2012 Walk a Mile to Save Our Babies (Sept. 18)

For those near Forsyth County, please consider registering for this event!

Here is the Forsyth County Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition website:

http://www.helpourbabies.org/default.aspx

Homemade Pizza

I'm surprised that I haven't posted this yet, but I'm a big advocate of making your own pizzas as time permits and your imagination allows.  (Unfortunately, perhaps, we tend to get a little topping-happy...including pineapples, ham, olives, spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, mozzarella and parm, pesto base = expensive and somewhat confusing-tasting pizza!)

I remember back in the days of undergrad when I first met my partner, we bonded over our love of a good margherita pizza for its simple deliciousness - a first for him!

Currently, time and laziness harken back to the frozen pizzas for now, but here are pictures of our last homemade pizza experience (look at that oblong whole wheat crust!):

What are your suggestions for pizza toppings or combinations of such?

Dining - Single, Paired, Group

The past few weeks have been met with different dining circumstances.  Usually, I eat with my partner (and sometimes our dog...) on most nights, but lately I've had to eat by myself and also with a guest (my little brother who visited for a week).  All three scenarios have been surprisingly different with varied challenges and advantages - hopefully, I'll be able to soon share some of our meals from these different times, especially when I was eating for just one (easy, yet so difficult!).

Here's a picture that reminds me of family dining (I think this was taken last Thanksgiving, when my family does a Chinese-American food fusion...This was the Chinese hot pot part - and I think my partner's first!):

I think we had imitation crabmeat, fish balls, seafood balls, pork balls, broccoli, napa cabbage, mushrooms?, corn on the cob?, and other ingredients I can't recall...Oh, and of course the sa cha sauce (not pictured).  Always a comforting meal/experience on a cold day!

Women's Health and Contraception

On August 1, 2012, many women with insurance that were non-grandfathered plans were able to utilize preventive health services that included contraceptives without cost-sharing/copays.  I was one of those women who scheduled a women's health appointment on that day, and I stared in awe at that line that said "You pay $0.00" (though I did have to pay for the actual appointment with the provider).

Although not a perfect system/legislation, this is a great step forward for women's health under the Affordable Care Act.

Per U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this lists coverage guidelines:
Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines

I also wanted to share this video, created by the Guttmacher Institute that I came across on my blog feed:
Benefits of Contraceptive Use in the United States

I'm a big proponent of reproductive rights and sexual/reproductive health (and hope for more men joining in the conversations!), and I'm interested in hearing others' experiences with this -
Did you encounter issues, did things go smoothly, or did you experience no change at all?

More HIV/AIDS Thoughts - in DC and Beyond

As an extension of my last post about Truvada, I wanted to share this article I came across from The NY Times:
In Washington, H.I.V. Testing Moves Beyond the Clinic

My mentor and some of her colleagues are in DC right now for the conference mentioned in the article, the biannual International AIDS Society conference.  I help with a lot of research focused on youth, and the rates of just youth with an AIDS diagnoses and those living with AIDS are the highest in DC compared to other states and U.S. dependent areas at last survey.  Some of these stats can be found on CDC's (2012) website:
HIV Surveillance in Adolescents and Young Adults

So holding the conference in DC is both appropriate and timely.  And looking at the interventions and approaches that DC has taken to combat these still-high rates are incredible and inspiring.  And we should not think of DC as being synonymous with HIV/AIDS with fear and disdain, as an area afflicted with HIV/AIDS, as this is truly a global, human issue with many interacting contextual factors affecting rates from one area to another.

I think the take-away from this, if anything, is just to promote and practice safe sex behaviors in our own lives and those we know, particularly in youth who need support and accurate information at a time when there are so many developmental changes happening at once.  I think one major challenge is that HIV and other STIs remain largely 'hidden' and invisible in our day-to-day, sort-of under the radar and away from our public consciousness...

Truvada, FDA-approved drug to reduce HIV transmission

This post was originally published on public health newswire (as part of APHA, the American Public Health Association), and it shares some exciting news! 

The FDA has just approved the first drug (Truvada) to reduce HIV transmission to those not yet infected - so it's a preventive measure for those who are at high risk of HIV.  Unfortunately, not a cure, but a fabulous step in the right direction and adds an important prevention method to our HIV prevention arsenal.
"FDA approves first drug to reduce HIV risk"

I just finished helping work on a book chapter about HIV prevention interventions (this chapter focused on adolescents), and a part of what we wanted to convey was the importance of innovative methods as part of a comprehensive prevention plan.  So it's not just about telling someone to take the HIV medication, use condoms, and abstain from sex - which are all important points to convey in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but does not necessarily guarantee that these safe practices will happen each and every time.

That reminds me...

Though National HIV Testing Day (June 27) has passed, any day is a good one to get tested if you have not already!  It is painless and fairly quick - and you'll have some peace of mind, which is priceless.

Public health - for pets, too!

A quick post to share this poster from Petfinder.com (and where I recently found my dog, my first pet!):

A good reminder that public health also extends to our furry friends, as well.  I try to walk my dog in the early morning (before noon) or after dinner when the sun is starting to lower in the horizon; if in doubt, I'll put my hand on the ground to test the warmth of the pavement to ensure safe paws.  And keep them hydrated, as you do yourself!  (If it's getting to be too hot outside, I'll rub/splash some water on his belly or feet as I believe those are the best 'cooling spots'...correct me if I'm wrong!)


And meet the newest member of our family unit, as of a few short weeks ago!

(And yes, she's gotten a bit of a hair trim since then...Eat/drink up, pup!)

What do you do to keep your furry family members safe in these sweltering times?