"Contagion" and Sept. 20th!

If you haven't seen the movie, go! Especially if your a public geek like myself and I am assuming you are some level of public health scale if you are reading this blog. I just went to the Cinema to watch the movie and it was very good at highlighting how public health would take a role in such a disease outbreak or in any type of emergency preparedness situation.

I have been interested in Emergency Management/Preparedness since I did an internship at Rock Island County Health Department, where I went to Augustana College in Rock Island, IL ('05 graduate). I would suggest if you are an undergrad or simply interested in learning more about public health to visit your local county health department to see the variety of services they provide to your community. In addition, ask how they connect with state and federal agencies in emergency preparedness situations.

As was noted in the movie, it takes health communication specialists, epidemiologists, administrators, homeland security, bio-staticians, and many more to coordinate efforts for public health and to consistently prepare and drill for all types of public health situations.

'The Nation's Health" by APHA put out a story to highlight the public health implications of the movie and to remind readers that September is Emergency Preparedness month and September 20th is 'Get Ready' day, so if you haven't already, GET READY! BE PREPARED! and learn more about PUBLIC HEALTH!

~ Ryan

Exclusive: Behind the scenes of ‘Contagion’ with The Nation's Health:

http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/41/7/1.4.full

Fun in the Sun!

The weather has finally "cooled" off here in the midwest, but I kind of liked the warm middle to upper 90's! Sometimes the sun and heat feel good when lying next to the pool, which I try to do as much as I can! I worked at a pool in high school for over 5 year (3 as a lifeguard) and sunscreen was a major deal then as it is today.

There was a recent article in the New York Times (NYT) that just broke that the F.D.A. will be unveiling new regulations on sunscreen, specifically the controversy of words like "sweat-proof" and "waterproof." In addition, they wanted to make sure that a sunscreen protected against both UVA and UVB rays, which are both damaging. This is a huge public health push and one not to be taken lightly. With the University of Iowa being in the midwest, there no beaches, except for those plots of sand on lakes we like to call "beaches" ;)

Public Health is all around us, whether we like it or not. Let's take the pool, there are regulations on the chlorine and other chemicals that go into the water, temperature of the water, signage around the pool, entering/exiting spots for the pool, etc. Without public health, many of these areas maybe unsafe or not held accountable when there are issues at hand.

I hope you all have gotten in a little pre-summer dip, cause we all know that Summer doesn't officially begin till June 21st :)

Seriously, What is going on!

So I "opened up" my favorite online newspaper, Huff Post, only to find that more dead birds are being found around the world! I had to put this up on the blog, because I wanted to get your opinion on what you think is going on and how this may have implications on public health.

Ryan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/06/birds-dying-in-italy-thou_n_805541.html

2011! SMOKING CHANGE

So the NEW YEAR is here and look it's already Tuesday and Governor's have changed hands in a handful of states and the HOUSE is gearing up to strike down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)...the outlook is bright! ;) Seriously though, change is always going to happen no matter if there is a new year or not and it is one of those things we all have to deal with. I have gone through a lot of change in my life and is partially why I choose the career field I am in, because health care is always changing. Before PPACA, health care went through constant change. Everything from reimbursement models, quality measures, how and where healthcare is delivered, etc. If your somebody reading today and are thinking of public health and its impact on our everyday activities and health, just think of smoking. 1964 was the first time that the Surgeon General declared that smoking causes cancer, yet it wasn't until the middle of the past decade that smoking bans and culture around the health effects of smoking started to really change. Public health change can take time, other issues may take shorter amounts, either way public health is essential to our daily living. Everything from drinking water, to street signs, to the food you might be eating while reading this blog.

I hope you consider a career in public health and have taken the time to look over Iowa's College of Public Health website to read over some of the awesome things we are doing to change public health now and for the future!

Ryan

PS - The picture is from New Year's Eve :)

New Years Resolutions

So as today is the last in 2010! So what does this mean to you...

1) One more year till 2012 when the earth will end?

2) The year you start working out more and eating more healthy?

3) Stop smoking?

Whatever your thoughts are on a new year beginning, I encourage you to take time to reflect on the past year and where you've seen your life grow. I have been doing a lot of this and have accomplished so much at the same time learning a lot from decisions I've made. In addition, I am one of hose that wants to start working out more and eating healthier, which will be realized in the next couple weeks hopefully!

A story that got me thinking of all this was in Huffingtonpost.com about anti-smoking adds that New York City was going to enforce be placed at business. The signs were struck down by a 1965 law that states that the federal government has to deal with cigarette labeling and advertising. The law also stated that no state law could impose a requirement or prohibition with respect to advertising or promotion of cigarettes. I was shocked that in 2010, almost 2011, that we are still debating and arguing over the health effects of smoking. It irritates me to see so many still smoking, with so much help to quit, but this may fall on the part of health promotion of public health agencies and the need for diverse was to market prevention programs to a wide variety of individuals.

In all, I hope you have a safe and healthy New Years and see you in 2011~

Ryan

Food Safety Bill and Public Health!

As I was catching up on headlines today I came across another example of public health: Food Safety and Prevention. There was a new bill passed by the Senate and finally the House that is waiting the signature of President Obama.

The bill focuses a lot on prevention and gives the federal government new powers to inspect processing plants, order recalls and impose stricter standards for imported foods. The bill would also requires larger farms and food manufacturers to prepare detailed food safety plans and tell the Food and Drug Administration how they are working to keep their food safe at different stages of production.

This story reminded me a lot of when I was an intern at Rock Island County Health Department and there was the suspected tomato Salmonella outbreak, which ended up being Jalapenos Peppers. There was a lot of investigation after the fact and not a lot of prevention before or steps put in place to catch the origin of the outbreak quickly. I hope this new food safety bill will implement better practices and learn from past experiences, because I am definitely a firm believer that history does repeat itself in some form or shape. Here are a couple highlights from the new bill, what do you think?:

• Allow the FDA to order a recall of tainted foods. Currently the agency can only negotiate with businesses to order voluntary recalls;
• Require the FDA to create new produce safety regulations for producers of the highest risk fruits and vegetables;
• Increase inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities, directing the most resources to those operations with the highest risk profiles. The riskiest domestic facilities would be inspected every three years;
• Require farms and processors to keep records to help the government trace recalled foods;
• Require grocery stores to proactively alert consumers about recalls.

However, the bill would not apply to meat, poultry or processed eggs, which are regulated by the Agriculture Department. Those foods have long been subject to much more rigorous inspections and oversight than FDA-regulated foods.

Ironically though, where I read this story and pulled the bullet list of highlights from the bill had the egg picture I have in the blog. The estimates from the CDC below were quoted at the end of the story and I thought they were a nice reminder of how serious this issue still is in the United States,

Ryan

New estimates released by the federal Centers for Disease Control this month say that about 48 million people – or about one in six Americans – are sickened, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/21/food-safety-bill_n_799963.html

TSA and Pardoning the Turkey!

Good Morning!

I have included some funny bumper stickers about the TSA full body scanners and pat downs that seem to be the topic of talk on the news networks today, but wanted to focus on the Holiday that is upon most Americans, Thanksgiving!

What do you have to be thankful for, is it family, friends and act of kindness by another. Is it public health efforts that have saved millions of lives around the world, including clean drinking water and traffic signs that keep those traveling this weekend safe on the roads. Whatever your thankful for, remember there are those out there that still need to be reached by public health and that even in the United States, issues such as poverty are very real.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Safe Travels :)

Ryan

Tube Tuesday!

Hello all,

As I was shopping this weekend, I tried to find the tubeless toilet paper rolls I had just witnessed on the evening news Sunday night. I unfortunately did not find them since Scott Tissue, who is making the product is only selling them at Walmart's and Sam's Clubs in the Northeast to see their market viability.

I thought the idea was simple and practical. It made me think of how far the "Green" movement has really come and how consumer demand can really make companies change they way they produce their products. I'm glad to see such change and hope that a story like this encourages you to recycle or use less of what y0u currently have to reduce, reuse and recycle. Ultimately, sustainability can save money, which I am sure it is doing for Scott by not putting that cardboard roll in the middle. Here is the full article if you want to read more: Kimberly-Clark Tube Free Rolls

Ryan

Trick or Treat Monday!

Hey all,

Here is fun story about how some parents and children are sorting and donating those pieces of candy they might not enjoy as much as others. You could almost call this a "Green" way to get rid of the candy you don't like. The article also goes on to describe how to maintain your candy indulgence.

Have a Happy Monday Morning!

Ryan

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/diet-nutrition/2010-10-27-halloweencandy27_ST_N.htm

"It gets better"

Hello all,

Today I was sent a video that made me cry and realize how well I had it coming out as gay to my friends, family and community. There are so many out there that do not have the respect from their community when wanting to be accepted for who they are.

I hope you have time to watch this video, as it is a reminder that our communities, country and world still have a lot of growing to do. No one should be treated the way these young men were:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4

"Joel Burns tells gay teens "it gets better"

Thank you to all my friends, family and Augustana/Iowa community for accepting me for who I am.

With Love,

Ryan

Bill McKibben

Hey All,

There is an awesome event happening on campus tomorrow! We are getting Bill McKibben, author, educator and environmental activists to come speak at the Englert Theatre.

His lecture will be: "Creating a Sustainable World"

7:00PM

Englert Theatre

Free Admission

http://sustainability.uiowa.edu/mckibben-iowa/

If your in town, I hope to see you there :D

Ryan

First Couple Weeks!

Hi All,

I hope you all read a little bit of my bio before reading this post, but just in case I am entering my 2nd year as a dual degree MPH in Policy and MHA candidate within the College of Public Health (CPH) at Iowa! I'm starting the third week of classes and so much has happened that I think I would need a couple book chapters just to fill you in on my life. For tidbit of my summer, I interned at TRICARE Management Activity in San Diego, CA which if you would like to know more, just write a comment on the blog and I'll make it my next entry :)

In the meantime, here are some of the highlights that have gone on:

CPH Picnic/Brothers:

This was my first year attending the picnic in which all of CPH is invited to lower city park for brats, burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers too! It was great to see all the professors and deans in their picnic gear and to be able to meet some of their family members. Also, I always like going to these events because everyone is out of the classroom setting and everyone can kick back and have a good time. I took a lot of pics, which can been seen on our MPH Facebook Page

After the picnic, a lot of us that are in the College of Public Health Student Association (CPHSA) went downtown to a bar called "Brothers" for some drinks and to meet others who couldn't make it to the picnic. It was great to reconnect with friends that I hadn't had time to catch up with since we all got back and Brothers is probably one of my favorite bars downtown when I want to go out for the night.

Football:

So this past weekend was the first Home football game, which was against Eastern Illinois. We dominated them and I forgot how much fun a big-ten football game can feel. I celebrated with others in the program, which I am specifically from the Health Management and Policy (HMP) department within the CPH, but I found myself running into others as the game went on. I will try and post pictures up soon, but for now imagine a sea of gold t-shirts, 10's of thousands of fans all breathing and yelling for the Hawkeyes! I never was a huge football fan until I experienced the magnitude of how serious they take football here, it is definitely a culture ;)

I am looking forward to more fall like weather coming up so I can hit up the apple orchard and enjoy the season in which my birthday falls! I can't wait for this Friday, for the annual Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL) Golf Outing at Brown Deer, which I will blog about in my next entry...until then Good Morning Good Morning, because there's always someone waking up around the world!

Ryan