Leslie Boyd
Another reason health care costs are through the roof
Two years ago, a nurse working for HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain in the United States, sent a letter to the company’s ethics office claiming that physicians at one of the company’s hospitals in Fort Pierce, Fla., were performing unnecessary heart procedures in the catheritization lab, putting patients’ lives at risk. The nurse, C.T. [...]
Gun violence as a public health issue
Another seven people have died because someone who is emotionally unbalanced opened fire in a public place, in this case a place of worship. Is it time yet to talk about gun violence as a public health issue and to try and figure out how we deal with this? I know it’s a complicated issue, [...]
For my friend, Phil Alexander
Dear Phil, Only a parent who has lost a child can know the full depth of your grief right now. It’s overwhelming, and it will be that way for awhile. Our children are supposed to outlive us, and there is no comfort when they don’t. I’m fortunate in that I got to say goodbye to [...]
“Obamacare” and women’s health
Beginning tomorrow, women’s health care will get a big boost, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Insurance companies will have to pay for women’s well-care with no out-of-pocket costs for women. That includes screenings for cervical and breast cancer, contraception, breastfeeding counseling and supplies and more. Until the ACA, insurance companies could deny full coverage [...]
Happy birthday, Medicare!
Medicare turns 47 today, and I’m old enough to remember it — I was almost 13 at the time and more politically aware than most people my age. Like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare was denounced as a socialist program (actually, many called it Communist). It was the first step on a slippery slope. Medicare [...]
Once again, NC falls short on mental health care
I moved to North Carolina almost 11 years ago to take a job as health reporter for the Citizen-Times. Soon afterward, I began covering mental health “reform,” which pretty much involved the implosion of a system that had been working OK. Even before the new system went live it was easy to see where it [...]
Women at risk
Once again, our health care system comes up short. A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund, “Oceans Apart,” details the higher rate of women in the US not getting the care they need as compared to women from 10 other countries. The figures, from 2010, show that nearly 19 million women ages 19-64 were without [...]
Turning down federal money, just for spite
Although the US Supreme Court upheld almost all of the Affordable Care Act, it did allow states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion that would offer health coverage to 15.8 million people. Currently, Medicaid, a federal-state partnership that covers the poorest Americans, almost never covers single adults. Children and pregnant women are covered, as [...]
“Death panel” claim rears its ugly head again
Two years ago, Sarah Palin tried to convince us that a provision in the Affordable Care Act was effectively a “death panel.” The provision actually allowed physicians to bill Medicare for time spent talking to patients about an end-of-life plan, something every adult should have. But they managed to get the provision rescinded from the [...]
Try, try again …
I’m on vacation but I’m not completely out of touch. I know when the opponents of health reform in Washington try to repeal it. I can feel it the way Spock felt the death of his fellow Vulcans in the original Star Trek episode about the big space virus … Anyway, they failed for the [...]
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Life o’ Mike honors Joe Eblen
Life o' Mike presented its first Michael T. Danforth Community Service Award to Joe Eblen at a luncheon on June 8, in the Friendship Hall of First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St., Asheville.
Joe, seen here with Leslie Boyd, left, and his wife, Bobbie, has spent his life helping children and families, both as a coach and game official for more than 60 years, and as founder of Eblen Charities.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.