Text4Baby
posted: Friday, July 23, 2010
Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth.
Text4baby is made possible through a broad, public-private partnership that includes government, corporations, academic institutions, professional associations, tribal agencies and non-profit organizations.
· Women sign up for the service by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE for Spanish)and they receive three free SMS text messages each week timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. Text4baby messages also connect women to local clinics and support services for prenatal and infant care.
· It provides the information moms need to keep themselves and their babies healthy. These are short messages, but incredibly important. The messages focus on topics critical to the health of moms and babies, including immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, smoking and alcohol, oral health, and safe sleep.
· It could help save lives and reduce the number of premature births in America. More than 500,000 babies – 1 in every 8 – are born prematurely each year in the US. Premature babies can face lifelong health and intellectual development problems. The risk of premature birth can be reduced if moms take care of themselves and their babies during pregnancy (e.g. don’t smoke!) and seek prenatal care. Text4Baby can help by giving moms information and connecting them to care.
This is an exciting opportunity for moms and babies, and for our nation. For more information on text4baby, please visit text4baby.org.
HealthCare.gov, a new website to help families and employers take control of their health care
posted: Friday, July 09, 2010
Today the Obama Administration launched HealthCare.gov, a new website to help families and employers take control of their health care.
The website will allow you to take health care into your own hands, with information about insurance choices and your new rights under the new Affordable Care Act.
The new website also has tools to help you explore your coverage options, with additional information if you are a parent, a senior on Medicare, a young adult, a person with a disability, or an employer.
By answering a few easy questions, the website will present you with all the coverage options available to you. You can then learn more about each option, including comparing the health insurance plans and benefits available in your community.
To visit the website, go to HealthCare.gov. As always, please continue to keep me informed about issues of concern to you and your family.
Resources for supporting families with school concerns
posted: Friday, June 11, 2010
Click here to the link to review the resources
Best Bones Forever
posted: Friday, April 30, 2010
A fresh and fun bone health campaign for girls
Osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences. In terms of bone health, the stage is set early on: girls build close to 90% of their bone mass by age 18. Once they reach adulthood, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to make it up. Unfortunately, most adolescent girls do not get the calcium, vitamin D, and physical activity they need to grow strong, healthy bones.
That’s why the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH) launched Best Bones Forever!, a national bone health campaign for girls ages 9-14. Best Bones Forever! focuses on friendship and fun–and encourages girls to “grow strong together, stay strong forever.”
The new campaign empowers girls and their BFFs (best friend forever) to build strong bones by choosing snacks and foods with calcium and vitamin D, and getting an hour of physical activity a day.
Campaign materials such as journals, posters, magnets, tattoos, book covers and a Web site (www.bestbonesforever.gov) get girls excited about bone health with recipes, tips, and fun activities. Parents can get important bone health information from a brochure in both English and Spanish, and a Web site: www.bestbonesforever.gov/parents.
Help make an impact by taking just a few minutes to discuss bone health with your young patients and their parents. If you are interested in ordering our free Best Bones Forever! materials, please contact Talia at owh@hagersharp.com.
Indiana Hands and Voices
posted: Friday, April 30, 2010
Hands & Voices is dedicated to supporting families with children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing without a bias around communication modes or methodology. We are a parent-driven, non-profit organization providing families with the resources, networks, and information they need to improve communication access and educational outcomes for their children. Our outreach activities, parent/professional collaboration, and advocacy efforts are focused on enabling deaf and hard-of-hearing children to reach their highest potential. Click here to read more
The Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Program
posted: Monday, April 26, 2010
The Indiana Chapter of Hands & Voices came about after a gathering of parents who have deaf or hard-of-hearing children felt inspired to begin a local chapter as a means to unite parents throughout Indiana and provide a venue in which information could be easily shared. Creating a strong network of both parents and professionals gives us strength and influence - creating the power to change. Click here to read more information on the Early Detection and Intervention Program.
New website just for families!
posted: Monday, April 19, 2010
Please come check out www.healthychildren.org, a new website hosted by the national AAP just for families!
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS OFFERS SOUND ADVICE ON AUTISM
posted: Saturday, April 03, 2010
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS OFFERS SOUND ADVICE ON AUTISM
Audio interviews with developmental pediatricians, autism researchers and other advocates answer common questions about autism spectrum disorders
For immediate release
AAP media contacts: Susan Stevens Martin Debbie Linchesky
847-434-7131 847-434-7084
ssmartin@aap.org dlinchesky@aap.org
CHICAGO -- Parents who receive a diagnosis of autism in their child face a daunting set of questions. To provide them with guidance and support, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has created a series of audio interviews with developmental and behavioral pediatricians, a pediatric neurologist, autism researchers and other parents of children with autism. Listen to Sound Advice on Autism at http://www.aap.org/audio/autism/
“We want parents to use these audio interviews as a resource as they learn about their child’s diagnosis and plot a course of therapies and services,” said Judith Palfrey, MD, FAAP, president of the AAP. “We know parents have many questions, and pediatricians want them to have access to the scientifically based information they need to make decisions about their child’s care.”
April is Autism Awareness Month, which is an opportunity to increase understanding about autism and issues within the autism community. At the Sound Advice on Autism site, parents can listen first-hand as experts answer questions about autism spectrum disorders:
- What causes autism? How common is it?
- What are the early signs of autism?
- How can families learn about early intervention services in their area?
- What are the most effective therapies for autism?
- What guidance would you offer parents who want to explore complementary and alternative therapies?
- Can particular diets or vitamins help children with autism?
- Is autism related to gastrointestinal disorders?
- Why do some children “lose” their autism diagnosis?
“It’s very important for families to educate themselves about autism spectrum disorders and the recommended therapies so they can help develop the treatment plan for their child,” said Susan Hyman, MD, FAAP, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and chair of the AAP Autism Subcommittee.
In Sound Advice on Autism, Dr. Hyman answers questions about complementary and alternative treatments for autism, including advice on the best way for parents to approach such treatments. Interviews also include conversations with developmental and behavioral pediatrician Susan Levy, MD, FAAP, pediatric neurologist Max Wiznitzer, MD, FAAP, and developmental and behavioral pediatrician Patricia Manning-Courtney, MD, FAAP.
AAP has also posted a 2007 audio roundtable featuring Dr. Hyman and Simon Baron-Cohen, PhD, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge , and Catherine Rice, PhD, a behavioral scientist and epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In another interview, Ken Reibel, a parent of a child with autism, discusses his son’s diagnosis and therapies. Additional interviews will be posted later in April and throughout the year. Transcripts of all the interviews are available on the site.
The AAP offers additional resources for families at: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/autism.cfm
ASK: About Special Kids
posted: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
About Special Kids (ASK) is the place for you to go to "ASK" questions about children with special needs and to access information and resources about a variety of topics such as health insurance, special education, community resources and medical homes. ASK is your connection to family support in the state of Indiana! Please visit our website at www.aboutspecialkids.org for more information or to search for specific resources. If you would like to talk to one of our parent staff members who can answer your questions directly, call us at 1-800-964-4746.
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