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

Don't FALL for it

As the weather has changed so has the season and that means the best season of all is here, FALL!! Chunky boots, hats and scarfs, apple cider and PUMPKIN SPICE AND EVERYTHING NICE! With all these amazing things to make the chilly weather just a little bit more tolerable, its important to still stay safe especially with outdoor activities! 

Many sports start back up in the fall, such as soccer, football and basketball. With sports come can come injuries or even asthma attacks. Its important to know the signs of an asthma attack and how to handle injuries. If someone has a known case of asthma, know where their inhaler is and stay calm. If they do not have an inhaler and it seems to be a severe asthmatic attack, call 911. You should always know the signs and symptoms of an attack and have a plan of action just in case an incident occurs. 

Bumps and bruises are also part of the game too. If someone falls awkwardly and has a sprain or a break, you should be careful to secure the limb and then get the person to a doctor as soon as possible. Most minor scratches and bruises can be treated with first aid kits. It it appears to be a break or sprain, have a medical professional take a look.

Lastly, knowing the signs of a concussion is also good information to have! Warning signs that a person might need medical attention are:

• Headache that gets worse and does not go away.
• Weakness, numbness or decreased coordination.
• Repeated vomiting or nausea.
• Slurred speech.

For more information on how to prevent sports related injuries, visit:

• www.kidshealth.org
• www.aap.org (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• www.aafa.org (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America)

Trick or Treat Safety!

Leaves are falling, the weather is getting chillier and your neighbors will be passing out all sorts of yummy treats soon! 

Did you know that Americans spend nearly $4 billion each year on Halloween candy!?! This alarming amount of money is often times spent on things that are not the healthiest options for children and can possibly leave you with a trip to the dentist instead. If you are looking to still satisfy your little ghouls but still leave them with treats, some healthier options instead of candy include:

• Raisins
• Pretzels
• Juice boxes
• Mini water bottles 
• Plain cookies (graham crackers, Teddy Grahams, vanilla wafers, etc.)
• Baked chips, baked tortilla chips
• Popcorn
• Lowfat granola or cereal bars
• Sugar-free gum

Candy isn't your only threat this Halloween. Choosing the best costume can also leave you with some scary feelings too! When picking out costumes, make sure that they are fire resistant. Also, you want to be sure that your child is able to

see through any masks or hoods they might be wearing. If your child is trick-or-treating out in the dark, double check that they have glow sticks or reflective tape so that oncoming traffic and others can see them. Any make-up you apply shouldn't cause an allergic reaction and it should be non-toxic. 

Lastly, if you are not passing out treats nor are you looking for them with a child, still be on the look-out for those that are. Be sure to keep an eye out for people walking in and around road-ways and be alert of those who may be dressed up since it is Halloween. Stay safe!

Halloween Safety Tips

Healthy Halloween Treats

Fun Halloween Facts

Fall Operations Conference Recap!

This year, our Fall Operations Conference was our largest! With nearly 300 attendees, 40 exhibit booths and sponsors and tons of breakout sessions with informative speakers, our event was a huge success!

We added a few new things this year, including new scan-able badges!

There was fun to be had at our reception.

Networking time!

Awards!

And best of all, the the informational sessions!

You can't spell successful without a couple "u's" so a big THANK YOU to everyone who made this Fall Operations Conference amazing! Save the date for our Annual Conference, March 4-6 2019