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| In February the cardiovascular health is celebrated |
| What to do in case of a pandemic |
Writing / agency
Washington Hispanic
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| In February the cardiovascular health is celebrated. |
To know the necessary steps to be realized in case of a pandemic sprout, like the one that could happen with the avian flu, is indispensable not to succumb to the infection. Here what it must plan in advance.
From time to time, they listen to news on the appearance of new illnesses, which they defy to the medical science on a global scale. As example we find the happened with the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed 50 million persons in the world.
The principal characteristic of these pandemics is that they are spread by a lot of facility, infecting to a big quantity of the people in a limited period of time.
In this sense, the virus of the flu, in his most aggressive types, is ideal to create pandemics because it has a high mutability and his facility to be transmitted is high. As current example we find the “Fever of the Chicken”, which it has threatened to transform into a pandemic but which, till now, thanks to the global action of agencies and governments to control it, it is not
achieved.
Stay healthy
It is an impossible knowledge if there is going to be a pandemic of some type or how it is going to attack. But to be in good health can help him. A healthy body has an immune system that can fight against the infections. To feed on a balanced diet, to do exercise and to sleep enough sound strategies that will help him with his health.
Be immunized
To have the vaccines a day is a good measurement opportunists are protected from infections. Although in case of a pandemic it is slightly probable that a vaccine ready exists and arranged to immunize the persons, to have all the other immunizations he can help him to avoid to acquire other illnesses that are to the watching.
Useguantes
Consider to use rubber gloves when he is attending to someone who has some infectious illness, since this reduces the direct contact with influenza virus, for example. This does not mean that he should not wash its hands.
He is educated on having coughed or having sneezed
The mouth and the nose be covered when it coughs or sneezes. Dump immediately the secondhand handkerchiefs. If you do not have disposable handkerchiefs, occupy his sleeve.
Consider a mask
A respiratory mask can prepare that I inhaled air particles that contain persons' small droplets that have sneezed or coughed and that can infect the virus.
Support his clean ambience
Cleaner uses disinfectant if it is possible to clean common surfaces like manacles of doors, phones, keyboards of computer, inns and hardware.
Be careful with what he eats
Do not eat products that are not completely cooked, for example, avoid the raw eggs. To cook in finished form chickens and eggs or any type of meat kills bacteria and virus in these products.
Wash his/her/its hands often
Most of the persons Use soap and water or, when he is traveling and the water skimps, a cleaner by means of alcohol to prepare that the gérmenes happen to his organism. It is extremely important that he washes its hands before preparing food or touching him the nose, the mouth, the eyes or eyelids. Use lukewarm water and be soaped at least for 15 seconds. Even with the washed hands, there does not touch the mouth or the eyes with the fingers, since this way the infections enter the organism.
| Interview |
| 80 % of the Salvadorans does not have health insurance |
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| Gabriela Jofré photo: Felipe Lagos/WH. |
For Felipe Lagos
Washington Hispanic
An investigation of the Program Station of the Health and Services of the Consulate of El Salvador in DC and Woodbridge also thought that less than 20 % of the interrogated persons gains access to services of primary clinics, says Gabriela Jofré, coordinating committee of the program.
According to a study done by the Program Station of the Health and Services for Salvadorans in the Exterior, which is carried out in the Consulate of El Salvador in DC and Woodbridge, 80 % of the persons who are attended in this diplomatic office is not provided with medical insurance.
This program has been successful in offering a route of access to the health for this type of population, and a similar initiative also is carried out in the Consulate of Mexico in DC.
Gabriela Jofré is the coordinating committee of the program, and she points out that the investigation, which was applied to a universe of 5.700 persons, serves like a reminder of the problems that imposes on the persons non-having a medical insurance.
“ This is a quite complex problem, because if the persons do not have access to the health, they cannot prepare his illnesses, or have no knowledge on what doing on a certain problem. These it takes us that the persons come to centers of attention of urgency and they do not have another alternative”, says the coordiandora.
— To his judgment: why do not the persons obtain a health insurance, for ignorance of the system, because it is very expensive or because the insurances do not make scope community?
“ Fundamentally, for ignorance on to what they can gain access. In general the persons can obtain accessible insurances but they are not provided with the information that they need in simple and culturally suitable form. Hence the importance of these programs that we are developing in the consulates, to be able to inform the persons and that they could take the decisions with regard to his health”.
— What another find did his investigation find?
“ It was recorded that the biggest need of the persons is the health, inside it, the principal thing is to have access to a family doctor and then the dental attention. Also the prenatal care is other of the basic needs of the persons”.
— This one is different of the proofs that the big problem is the ignorance, because many resources of prenatal care exist for persons without insurance.
“ Yes, but only when the pregnancy registers on time. But if they have not had an early control in the pregnancy, the persons are not received in others programs”.
| To his health |
| Ready for the future |
For Alice Wilson
Director of The Clinic of the People
From the moment that I brought in to the building in the year 2000, I fell in love with The Clinic of the People. It upset immediately how it was dealing with his patients and was straining in expanding his services for all. I knew then that he wanted to be part of this vital organization.
On January 12 I took up office like Executive director of The Clinic of the People, after eight years of working for this organization. I feel honored to have been chosen for this position and I am ready for the challenge and the opportunities that wait for us with the commitment to support the quality that the community deserves. Continuing with our practice of including our patients and the community in our goals, I would like sharing with you our plans for the future.
In spite of the current financial climate, I am promoting an aggressive agenda for this year to assure a financial stability that should allow us to keep on attending to more than 7.500 individuals a year and to be able to expand to attend to more.
The financial crisis of last summer was a lesson of the one that we all learned. Of this experience there went out important changes that will help to stabilize our organization and to construct the bases of the future. We learned that the community was ours principal allied and our hope of the future. We are extremely grateful for the support received last year. In addition to all the donations got for generous members of the community, last autumn also we receive technical help and support on the part of a variety of sources that will help to strengthen our clinic.
For the next year I have proposed an agenda consisted of five parts that will continue with the steps and plans that we already begin. In we in 2009 will devote ourselves to stabilize our financial situation, to improve our systems and processes, the experience of the patient, to restructure the organization and to improve the morality of the personnel.
The financial safety will be our principal approach area. Due to the recent financial difficulties we have still very much ahead to stabilize the future of the organization. We have implemented several strategic cuts with a reduction of the budget of $ 7 millions to $ 5.5 millions. Also we will implement changes in the way in which we invoice to the insurances of our patients.
We are checking some of our systems and processes with the goal of improving the services, of increasing the efficiency and of saving funds. One of the projects is the system of phones that will improve so much our internal communication like that of our patients with the personnel. This will facilitate that these could obtain appointments quickly.
As clinic of the People that we are, our principal Allied Forces are the patients. With them we are provided for the success of this organization. To assure the financial stability in this changes stage, our patients will be the principal critics of our services and they will make sure that everything what we should do should answer to his interests. The committee of patients and the group of patients of the Meeting, they will have his critical look in them. Also we are provided with a patients' representative to make sure that the interests of our patients are represented.
With the target to create a structure that has major flexibility and minor cost we are changing the organization of the departments, the related way into that are administered and his functions of supporting or increasing the level of services that we give. These changes we hope to be able to carry out them in the first months of this year.
Finally our personnel is our principal force. Without the energy and dedication of each of our personnel we might not expire with all these tasks. It is important for us to cultivate the resources and talents of our personnel since these last two years have been of changes and challenges. We hope to be able to answer to the worries of the personnel across a management that it should guarantee clear accounts. It is an honor although also one defied to follow the lead of Dr. Juan Romagoza and of Enrique Cobham, and I will use everything what I have learned of both to continue with the mission of the Clinic. Our clinic has been successful in the last 25 years thanks to the support and participation of his community, and we hope to strengthen this commitment in our services and in the impact that we could have in a nearby future.
| Actuality |
| 30 daily minutes ago of exercise?, that such 50 |
Writing / agency
Washington Hispanic
To prepare the weight increase, to slim or not to recover the lost weight there is needed a major quantity of physical activity of the recommended one, according to the new guides of the American School of Sports medicine (ACSM). “In the middle of a real crisis of the American health associated with the feeding and the low level of physical activity, the new guides are faced to understand better and to clarify the role of the exercise and his relation with the weight”, indicated the doctor Joseph E. Donnelly, of the University of Kansas, president of the commission advises.
“ Now, that we count with the last available information about how much physical activity is needed, can help the persons”, added Donnelly.
In 2001, the ACSM recommended a minimum of 150 minutes for week (approximately 30 per the fifth times per week) of exercise moderated for the adults with excess weight or obesity to improve his health.
Also, 200 were recommended to 300 weekly minutes for the descent of weight of long term.
“ Recent evidences endorsed this recommendation, but they indicated also that it would be necessary to do more physical activity to prepare the recovery of the lost kilos”, he says the document of the ACSM.
The evidence published from 1999 indicates that between 150 and 250 minutes for week of moderate physical activity prepare an increase of weight superior to three per cent in most of the adults, but only it would provide a "modest" slimming.
Major quantity of weekly physical activity, 250 minutes or more, was associated with a descent of "significant" weight, pointed out the ACSM.
The ACSM recommends also the exercises of force like part of the diet of health and fitness, since the elimination of fat would increase and it is associated with the reduction of the risks for the health, it pointed out the committee.
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