SAN ANTONIO, Texas — I just got back from the 4th annual Salud America! Latino health summit. Researchers, policy analysts, public health advocates and elected leaders gathered to discuss the most pressing health concerns facing the U.S. Latino community.

Once under the auspice of “childhood obesity”, grassroots activists and researchers painted a much broader and more complex picture: many of the health challenges facing the Latino community is systemic and environmental. We must implement policies that bring physical education back to schools; build parks and bike lanes to promote outdoor activity; make sure that all communities have access to fresh produce; and curb junk food marketing to children — which is increasingly becoming digital and harder for parents to monitor on their own.

“Don’t reduce obesity to a disease that needs to be cured,” said Dr. George Flores, program manager for The California Endowment’s Healthy California Prevention team. “It’s an opportunity for equity.”

Photo on right: Here is a man who takes public health very seriously: New York Assemblyman Félix Ortiz. From the time he was a child and circulated his first public petition asking the Governor of his native Puerto Rico to support the formation of a youth baseball league, he has successfully helped draft and implement public health policies in New York: the first law in New York — and the country! — to prohibit hand-held cell phones while driving; a law that provides farmers with economic relief by requiring schools to purchase locally grown produce; a law to ensure that nutritionally based education programs be a part of every classroom; and a law to create five eating disorder centers across the state to help those who suffer from eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia.

Latinos are the largest minority group in the country, accounting for 50.5 million people in 2010. “The increasing presence of Latinos in the United States will impact all institutions,” said Dr. Rogelio Sáenz, Dean of the College of Public Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

I was heartened by the promising statistics and stories that came out of the summit. The high school dropout rate among Latinos in the last 10 years has been cut in half and Latino youth are going to college at a faster rate than even their Caucasian counterparts. The Latina teen pregnancy rate and fertility rate, in general, has dropped with upward mobility.

In terms of health epidemics facing the community, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, there is a lot of grassroots energy on the ground to turn this around. Latino elected officials with the help of their constituents are helping transform “food deserts” and neighborhoods dotted by crime and blight into healthy-living hubs. Latino youth and parents especially are empowered and demanding that healthy food options be available in their local supermarkets and schools.

Photo on left: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, Director of Salud America! and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has moved mountains in the area of Latino health. All the research, the amazing speakers we got to network with and the summit could not have happened without her. Photo on right: Paul Lopez, a Denver City Council member and a member of the board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), gave an inspiring presentation with “before” and “after” pictures of his childhood neighborhood, which now has a grocery store, community gardens at its schools, and soon, a park.

On a personal note, it was my first time in San Antonio and I fell in love with the city. What is a health conference without downtime to explore the great outdoors? Enjoy!

Photo: The outside space of the South Texas Heritage Center at the Witte Museum is lush and beautiful. In general, I was pleasantly surprised at how much green space San Antonio had — not at all what I expected with the punishing heat.

Photos: My friend Elsa took me to Mi Tierra, a Mexican restaurant in the market and hands-down the best place I’ve eaten chicken enchiladas verdes. I loved the decor of the restaurant, too, especially the mural of Latino leaders and celebrities.

Photo: And how could I visit San Antonio without stopping at the Alamo?

The new Salud America! “Healthier School Snacks & Latino Kids” research materials, which can be found at www.salud-america.org, include:

• A research review with the latest science;
• An issue brief (lay summary of the review);
• An infographic; and
• An animated video

This is the first of six new research material packages to be released over the summer by Salud America!, each of which will focus on a specific topic on Latino childhood obesity and highlight the issue, policy implications and future research areas.

The “Healthier School Snacks & Latino Kids” package highlights the fact that young people consume a high proportion of their daily calories at school.

“Research shows that access to unhealthy snack foods and beverages in schools has a disproportionately negative health influence among Latino students, and schools with a higher proportion of Latino students tend to have weaker policies regarding access to and nutritional values of these items,” said Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America!, based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Salud America! is a national network of stakeholders seeking environmental and policy solutions to Latino obesity.

“By 2050, 35 percent of young people in the U.S. will be Latino. Providing healthier school snacks and drinks can help make sure this growing population is healthy,” Ramirez said.

To learn more, visit www.salud-america.org.

The next steps in my journey were not easy and I fumbled a lot. A LOT. Needless to say, I did not know the first thing about eating right or exercise, but I decided that I could either accept the ailments that came with my current lifestyle or do something about them. Gradually, I started to make “better” food choices, read labels and become more educated about what I was putting in my body. Then, very apprehensively, I started to add more physical activity in my daily life.

I hope my story will help others realize how every journey to health starts with a small step and how the healthcare system can be a key partner in the path to a healthier life.

In commemoration of National Women’s Health Week, MomsRising is encouraging our members to focus on taking small steps to improve their health and to reach out to their friends and communities to join them.

One of the things I remember about my journey is that I did not do it alone. Right by my side, every step of the way, was my amazing mother. She replaced the sweets in our house with fruit, the processed cooking oils with olive oil and found alternative recipes for our family’s favorite foods. Even before I could jog or run, she walked with me around our neighborhood and encouraged me to go to the gym instead of watching TV. Most importantly, she never let me give up on my goals. I know today that I could not have done it without my mom.

One more important thing my mother provided, was coverage on her health care plan. My doctors and my nutritionist were a key support system. Once I made my decision to lose weight, we continued to monitor my health and the effects that my new regime had on my body. At each visit, we discussed the progress with my weight and the improvement of my blood pressure. Most importantly, we paid close attention that I was losing the weight the “healthy way” and taking steps to keep the weight off.

That’s why I’m excited that the Affordable Care Act is making it easier for doctors and their patients to take action to prevent health problems before they start. For many women, preventive services like mammograms, Pap smears, birth control and yearly well-woman visits are now available without cost sharing.

Moreover, starting next year, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to refuse women coverage just because we are battling breast cancer or have another pre-existing condition — and they won’t be allowed to charge us more just because we are women.

And if you’re one of the millions of women who are uninsured or who buy insurance on their own, on October 1, 2013, you will be able to visit a new Health Insurance Marketplace where you can compare and choose from a range of plans to find one that best fits your needs and budget. All of these plans must cover a package of essential health benefits, including maternity and newborn care.

To get more information about the Marketplace and to sign up for email and text updates to get ready for October, visit HealthCare.gov and check out this video message from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Being healthy starts with each of us taking control.

My journey to a “healthier me” has been a constant one. Even today, I schedule regular workouts, track my daily water intake and schedule regular check-ins with my doctor. Eventually my journey led me to lose one-hundred pounds. In 2007, I ran my first 10-mile race and I plan to run my first half marathon in January 2014. In 2008, eight years after beginning my journey, I became a personal trainer and fitness consultant to help other women like me actualize their fitness goals.

This week, millions of women from around the country are going to be taking their first steps, continuing their journeys and celebrating healthier more active lives. How will you make the most of National Women’s Health Week?

Join me and the rest of the MomsRising team in celebrating National Women’s Health Week and playing Healthy Moms BINGO! The MomsRising BINGO card lists 25 simple, healthy activities that are small, important steps we can all take to improve our health and start more healthy habits!

Originally Posted on The Huffington Post (5.17.13)

We kicked off the week with Healthy Mom’s BINGO and discussing the importance of preventive care.  In addition, on Monday – National Women’s Check-Up Day — we had a special message from the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius highlighting the benefits and upcoming implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we talked health, fitness and nutrition for the entire family.   We were joined on our #WellnessWed Tweetchat by Erika Kendal, author of Black Girls Guide to Fitness — @bbg2wl — to talk about nutrition and her journey to healthier eating.  Even the MomsRising team took a much needed “Dance Break.”  In addition,  we had our first ever Google Hangout on Air with guests @DubyaWife and @MyBrownBaby discussing healthy habits and next steps for living healthier lives moving forward.

We finished off the week with an amazing MomsRising Radio Show focused solely on National Women’s Health Week.

All-in-all it was an incredible week! We made doctor’s appointments, learned new recipes, started new habits and learned how to keep improving our health moving forward; including how to take advantage of current and new benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Just in case you missed the images from last week, take a look!

This blog was originally posted on May 17, 2013 on the Huffington Post

On April 17, we at the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) welcomed the introduction of S. 744, the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.” For those of us who are veterans of the immigration reform efforts of 2006 and 2007, this day marked a long-awaited return to a serious national conversation about our immigration system. But April 17 also represented a major step forward for the protection of immigrant women’s rights – something we at the WRC have been working towards for more than 15 years.

As we began to analyze the contents of the bill, it became clear that our efforts to bring policymakers the message that immigration reform is not comprehensive unless it includes women had begun to sink in. For the first time in the modern history of immigration reform efforts, the “Gang of Eight” Senators who drafted the legislation took seriously the need to think about the lives and experiences of immigrant women and their families, and to make sure that the contributions that immigrant women have made to this country were acknowledged and honored with an equitable and inclusive path to citizenship.

S. 744 marked a turning point in the fight for immigrant women’s rights. But the bill is not perfect. And amendments introduced by several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to drastically narrow eligibility for legalization – and ultimately citizenship – would have a disproportionately detrimental effect on women. As the bill moves through committee and onto the Senate floor, the rights and well-being of immigrant women will depend on Senators keeping women – and women’s realities – in mind.

The face of today’s immigrant is increasingly female: Immigrant women comprise 51% of all immigrants in the United States and 100 immigrant women now arrive in the United States for every 96 men. More than 5 million women in the United States are undocumented. Legalization programs that discourage or prevent women from participating have not been – and never will be – effective.

Immigrant women’s contributions are different than but equal to men’s: Forty percent of undocumented women work in the home, caring for their children and families. Sixty percent of immigrant women work in the informal economy, where work is often temporary or unverifiable. Any legalization program that requires continuous employment or limits the documents that suffice as proof of employment will leave women out. In a survey of over 4,000 low-wage workers in the three largest cities in the U.S. – New York, Chicago and Los Angeles— 98% of undocumented nannies, 92% of maids and housecleaners, and 77% of garment workers did not receive any pay stubs. In isolated and informal workplaces it is unrealistic to expect workers to ask their employers for documentation, especially immigrant workers with such little control over the terms and conditions of their work in the first place.

To be able to legalize and get on a pathway to citizenship, women must have a fair and appropriate way to prove their physical presence, employment history and contributions: Historically, women have been disadvantaged by legalization programs in immigration reform. A comprehensive study of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) by the Urban Institute and Rand Corporation found that women faced significant difficulty proving physical presence and meeting requirements for legalization because 1) important documents such as leases, utility bills and bank accounts were in their husbands’ names and 2) many women who worked in the informal economy struggled to prove employment. Adding to these challenges, the historical devaluing of women’s work as homemakers meant that IRCA left many women behind.

S. 744 provides more opportunities for women to legalize and get on a pathway to citizenship than any prior effort at reform. But these provisions must be protected and improved: Exemptions and waivers to employment requirements for those who can demonstrate sufficient income or resources, are pregnant, on maternity leave or are primary caregivers for children will help ensure that women can renew their Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status (the first step in the legalization process) and eventually earn green cards and full citizenship. Similarly, provisions that allow workers to use day labor center records and sworn affidavits to prove employment help ensure that women who work in the informal economy will not be excluded from legalization and citizenship simply because they cannot provide proof of work. Lastly, in awarding caregivers the same number of points as master’s degree holders, the new merit-based visa provisions will help ensure that work as a homemaker is not an impediment to permanency.

Legalization and the pathway to citizenship will still be harder for women than men: High fees and penalties will disproportionately disadvantage women and limit their ability to apply to achieve full citizenship because when difficult financial choices have to be made, families are more likely to preference the male members of a household. Similarly, it will be difficult for many families to overcome the public charge or income and resources requirements to earn status – even when both men and women in the household are working. In households where a woman stays home to care for children, it will be all but impossible. The 2011 deadline by which an individual must be physically present to apply for RPI status is already likely to exclude more women than men, since the number of women coming to the U.S. only recently equaled the number of men. Any further rollbacks of this date will make even more women ineligible. Lastly, the imbalance between points for caregiving and points for employment and education in the merit-based visa system risks leaving many women behind.

Amendments that limit eligibility for legalization and increase costs will undermine women’s ability to get on a pathway to citizenship and will increase the likelihood that immigration reform will exclude many women. As advocates for women’s rights, the Women’s Refugee Commission is particularly concerned about amendments that would:

• Bar anyone who was not in the U.S. before December 31, 2009 from applying for RPI status, and bar spouses and children who entered the U.S. after 2011 from being included in the principal applicant’s petition (Lee 7)

• Increase the penalty that must be paid to apply for RPI status to $5,000 (Grassley 7)

• Require individuals to maintain an income that is four times the federal poverty line (over $90,000 for a family of four) for all 10 years they are in RPI status in order to apply for permanent residence (Sessions 29)

• Raise the income requirement for RPI status renewal for those who cannot meet the employment eligibility requirement to 125% of the federal poverty line, and require that those whose eligibility depends on their income and resources maintain that income level throughout their 10 years in RPI status (Hatch 5)

• Eliminate a provision that allows workers to provide sworn affidavits instead of pay stubs to prove their work history (Grassley 13 and Lee 12)

• Make women ineligible for RPI status and permanent residence if they could become a public charge in the future (Sessions 17-19)

• Make women ineligible for RPI status or permanent residence if they are likely to need means-tested public benefits – including Medicaid, Affordable Care Act tax credits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Security Income – in the future (Sessions 25-28)

• Eliminate a provision that would allow removed parents, spouses or children of U.S. citizens or permanent residents to apply for RPI status (Sessions 24)

Fortunately, in addition to the considerable work done by the Senate Gang of 8 to make the pathway to citizenship accessible to women, there other champions for immigrant women’s rights among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They should be applauded for their efforts to preserve the bill’s existing legalization provisions and to build upon them in the amendment process, including by:

• Changing the date on which an individual has to be present in the U.S. to apply for RPI status from December 31, 2011 to April 17, 2013 (Blumenthal 15) or to the date of enactment of the immigration law (Feinstein 14)

• Permitting individuals who apply for RPI status to petition for spouses and children who are outside the U.S., if they meet eligibility requirements (Hirono 14)

• Modifying the penalty paid in connection with an application for RPI status (Leahy 8) and permitting the penalty to be paid in installments (Hirono 12)

These amendments are only a sampling of the more than 50 amendments that would affect women’s access to legalization. WRC’s full vote guide on women and legalization is available on our website. If your Senator is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, we urge you to call or email them and ask them to Vote YES on amendments that strengthen protections for women and Vote NO on amendments that would leave women behind.

While we are only at the beginning of our fight for full inclusion of women in immigration reform, this is a fight we can win. We’ve come a long way already. As advocates for women’s rights, we must continue to stand together and keep the pressure on Congress to recognize that reform will not be comprehensive – or successful – unless it includes women.

Michelle Brané is director, Migrant Rights & Justice Program at the Women’s Refugee Commission. Emily Butera is senior program officer, Migrant Rights & Justice Program.

*The following guests join Kristin this week on 1480 AM WeAct Radio, which also can be heard via additional broadcast stations, as well as on iTunes – http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/moms-rising-radio/id533519537:

• Angélique Roché, Campaign Director For Healthcare, MomsRising.org and Fitness Trainer (@angeliqueroche)

• Debbie Koenig, Author of “Parents Need to Eat Too” and her food blog, Words to Eat By, that has attracted more than one million visitors. (@debbieharry)

• Erin Kotecki Vest, Blogger contributing regularly to the Huffington Post, MOMocrats.com, and her own site  Queen of Spain Blog (@QueenOfSpain)

• Sharon Levin, Director Federal Reproductive Health Policy, National Women’s Law Center (@SLevinWashDC)

• Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (@Sebelius)

*You can also listen to this show, and all future shows, via podcast on iTunes at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/moms-rising-radio/id533519537

Join us to ask Glade to stop keeping their fragrance ingredients a secret!

Air freshener seems to be more and more prevalent in our society these days.  One market analysis forecast that home fragrance sales would reach $6 billion by 2012. I was unable to find an exact sales number for last year, but I have no doubt that it’s a shockingly high number, given the staggering array of air freshening devices available in the supermarket aisle. Aerosols, sprays, candles, plug-ins, oils, time releasers, each with dozens of different scents to choose from – the options are almost overwhelming.

“So, what’s the problem with all these fragranced air fresheners?” you ask. THIS is the problem: fragrance can be made up of more than 100 chemicals, most of which are synthetic, and some of these chemicals are harming our health.

Take these alarming statistics, for example (which, I should note, are from only one of the many, many studies I could cite about the impact of fragrance chemicals on our health):

One study in the U.K. of 14,000 pregnant women showed a link between the use of air fresheners and aerosol sprays and an increase in headaches and depression in the mothers, as well as ear infections and diarrhea in their babies. In homes where air fresheners and aerosol sprays were used on most days, women experienced 25% more headaches and 19% more post-natal depression than women in homes where such products were used less than once a week. Babies under six months old who were exposed to air fresheners on most days had 30% more ear infections and a 22% greater chance of diarrhea than babies exposed less than once a week[1]. While it is not clear which chemicals (or which combination of chemicals) found in air fresheners may be responsible for these effects, the results of this study raise concern about the safety and necessity of these products.

Let’s emphasize that frightening last sentence: We don’t know which chemicals are causing these serious health problems, or which products they’re in. That’s because most companies keep fragrance ingredients a secret with near-religious fervor. This is a big problem when it comes to air fresheners, in which fragrance can make up 70-80% of the overall composition of the product. That means we have no information on the vast majority of chemicals in the product we’re spraying in our homes.

Let’s use a real-life example with an iconic product to illustrate this problem: Glade. Glade is a household name, offering some of the most popular air fresheners on the marketplace. But the makers of Glade keep fragrance ingredients a closely-guarded secret, so we have no idea what makes up that Clean Linen or Lavender & Vanilla scent.

Which is ironic, because SC Johnson, Glade’s parent company, can’t seem to emphasize enough how dedicated they are to “honesty” and “transparency.” You may have seen the company’s CEO, Fisk Johnson, on the television screen talking about how the company discloses ingredients “right down to the dyes and fragrances.”  This commercial seems a little misleading to me.  These are just a few of their other quotes emphasizing that commitment:

“We know you value transparency, and we’re committed to sharing what’s inside our products.”

“Today’s families want to know what’s in the household cleaning and air freshening products they use in their homes.”

“That’s why we disclose all ingredients… So you know what you’re bringing into your home.”

Except when it comes to fragrance ingredients, apparently.

Here’s what the makers of Glade are willing to tell you. They released a master list of nearly 1,500 chemicals that they use in all of their fragranced products – but they don’t tell you which chemicals are in which products.

We had a feeling you wouldn’t want to wade through 1,500 chemicals, so we picked out a few choice chemicals on that giant, unwieldy list that we think you should know about:

• Synthetic musks: potential hormone disruptors which are persistent and bioaccumulative, and may break down the body’s defenses against other toxic exposures. These chemicals are showing up in our blood and breast milk.

• All 26 of the allergens currently disclosed on SCJ product labels in the European Union (EU). SCJ doesn’t disclose these allergens on product labels in the US because they’re not required to by law.

• Several additional allergens, which have been deemed of concern in the EU.

• Several chemicals of concern identified by an EU panel as having no publicly available human safety data.

• Terpenes, which can react with ground level ozone in the air to form cancer-causing formaldehyde.

• Petroleum – the same compound in gasoline.

But SC Johnson won’t tell us which products these chemicals are in? Seriously? WVE did a little of our own sleuthing work, and tested a couple of Glade products. Test results revealed synthetic musks and allergens. Test results also revealed the presence of phthalates, which the company committed to phase out two years before – SC Johnson claimed this was a contamination issue, but we have no confirmation that this issue has been resolved. Here’s the thing: The lab was only specifically testing for those chemicals because we asked them to. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to walk into a lab and say, “Tell us everything that’s in this fragrance.” (Sure, companies deconstruct other companies’ scents all the time, but we don’t have that kind of budget.)

Having something to hide seems to be the only reason companies don’t want to tell us exactly what’s in their fragrances, SCJ included. We know that companies have some pretty advanced technology that allows them to reverse engineer each others’ scents – so threats to intellectual property and trade secrets can’t really be the issue. And we know that there are companies like Seventh Generation that disclose all ingredients without any apparent negative impacts to business. So really – what are these other companies hiding?

We believe that we have a right to know what’s in the products we’re bringing into our homes, spraying in the air that we breathe, landing on the surfaces that we touch, and settling into the dust at our feet.

And we know that we’re not alone in this belief – a study just came out last month called Thinking Consumption: Consumers and the Future of Sustainability, and the headlining find on the study was that consumers rank ingredient transparency among the most important issues for brands:

Nearly 9 in 10 consumers globally (86%) say “ingredient transparency is extremely important or very important” for companies to address as part of their products, services, or operations, including 88% of consumers in emerging markets and 84% of consumers in developed markets.

Guess who sponsored this study, among other companies? SC Johnson, makers of Glade!

Seems like SCJ should take the advice that they themselves asked for – don’t you think?

And this study isn’t the only evidence that their consumers want them to come clean on fragrance ingredients. Since WVE launched our Glade: Stop Keeping Toxic Secrets campaign, thousands of people have called on SCJ to list all fragrance chemicals through direct emails and on social media.

So, let’s recap:

• SC Johnson, makers of Glade, say that they’re committed to transparency. Oh yeah, except when it comes to telling us which fragrance chemicals are in which products.

• Certain fragrance chemicals are harming our health.

• SC Johnson just sponsored a study showing that the incredibly vast majority of consumers want to know what’s in products.

• We’ve been telling them directly that we want to know what’s in fragrance.

Seems like a pretty easy decision to us.

Join our Glade: Stop Keeping Toxic Secrets campaign on Facebook or by emailing the company here.

Como mamá ocupada que trabaja, y la única proveedora de mi familia, yo he trabajado mucho y me he divertido mucho. No quería que a mis hijos les faltara lo que podrían haber tenido en una familia con dos padres. Como resultado, me hundí a mi misma, durmiendo 4-5 horas al día y tomando café cada vez que necesitaba una inyección rápida de energía. Debido a la falta de tiempo, los alimentos altamente procesados eran mi solución. No me daba cuenta del riesgo al que estaba exponiendo mi familia.

En mi familia padecen de enfermedad del corazón. Tanto así, que ya a diez miembros de la familia les han realizado cirugías de corazón abierto. Otros, como mi madre, padre y hermano, toman medicamentos para bajar su colesterol y/o presión arterial. Sin embargo, nunca pensé que mis hijos y yo estábamos en riesgo.

Durante un examen de rutina, me enteré que tenía el colesterol alto. Peor aún, mi hijo que en ese entonces tenía 15 años fue diagnosticado con colesterol alto y presión alta. Estaba devastada. Sabía que mi estilo de vida era el problema.

Hablé con nuestro doctor acerca de los cambios que debíamos hacer y encontré recursos como Go Red for Women que ofrecen consejos sobre cómo podemos llevar un estilo de vida saludable para nuestro corazón y además tienen una comunidad de apoyo (1). Comencé a hacer cambios en la manera como cocinaba, incluyendo alimentos más saludables y haciendo que nuestras reuniones familiares fueran alrededor de actividades, en vez de alrededor de la comida.

Crédito: Go Red for Women

Nuestra visita de rutina con el doctor fue la clave para cambiar nuestras vidas.

Es por eso que me emociona la Ley de Atención de Salud Asequible, que hará que sea más fácil que los doctores y sus pacientes tomen acciones para prevenir problemas de salud antes de que comiencen. Para muchas mujeres, servicios preventivos como mamografías, papanicolaou, anticonceptivos, y visitas de control anual ahora están disponible sin costos compartidos.

Más importante aún, a partir del próximo año, ya no se les permitirá a las compañías denegar cobertura a las mujeres simplemente porque estén luchando contra cáncer de mama o por tener alguna otra condición preexistente; y tampoco se les permitirá que nos cobren más por el hecho de ser mujeres.

Si eres parte de los millones de mujeres que están sin seguro o quienes compran seguro por su cuenta, el 1 de octubre de 2013 podrás visitar el Intercambio de Beneficios de Salud en donde podrás comparar y elegir de una amplia gama de planes para encontrar uno que se ajuste mejor a tus necesidades y presupuesto. Todos estos planes deben cubrir un paquete de beneficios de salud esenciales, incluyendo maternidad y cuidado de recién nacidos.

Para obtener más información acerca del Intercambio y suscribirte para recibir actualizaciones por correo electrónico o vía mensaje de texto y poder prepararte para octubre, visita HealthCare.gov y mira este video de la Secretaria de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Kathleen Sebelius.

La salud comienza con cada una de nosotras tomando el control.

Han pasado un poco más de tres años desde nuestro diagnóstico inicial. Ya no usamos comida como un premio o razón para reunirnos, en vez de eso, nos hemos dado cuenta que nuestras reuniones y triunfos saben mucho más dulces cuando los saboreamos por su propio mérito. Como un beneficio adicional e inesperado, hemos aprendido a comunicarnos mejor el uno con el otro y llevar una vida más rica debido a esta dosis de realidad.

Comparto mi historia durante la Semana Nacional de la Salud de la Mujer con la esperanza de que ayudará a otra mujer, otra familia, a dar pasos pequeños para llevar una vida más saludable.

Únete a mí, y al resto del equipo de MomsRising, para celebrar la Semana Nacional de la Salud de la Mujer y a jugar el ¡BINGO de las Mamás Saludables!. Las tarjetas para el BINGO de MomsRising tienen una lista de 25 actividades simples y saludables que son pasos pequeños e importantes que todas podemos dar para mejorar nuestra salud e iniciar hábitos más saludables.

FN 1. Go Red for Women, fue creado por la Asociación Americana del Corazón para desmentir los mitos y crear conciencia sobre la enfermedad del corazón como la causa número 1 de muerte en las mujeres.  goredforwomen.org

As a busy working Mom and the sole provider of my family, I worked hard and played hard. I did not want my sons to lack what they would have had in a two parent household. As a result, I drove myself into the ground, sleeping 4-5 hours a day and grabbing a cup of coffee whenever I needed a quick pick me up. Lacking time, highly processed foods were my go to. I never realized the risk I was placing my family in.

Heart disease runs in my family. Ten family members have undergone open heart surgery. Others, like my mother, father and brother, are on medication to lower their cholesterol and/or blood pressure. Yet, I never believed I or my sons were at risk.

During a routine annual exam, I learned I had high cholesterol. Worse yet, my then 15 year old son was diagnosed with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I was devastated. I knew my lifestyle was the problem.

I talked to our doctor about the changes we should make and found resources like Go Red for Women that offer advice on how to live a heart healthy lifestyle and a supportive community, (1) I began making changes in how I cooked, embracing healthier foods, and centering our family gatherings on an activity, instead of a meal.

Photo Credit: Go Red for Women

Our wellness visit to our doctor was key in changing our lives.

That’s why I’m excited that the Affordable Care Act is making it easier for doctors and their patients to take action to prevent health problems before they start. For many women, preventive services like mammograms, Pap smears, birth control, and yearly well-woman visits are now available without cost sharing.

Moreover, starting next year, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to refuse women coverage just because we are battling breast cancer or have another pre-existing condition – and they won’t be allowed to charge us more just because we are women.

And if you’re one of the millions of women who are uninsured or who buy insurance on their own, on October 1, 2013, you will be able to visit a new Health Insurance Marketplace where you can compare and choose from a range of plans to find one that best fits your needs and budget. All of these plans must cover a package of essential health benefits, including maternity and newborn care.

To get more information about the Marketplace and to sign up for email and text updates to get ready for October, visit HealthCare.gov and check out the video message from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Being healthy starts with each of us taking control.

It’s been a little over three years since our initial diagnosis. We no longer use food as a reward or a reason to gather; instead we’ve come to realize that our gatherings and triumphs are that much sweeter when they are savored on their own merit. As an additional and unexpected benefit, we’ve learned to communicate better with one another and have a richer life because of this wake-up call.

I share my story during National Women Health’s Week, in the hopes that it will help another woman, another family, to take some small steps to a healthier life.

Join me and the rest of the MomsRising team in celebrating National Women’s Health Week and playing Healthy Moms BINGO! The MomsRising BINGO card lists 25 simple, healthy activities that are small, important steps we can all take to improve our health and start more healthy habits.

FN (1) Go Red for Women was created by the American Heart Association to dispel myths and raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women. http://www.goredforwomen.org

As Biden’s mother used to say, “Out of the mouths of babes comes gems of wisdom.” These little kids understand, because, coming from one of Philadelphia’s most impoverished schools, many of them have seen the effects of gun violence in the streets.

Camilla said: “I want to discuss with you why you want to stop gun violence. I think it’s because you want less people passing away.”

Marilyn said: “I think you should close gun stores. That’s my opinion.”

Ishmael said: “I heard you take care of gun violence. Maybe no guns at all, but the police can get safety guns. That will change the world.”

Jacob said: “You can go out on the stage and just say, I want to stop using guns.”

Damaris said: “I want to discuss gun violence with you, like, why do people use guns and why do they kill people? And don’t people be kind to one another? I’m kind to everyone.”

Ryan said: “Congratulations, Mr. Biden, on being vice president and dancing with your wife. I’m asking if you’ll come with your wife to visit our school.”

These children, many of whom likely experienced gun violence, just can’t understand why we can’t do something about it.

Listen to it here.