Health
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- Written by: U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Rural Resource Guide to Help Communities Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse is a first-of-its-kind, one-stop-shop for rural leaders looking for Federal funding and partnership opportunities.
“Many rural communities in America have been especially hard hit by the opioid crisis,” said Deputy Director Carroll. “ONDCP and USDA partnered to create this guide to help them find the Federal resources that can help them respond.”
“Strong and healthy communities are a cornerstone for prosperity in rural America,” Hazlett said. “Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is committed to empowering rural leaders with tools to better leverage state, local and private resources with federal investment.”
More than 300,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving opioids since 2000. President Donald J. Trump has mobilized his entire Administration to address opioid abuse by directing the declaration of a nationwide Public Health Emergency. For a rural community or county already struggling to attract new – or maintain existing – businesses, the impact of opioid misuse on the quality of life and economic prosperity can be enormous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in October 2017 that death rates from drug overdoses in rural areas have now surpassed drug overdose death rates in urban areas.
The Rural Resource Guide to Help Communities Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse was developed by the Rural Opioid Federal Interagency Working Group. In May 2018, the ONDCP stood up the Rural Opioid Federal Interagency Working Group to help address the opioid crisis by improving coordination and reducing potential overlap among federal agencies responding to the crisis in the Nation’s rural communities.
The working group is co-chaired by ONDCP and USDA. The departments and agencies represented on the Rural Opioid Federal Interagency Working Group include the Departments of Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing, Justice, Labor, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs; the Corporation for National and Community Service; and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The Rural Resource Guide to Help Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse is the second tool announced this month in USDA’s Community Opioid Misuse Toolbox – a suite of essential tools supporting grassroots strategies to address the opioid epidemic.
In October, USDA launched the Community Assessment Tool, an interactive database to help community leaders assess how and why the opioid epidemic is impacting their regions. USDA’s Community Opioid Misuse Toolbox is free and available to the public. It can be accessed on USDA’s Rural Opioid Misuse Webpage.
https://www.usda.gov/topics/opioids
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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- Written by: American Thoracic Society
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive 6- to 12-week program of exercise and education that is proven to reduce symptoms, improve exercise capacity and enhance quality of life for patients living with chronic respiratory diseases. However, it is significantly underutilized, particularly as compared to pharmacological treatments such as inhalers or steroids.
A recent study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society showed only 1.9 percent of patients hospitalized for COPD received pulmonary rehabilitation within six months of being discharged.
The survey sample comprised 500 patients diagnosed with COPD, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease or other chronic pulmonary disorders. It was conducted by Wakefield Research, an independent market research agency, and commissioned by ATS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving global health by advancing research, patient care and public health in pulmonary disease, critical illness and sleep disorders.
Chronic respiratory diseases, the most common being chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer; of these, they are the only cause of death that is on the rise.
The survey revealed that 40 percent of patients diagnosed with these diseases are unaware of how deadly their condition is. Respondents ranked stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer’s over chronic respiratory diseases as leading causes of death. In fact, 28 percent of respondents did not rank chronic respiratory diseases in the top three at all.
The new survey data builds upon the 2015 American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society policy statement on implementation of pulmonary rehabilitation, which highlighted key gaps in its utilization worldwide. Lack of health care provider and patient awareness were identified as key concerns. This follow-up survey confirms the concerns identified in the original statement and highlights the urgent need for increasing awareness of pulmonary rehabilitation.
People with chronic respiratory diseases are often limited in many daily activities and may not be able to even walk from one side of their home to the other, prepare a meal or wash their hair, according to Carolyn L. Rochester, MD, professor of medicine, pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine, Yale University of Medicine, past chair, ATS Assembly on Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
“With these diseases being a leading cause of death and the only one that’s on the rise, we had to ask, ‘Why aren’t patients getting treatment that’s proven to reduce their symptoms and improve their quality of life?’” said Rochester. “Although the ATS/ERS statement addressed this issue, this is the first U.S. study to quantitatively answer the question. Raising awareness of pulmonary rehabilitation, which is similar to cardiac rehabilitation for people with chronic heart conditions, is critical so that individuals can advocate for themselves.”
According to the new survey, in contrast with the lack of knowledge of pulmonary rehabilitation, the majority of patients with a chronic pulmonary disorder have heard of oxygen therapy (70 percent) as well as medicinal interventions, including long-acting or maintenance inhalers (61 percent), short-acting or rescue inhalers (52 percent) and inhaled or oral steroids (52 percent) as treatments for their disease.
The Wakefield survey also found that many patients who have heard of pulmonary rehabilitation do not pursue treatment or fail to complete treatment. Of the 38 percent of respondents who had heard of pulmonary rehabilitation, only 29 percent completed the program.
For those who did not participate in pulmonary rehabilitation or started and did not complete the program, the following were the most common reasons given:
– 36 percent said it is too difficult to travel there.
– 28 percent said the program is too expensive.
– 27 percent said their breathing is so bad, it is difficult to leave home.
– 27 percent said it is emotionally too difficult, such as due to feelings of embarrassment or anxiety.
“Understanding the reasons why people don’t utilize pulmonary rehab and minimizing the barriers to participation enables us to help more people with COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases get the treatment they need,” said Chris Garvey, FNP, MSN, MPA, MAACVPR, UCSF Sleep Disorders and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. “Pulmonary rehab works by strengthening the muscles to ease the burden on the lungs. It’s a safe, friendly environment to learn how to manage breathing, allowing patients to not only feel better, but to do more in their lives – activities they currently avoid because of their symptoms.”
The survey revealed that more than half (57 percent) of respondents avoid climbing stairs due to their breathing problems. Half (50 percent) don’t carry items when they walk.
Other avoided tasks include:
– Household chores, such as cleaning the house or doing laundry (48 percent);
– Going outside their home to do errands, such as grocery shopping (43 percent);
– Going outside their home to attend social events or gatherings (42 percent);
– Caring for their pet(s), such as taking them for walks (37 percent);
– Playing with or entertaining their children or grandchildren (37 percent);
– Cooking or preparing meals (28 percent);
– Daily personal hygiene tasks, such as washing their hair or brushing their teeth (28 percent).
People who complete a pulmonary rehabilitation program report having a positive experience.
“When I first started pulmonary rehabilitation, I couldn’t even get mail from my mailbox, so it was hard to imagine exercising. Every two weeks, I added in a new activity and within nine months, I was able to do most of what I wanted to do,” said Lynn Markwell, a patient who completed pulmonary rehabilitation one year after being diagnosed with interstitial lung disease in 2004. “I was told I didn’t have long to live, but if you do the exercises, learn to manage your breathing and know your medications, you can feel better and start living your life again.”
For more information about pulmonary rehabilitation and to find a local program, visit www.livebetter.org.
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- Written by: Mendocino College
UKIAH, Calif. – First year nursing student Jessica Hernandez is a full-time student at Mendocino College enrolled in the college’s nursing program.
She is the fortunate recipient of a new scholarship from the American Legion’s Forty and Eight Society.
Forty and Eight representative Dennis Alexander contacted the nursing program because the club members wanted to provide a scholarship to a student enrolled in the nursing program who resides in Lake County, the home of the society.
According to staff in the nursing program, Hernandez immediately came to mind. She is a thoughtful, conscientious and hard-working student who lives in Lake County.
She is a graduate of Clear Lake High School and has been employed by Sutter Lakeside Hospital since 2011 as a certified nursing assistant.
Hernandez has always wanted to be a nurse and indicated that her role model is her mother. “My mother has always worked hard and supported and encouraged me to succeed,” she said.
She is following her mother’s example by encouraging her 5-year-old daughter Aleah, who also wants to be a nurse when she grows up.
Hernandez was excited to receive the scholarship and is on track to graduate from the nursing program in the spring of 2020, at which time she hopes to begin her nursing career at Sutter Lakeside.
The Forty and Eight Society is a veterans’ organization in Lake County that is actively involved in programs supporting child welfare, youth sports, training for nurses, Carville Star and other veterans affairs voluntary services.
Members of the Forty and Eight are also members of the American Legion. The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans.
For more information about the Mendocino College Foundation or to donate towards any of their programs, contact Katie Fairbairn, executive director, at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for 29 percent of all cancer deaths. In fact, smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns, and illegal drugs do combined.
Smoking not only causes cancer, but it also damages nearly every organ in the body, including the lungs, heart, blood vessels, reproductive organs, mouth, skin, eyes and bones.
Addiction to the nicotine in cigarettes is one of the strongest and most deadly addictions one
can have.
Each year, approximately 20 million American smokers try to quit, representing more than half of the 37.8 million smokers in the U.S. Only 7 percent succeed. An even greater percentage of smokers (68 percent) report being interested in quitting.
Quitting is hard. It takes commitment, and starts with a plan.
Getting help through counseling and/or prescription medications can triple your chances of quitting successfully.
Support is also essential. Smoking cessation programs, like the California Smokers Helpline (1-800-NOBUTTS), the American Cancer Society’s Freshstart program, Nicotine Anonymous meetings, self-help materials such as books and pamphlets, and smoking counselors or coaches can be of great help.
The American Cancer Society is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide support as you make your plan to quit. More information is available at www.cancer.org/Smokeout or by calling 1-800-227-2345.
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