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as SAD is a type of depression that is related to the changes in the seasons. Most people with SAD tend to develop symptoms in the fall and they continue onward until the end of winter. This can be due to multiple factors including a lack of sunlight, colder temperatures and reduced activity due to the aforementioned. 

Symptoms of people that have SAD may start out mild but then gradually increase. These can include:

• loss of interest in activities
• having low energy
• having trouble sleeping
• inability to concentrate
• appetite changes
• anxiety

Is it important to know when you or someone around you is being affected by SAD and to take the necessary steps to get help. Self-care is highly important, particularly around this time of the year. SAD can be treated in several ways. 

• For information on treatment and diagnosis, visit here!
• Signs and Symptoms of SAD
• Ways to get more light and activity in during the winter.

Produce Connect at PrimaryOne Health®

As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” PrimaryOne Health (P1H), in partnership with Mid-Ohio Foodbank, did just that in a produce prescription initiative called Produce Connect. Produce Connect allows PrimaryOne Health to screen patients for diabetes, weight loss, and other health factors as well as food insecurity. In order to address food access as a social determinant of health, patients are connected to healthy food options through Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Partner Agency pantries. These pantries are considered “Choice Pantries” as patients are able to choose culturally appropriate foods in quantities that fit their households. Patients were tracked through the Foodbank’s proprietary software, PantryTrak, to record the number of visits and demographic information on the household per Feeding America and state regulated standards. Identified patients were given a key card, very similar to a Kroger Plus or Giant Eagle Rewards card that, on one side scanned their information into the PantryTrak system, but on the reverse, allow them discounts via P1H’s 340B program, as these patients often overlap.

First initiated in 2011, with food boxes being picked up onsite, this program began to grow with grant funds from Bristol-Myers Squibb. Starting at one health center site and partnering with three pantries in 2015, has now grown to be offered at all ten of P1H’s health centers with a list of 12 pantry locations. With approximately 40% of P1H patients screening as food insecure, nearly 10,000 unique patients have come through the program with a fill rate of 41%. Diabetic patients tended to visit either less than twice in one year or went to the pantry on average of 13+ times a year. These patients saw a more than 1% decrease in their A1c numbers. Weight loss patients saw decreases in weight coinciding with increased pantry visits, 0-2 visits saw .2 pounds lost, 3-12 visits saw 5.8 pounds lost, and 12 or more visits saw 11 pounds lost.

This work clearly shows that when our patients know better, AND have access to services, they do better. In thinking of patients as an iceberg, what is treated is what is seen above the water, but what lies beneath, are the conditions in the environments in which they are born, live, work, play, and worship that affect their health, functioning, quality of life and risks, which account for over 80% of overall health outcomes. PrimaryOne Health in partnership with Mid-Ohio Foodbank is doing a small part to help patients get the services that they need to lead holistically healthy lives.

Post submitted by:
Yolanda Owens | Associate Director of Marketing & Development
PrimaryOne Health

It's Thanksgiving time!

Thanksgiving is a great time to gather with friends and family to reflect on the year and what everyone is thankful for. It is also a great time to try out new recipes and to spend some quality time with those you really enjoy. 

On Thanksgiving day, many Americans will consume nearly 4,500 calories on dinner! This is more than double the daily recommended amount of 1,600 to 2,000 for most people. It can be hard to not want to try at least a little bit of everything, so a few suggestions would be:

• smaller portions
• don't skip breakfast or lunch
• eat slowly
• stay active
• pick lighter options

Staying active on Thanksgiving can be a struggle. Turkey contains tryptophan which automatically makes us all very sleepy. Before loading up on turkey try unloading on an activity. Lots of organizations hold food drives or serve food on Thanksgiving Day. Not only that, but there are activities for people who want to get their heart rate up too! If you just want to stay in the whole day, nothing wrong with that! Try out a game of flag football or Frisbee to burn off those extra calories!

Whatever you do to celebrate the holiday, have fun!

Healthy recipes
Fun things to do on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Facts

Welcome Greenway Health, OACHC’s new Corporate Partner

Special pricing on EHR solutions for OACHC members 

Supporting OACHC members with solutions to help your communities thrive

Please join us in welcoming Greenway Health as a new Corporate Partner of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC).

The shift to value-based care is challenging for many CHCs operating on small budgets and dealing with extensive reporting requirements from funding sources. That’s why Greenway Health, a leading health information technology and services provider, is dedicated to helping CHC organizations like yours provide quality, affordable care in underserved communities — and doing so while thriving in today’s value-based care environment.

Greenway demonstrates its commitment to the CHC market across the country by providing community health centers with the solutions and services they need to help communities be healthy.

• They are proud to partner with more than 100 practices throughout Ohio.
• They provide clinical resources customized for community healthcare.
• Their administrative tools coordinate care, calculate fees, and capture required reporting data.
• They offer revenue cycle management (RCM) services to help you manage billing complexities.

Since 43 of Ohio’s CHCs were recently awarded a total of $13 million from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to combat the opioid crisis, they’d like to share a video. It tells the story of a practice at the heart of the epidemic that partnered with Greenway to help them focus more on serving their patients and helping them relieve the opioid crisis in their community.

If you have questions about how Greenway can help your CHC organization manage the move to value-based care, Troy Walls and Greg Murchison — Greenway’s public health support team on the ground in the Buckeye State — are here to help.

Troy Walls 

Sales executive
Troy.Walls@greenwayhealth.com
330-607-6417 mobile

Greg Murchison
Public health sales executive
Greg.Murchison@greenwayhealth.com
205-908-6371 mobile

They look forward to continuing to work with you to provide the care your communities deserve.

As a Corporate Partner of OACHC, Greenway offers special pricing on integrated EHR and practice management solutions to members.

Diabetes Information

Diabetes is a disease the body encounters problems with when producing the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas is able to release insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas produces little to no insulin, or when the body does not respond to insulin.

This disease can affect people from all walks of life. Over 30 million people in the US live with diabetes however 1 in 4 of them do not know that they have it. More than 84 million adults in the US have pre-diabetes too! People who are most at risk for getting diabetes are those who are:

• overweight
• 45 years old or older
  
• have a family member with type 2 diabetes
• someone who is not active at least 3 times a week

Diabetes is not a life sentence! It is both manageable and preventative. By making simple changes in your diet, increasing your exercise regime, drinking more water, and quitting smoking you can lessen the likelihood of getting diabetes. If you already have Type 2 diabetes, you can manage it by taking similar actions as you would to prevent diabetes. Keeping a healthy diet and being active will keep your blood sugar under control. Be sure to do lots of self checks too to make sure your blood sugar is staying at a normal level both before and after meals. 

For more information on how to manage Type 2 Diabetes, visit:

National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases

For general information on Diabetes, check out: 

www.cdc.gov/diabetes

To learn about Diabetes Awareness Month (happening now!), go to:

www.diabetes.org

Great American Smokeout - Stop Smoking for good

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States

The Great American Smokeout happens every year on November 17th and is promoted by the American Cancer Society. Did you know that smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths every year, which is about 1 in 5 deaths. Not only that, but more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease. Many Americans that still smoke come from all walks of life but it is more prevalent in specific groups of people due to different circumstances. It is important that we all come together and support those who want to quit smoking for good. Long term affects from smoking are:

• constant coughing (smokers cough) 
• heart disease
• high cholesterol
• yellow fingers & fingernails
• loss of appetite
• wrinkly skin
• anxiety & irritability
• higher risk of lung cancer

Smoking causes more deaths each year than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, and firearm-related incidents combined. This statistic is alarming considering the amount of people in the US who still smoke has significantly gone down over the past few decades. 

If you are ready to quit, there are lots of resources online to assist you! There is even an app you can download too to help you and several phone numbers you can call if you want to talk to someone straight away. For more information on the Great American Smokeout, smoking statistics and information/help on how to quit go to:
Great American Smokeout Information
Tips from Former Smokers
Tobacco Usage Statistics
Smokefree.gov