By: Susan Oser NFBPWC Health Chair, health@nfbpwc.org

Our health committee continues to keep on going. While one plan is made it evolves and changes with more discussions and more voices in the mix. Our meetings are held on the 3rd Mondays of the month unless there is a conflict or a holiday. Our next meeting with be December 16, which will also be our Healthy Holiday party where you can share a healthy recipe, book, or dish you’ve made that night to share. They will also be collected to put into future Health Committee articles. Our signature event that we co-sponsor with Houston Methodist Hospital is Heart of a Woman, which is slated on February 7, 2025. Please see details below.

If you are a former member of the health committee or would like to find an area where you could be involved, please contact me at health@nfbpwc.org and I will put you on my list. The more you can contribute, the easier it makes it for me. I’d love to have you.

Healthy Thinking for the Month:

Here is a graphic from Mi Gen Michigan on post-election

self-care:

Health Awareness Dates:

December is –

Aids Awareness Month, Give the Gift of Sight Month, Honor Your Pharmacist  Month, International Sharps Injury Prevention Month, National Drunk & Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month, National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking (TANYRSS) (12/18 - 2/12) Always ends on Super Bowl Sunday}, Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome Month, Worldwide Food Service Safety Month The following article is courtesy of Health Committee member Kathy Clevenger-Burdell’s research – The Texas Tribune [and posted in accordance with the Advocacy Platform: Health Equity and Justice section]

A Texas woman died after the hospital said it would be a crime to intervene in her miscarriage

Josseli Barnica is one of at least two pregnant Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency care. By Cassandra Jaramillo and Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, Oct. 30, 2024

Josseli Barnica grieved the news as she lay in a Houston hospital bed on Sept. 3, 2021: The sibling she’d dreamt of giving her daughter would not survive this pregnancy. The fetus was on the verge of coming out, its head pressed against her dilated cervix; she was 17 weeks pregnant, and a miscarriage was “in progress,” doctors noted in hospital records. At that point, they should have offered to speed up the delivery or empty her uterus to stave off a deadly infection, more than a dozen medical experts told ProPublica.

But when Barnica’s husband rushed to her side from his job on a construction site, she relayed what she said the medical team had told her: “They had to wait until there was no heartbeat,” he told ProPublica in Spanish. “It would be a crime to give her an abortion.”

For 40 hours, the anguished 28-year-old mother prayed for doctors to help her get home to her daughter; all the while, her uterus remained exposed to bacteria.

Three days after she delivered, Barnica died of an infection.

Barnica is one of at least two Texas women who ProPublica found lost their lives after doctors delayed treating miscarriages, which fall into a gray area under the state’s strict abortion laws that prohibit doctors from ending the heartbeat of a fetus.

Neither had wanted an abortion, but that didn’t matter. Though proponents insist that the laws protect both the life of the fetus and the person carrying it, in practice, doctors have hesitated to provide care under threat of prosecution, prison time and professional ruin.

ProPublica is telling these women’s stories this week, starting with Barnica’s. Her death was “preventable,” according to more than a dozen medical experts who reviewed a summary of her hospital and autopsy records at ProPublica’s request; they called her case “horrific,” “astounding” and “egregious.”

The doctors involved in Barnica’s care at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest did not respond to multiple requests for comment on her case. In a statement, HCA Healthcare said, “our responsibility is to be in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations” and said that physicians exercise their independent judgment. The company did not respond to a detailed list of questions about Barnica’s care.

Like all states, Texas has a committee of maternal health experts who review such deaths to recommend ways to prevent them, but the committee’s reports on individual cases are not public and members said they have not finished examining cases from 2021, the year Barnica died.

ProPublica is working to fill gaps in knowledge about the consequences of abortion bans.

Reporters scoured death data, flagging Barnica’s case for its concerning cause of death: “sepsis” involving “products of conception.” We tracked down her family, obtained autopsy and hospital records and enlisted a range of experts to review a summary of her care that ProPublica created in consultation with two doctors.

Barnica’s autopsy report lists her cause of death as sepsis with “retained products of conception,” meaning tissue that grew during her pregnancy but remained after her miscarriage.

Credit: Highlighted and redacted by ProPublica

Among those experts were more than a dozen OB-GYNs and maternal-fetal medicine specialists from across the country, including researchers at prestigious institutions, doctors who regularly handle miscarriages and experts who have served on state maternal mortality review committees or held posts at national professional medical organizations.

If you are a former member of the health committee or would like to find an area where you could be involved, please contact me at health@nfbpwc.org and I will put you on my list. The more you can contribute, the easier it makes it for me. I’d love to have you. We will meet on the 3rd or 4th Monday of the month unless there are any conflicts or holiday forthcoming.

By: Susan Oser
NFBPWC Health Chair, health@nfbpwc.org

Greetings. The first meeting of the Health Committee is in the books. While it was a smaller than expected turnout, some great ideas and a theme came out of it. So, our main theme for this year is focusing on our more seasoned members of the organization and what their health concerns are. Stay tuned to this column for future announcements and updates.

If you are a former member of the health committee or would like to find an area where you could be involved, please contact me at health@nfbpwc.org and I will put you on my list. The more you can contribute, the easier it makes it for me. I’d love to have you.

Healthy Thinking for the Month:

If you are suffering from election burnout you are not the only one. The constant bombardment of commercials, mailers, rallies on TV, etc. has been overwhelming. The best thing to do is turn it off and ignore it. These ads are all about asking for donations using feat, intimidation and negativity. So, if you want to do something positive, call a friend, take a walk…do anything that makes you feel happy and at peace. Elections may come and go, but in the end, we still must take care of ourselves.

Health Awareness Dates:

November is –

American Diabetes Month, Children's Grief Awareness Month, Diabetic Eye Disease Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month, Eye Donation Month, Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month, Hepatitis C (HCV) Education, Awareness and Screening Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Movember, MADD's Tie One On For Safety Holiday Campaign (11/1- 1/1/25), National PPSI AIDS Awareness Month, National Alzheimer's Disease Month, National COPD Month, National Diabetes Month, National Family Caregivers Month, National Healthy Skin Month, National Home Care & Hospice Month , National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, National Impotency Month, National Long-term Care Awareness Month, National Marrow Awareness Month, National Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Awareness & Appreciation Month, National Pet Cancer Awareness Month, National PPSI Aids Awareness Month, NET Cancer Awareness Month, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Pet Diabetes Month, PPHI Aids Awareness Month, Prematurity Awareness Month, PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month, Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, World Vegan Month

We will try to meet on the 3rd or 4th Monday of the month unless there are any conflicts or holiday forthcoming.

By: Susan Oser
NFBPWC Health Chair, health@nfbpwc.org 

Apologies for taking so long to get organized for future Health Committee meetings and  communications. There’s been a few technical delays that by the time this report is posted,  should be in the process of moving forward. I thank those of you who have answered my  emails, and I have contacted. I hope once we get started that we can become an active and  viable part of NFBPWC. 

One issue I’d like to personally highlight is October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is very personal  to me since I lost my mom about 2 ½ years ago to Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. I’m sure some of you feel this  way too whether you are a survivor, are currently fighting the battle, or have lost someone. You don’t have to  just get a mammogram in October but anytime of the year. And if it is your first time, let your radiologist know  and they will make your experience as comfortable as possible. 

PSA – Please make sure to check your deadlines to renew your Medicaid and Medicare. They come up quickly  and you might lose it if you don’t make the deadline or submit the right information. 

If you are a former member of the health committee or would like to find an area where you could be involved,  please contact me at soser@nfbpwc.org or health@nfbpwc.org and I will put you on my list.  

Nermin Armad, Chair of Women on the Move Committee and current NFBPWC Secretary submitted a  contribution I want to share to give you an idea of what I am looking for with contributing articles: 

Women's health is as portable as women are, but each of us is responsible for ourselves.

Health is critical for all women, but ironically most women do not have the time to really look after themselves,  especially those who are on the move. Any woman who relocates will spend time finding good doctors for her  children, but for convenience will go to the doctor her spouse selects (through work), provided by her job or  school, or if she moves without a framework of support, the first doctor recommended by her insurance company.  As a working woman, I did not have time to check out doctors, and to invest in planning my holistic approach to  my health. Fortunately, my mother had found amazing doctors for us in most of the places we lived (we moved  every 2 years). As a result, I knew and understood my body, and could gauge when I needed professional help.  Now, I am fine tuning my approach to health. At 67 I want to be independent for as long as possible - and started  to work on my mind and body as a whole. I research doctors, and I talk to them to understand what they believe  is important. For me, a doctor is not like a car mechanic, who fixes an emerging or apparent problem. A doctor  is a collaborator, who explains changes to the body before they happen, who helps one be mentally and physically  prepared for the next steps. I also am aware of my body, and changes - such as I should have less milk products  as I age (whole fat or not), but I need more protein for my memory (150 grams a day is my calculation for myself).  I need to have 45 - 60 minutes of sustained level 2 cardio workouts at least 3 times a week. The result after a year:  I went windsurfing in July (first time since 1985), I went horseback riding in August (first time since 1974, and I  go hiking again. I have lost 32 kilograms by changing when I eat (and by giving up food with growth hormones,  and making my own bread), and can easily walk (despite arthritic knees).  

Looking after my husband for 5 years, 10 years on his walker, and sitting in an office chair every day, being a  passenger on too many long-haul flights were killing me. I lost all the muscle of my more sportive youth. I did  not need a Doctor to tell me that. But I did not understand that my body welcomed the chance to do a lot of things  that my mind had given up on. Women on the move do not need health infrastructure as much as they need  resource to build a healthy outlook on life. That is critical. NFBPWC's Health Committee is an opportunity to  provide resources to internalize that vision. 

Health Awareness Dates: 

October is – 

AIDS Awareness Month (President Reagan), American Pharmacists Month, Antidepressant Death  Awareness Month, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  Bullying Prevention Month, (World) Blindness Awareness Month, Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month,,  Celiac Disease Awareness Month, College Students with Disabilities Advocacy Month, Contact Lens Safety  Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness  Month, Eat Better, Eat Together Month, Eczema Awareness Month, Emotional Intelligence Awareness  Month, Emotional Wellness Month, Eye Injury Prevention Month (Note: There is also one in July.), Go  Sober For October, Health Literacy Month, Home Eye Safety Month, Long Term Care Planning Month,  National AIDS Awareness Month, (Note: July is HIV Awareness Month also.), National  Audiology/Protect Your Hearing Month, National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, National  Chiropractic Health Month, National Critical Illness Awareness Month, National Dental Hygiene Month,  National Depression Education & Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month,  National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Down Syndrome Month, National Dwarfism  Awareness Month, National Family Sexuality Education Month - Let's Talk!, National Liver Awareness  Month, National Medical Librarians Month, National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month, National  Orthodontic Health Month, National Pescatarian Month, National Physical Therapy Month, National  Protect Your Hearing Month, National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, National Spina Bifida  Awareness Month, National Stop Bullying Month, National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, National  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, Organize Your Medical Information Month, Positive  Attitude Month, Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, Talk About Medicines Month, Vegetarian Month,  World Menopause Month

By: Susan Oser
NFBPWC Health Chair, health@nfbpwc.org 

Hello everyone. I am your new Health Committee Chair, Susan Oser from the great state of  Michigan. I would like thank President Barbara Bozeman for having trust in me in this role. 

What makes the right person for this position? 

1. I had a mother who was a licensed practicing nurse (LPN), so I learned some of the  basics from her. 

2. I am currently going through some of my own health-related issues that I would like to encourage you to  take care of your own health. 

3. I decided to take on this role because I feel like there is a big need to discuss women’s health.  4. I would like to make sure there are resources for reaching out for all forms of health issues. 

If you are a former member of the health committee or would like to find an area where you could be involved,  please contact me at soser@nfbpwc.org and I will put you on my list. I have not decided on a meeting date or  time officially, but once I do, I shall let you know. If you have any suggestions for focus topics, articles to write,  etc. Please let me know.  

I would like to make women’s health something we should not be scared to talk about no matter what age we  are or what kind of situation we are going through.

Health Awareness Dates: September is – 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month, Atrial Fibrillation Month, Baby Safety Month, Blood Cancer  Awareness Month, Cholesterol Education Month, Craniofacial Acceptance Month, Global Pulmonary Fibrosis  Awareness Month, Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month, Histiocytosis Awareness Month, (World) Leukemia  and Lymphoma Awareness Month, Mesothelioma Awareness Month, Mold Awareness Month, National Alcohol  & Drug Addiction Recovery Month, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, National Disease Literacy  Month, National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month, National Food Safety Education Month,  National Head Lice Prevention Month, National Infant Mortality Awareness Month, National Osteopathic  Medicine Month, National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, National Pediculosis (Head Lice) Prevention  Month, National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, National Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, National  Sickle Cell Month, National Skin Care Awareness Month, National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month,  National Suicide Prevention Month, Pain Awareness Month, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, Polycystic  Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month, Self-Care Awareness Month, Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety  Month, Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, World Alzheimer's Month.

Keri Hess Laursen
NFBPWC Health Committee Chair, Downtown Sacramento Member Health@NFBPWC.org 

The Health Committee is seeking a co-chair, no experience required! 

The Health Committee currently meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 5pm PST.   

Please email Keri at:  health@nfbpwc.org to inquire about serving as co-chair or to get on the Health Committee listserv. 

 

Rapid Response Committee Report   

By: Susan E. Oser, NFBPWC Rapid Response Committee Chair 

What Makes an Effective Rapid Response Team 

In an article written for The Management Center website I found some great information on what makes a good rapid response team. 

Source: 

https://www.managementcenter.org/resources/tipsfor-running-an-effective-covid-19-rapid-responseteam/ 

Please connect with Sue Oser at rapidresponse@nfbpwc.org if you have any ideas on topics that should be focused on and discussed as we get into the big election cycle. 

Keri Hess Laursen
NFBPWC Health Committee Chair, Downtown Sacramento Member Health@NFBPWC.org

The Health Committee is seeking a co-chair, no experience required!

The Health Committee currently meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 5pm PST.

Please email Keri at: health@nfbpwc.orgto inquire about serving as co-chair or to get on the Health Committee listserv.

NFBPWC Health Committee is Seeking a Co-Chair!

Keri Hess Laursen, NFBPWC Health Committee Chair, Downtown Sacramento Member Health@NFBPWC.org 

The Health Committee is seeking a co-chair, no experience required!

The Health Committee currently meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 5pm PST.  

Please email Keri at:  health@nfbpwc.org to inquire about serving as co-chair or to get on the Health Committee listserv

Period Poverty Call to Action

Message from NFBPWC President Megan Shellman-Rickard

As you may be aware, NFBPWC has started a new initiative to tackle period poverty, led by our Young BPW. As you may not be aware, period poverty is a pressing issue in the US, affecting millions of menstruators every year who struggle to access essential menstrual hygiene products. To commemorate Period Action Day, held annually on the second Saturday of October, I am reaching out to you, our dedicated NFBPWC leaders, to encourage your participation in our nationwide Period Product Drive Campaign.

What is the Period Product Drive Campaign?

Our Period Product Drive aims to collect and distribute menstrual hygiene products to those in need in our local communities. By hosting a drive, you'll be contributing directly to alleviating period poverty and promoting menstrual health and hygiene. The goal is to coincide period product drives in our chapters nationwide with Period Action Day.

Why Participate?

By organizing a Period Product Drive, you'll be helping individuals who often lack access to necessary period supplies. Your efforts will directly improve the quality of life for women in your community. Engaging in this campaign also allows you to connect with your community on a deeply meaningful level. It's an opportunity to raise awareness about period poverty and mobilize support. Lastly, hosting a drive empowers your chapter and its members to drive positive change. Your leadership can inspire others to get involved and make a lasting impact.

Resources and Support:

To assist you in your efforts, we have prepared a comprehensive guide containing planning tips, promotional materials, and information about period poverty. Additionally, the period poverty team is here to provide guidance and answer any questions you may have along the way. We also encourage you to use the period product price tracker put together by the period poverty team. We will be using this information to create more advocacy and educational campaigns.

Period Product Drive Info.pdf

Let's come together and take action against period poverty. Your dedication as affiliate chapter leaders is what makes our organization thrive and our impact real. Together, we can create a world where everyone has access to the basic necessities they deserve.

Please let us know if you're interested in hosting a Period Product Drive, and we'll be more than happy to provide you with all the support you need to make it a success. You can also join the next period poverty meeting scheduled for September 28th. Feel free to reach out to Young BPW Emily VanVleck at evanvleck@nfbpwc.org for further information or assistance.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our cause. Let's make a difference together!

Health Committee Report
By: Keri Hess Laursen, NFBPWC Health Committee Chair