Save time and money!

A trip to a primary doctor first for preventative care and non-emergencies may assist with avoiding a trip to an emergency room or urgent care to save you money. In fact, if everybody did this, we would save about $67 billion annually. [1] Primary doctors have many of the same resources to request medical tests as doctors of the emergency room. In addition, you gain a more personalized experience within a shorter time frame. Less time is spent explaining your medical background to a primary physician, leaving more time to focus on your present health concerns.

Get Specialist Referrals & Recommendations

We can think of the primary doctor’s office as a hotspot where we can go to get treated or connected to a specialist, via a referral or recommendation. If the doctor believes specific care and attention is necessary, they may assist you with finding a specialist. This courtesy is helpful as the doctor’s office most often has established a working relationship with the specialist to whom they’re referring you to, and you don’t have the burden of searching for specialists your own. In 2009, “Patient complaints that lead to the most referrals are related to vision (21 percent), gynecological (18 percent), gastrointestinal (18 percent), orthopedic (16 percent), dermatological (15 percent), and cardiovascular (15 percent).” [2]

Keep track of Medical Records

A primary doctor maintains a medical folder just for you! This comes in handy when trying to remember the details of past diagnosis’, test results, procedures, and immunizations. More importantly, you and your doctor can monitor your health throughout the years. Many offices, including HealthNet, have online systems that allow patient access to medical records, lab results, and medicine/prescription records.

Build A Long-Lasting Relationships

As time progresses, you may feel more comfortable consulting with your doctor. Whether it be that your finger feels weird or experiencing intermittent heart palpitations, you can feel free to bring up both minor and major concerns at primary care appointments.

As you go through life, having someone on your side to help advocate for you is beneficial. Make the most of the process by researching the best doctor for you. Check out our Find a Provider database here at HealthNet for updated information and biographies of our amazing primary doctors.

[1] https://www.primarycareprogress.org/primary-care-case/ [2] https://www.3mhisinsideangle.com/blog-post/specialist-referral-primary-care-providers-information-need/

Posted by: Akiliah Walker, Marketing and Communications Intern

When adults get screened for colorectal cancer, it can be detected early at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful, and in some cases, it can be prevented through the detection and removal of precancerous polyps.  Most health insurance plans cover this potentially lifesaving screening.  Use the health benefits you’re paying for to get screened for colon cancer.

There are several recommended screening test options, including: colonoscopy, stool tests (fecal occult blood test [FOBT] or fecal immunochemical test [FIT]) and sigmoidoscopy.  The best test is the one that gets done, so talk to your primary care provider today!

To learn more you can visit cancer.org/colon or call 1-800-227-2345.

To find a HealthNet location and provider near you, please visit www.indyhealthnet.org.

Source:
www.cancer.org/coloncancer

I began to mentally compare my family’s location in a more affluent neighborhood in relation to what I was seeing in this neighborhood.  I came to the realization that even though this store had some choices that my family could purchase at our location, I was not able to make those same choices for those that my organization serves.  I began to wonder if this location would be considered a food desert, where most food choices are found at convenience stores and gas stations.

When I returned with my lackluster purchases that frankly, I was embarrassed to offer my hard working clients, I could not help but look up the definition of the “Food Desert.” The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Working Group considers a food desert as a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store.

So how can you make healthier choices if those choices are not available? Some health care systems and restaurants are working on this problem by creating rooftop gardens. As an organization that serves those experiencing homelessness, this may very well be the next track to help provide healthier options to the families who haven’t had these options in the past. These ideas can help families to have a brighter future and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

To learn more about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program or to make a donation,  please visit www.indyhealthnet.org/HIP.

For more information on food deserts please click here.

Post by Matt Holland

Today is National HIV Testing Day! Join others around the United States and get tested today! 

According to AIDS.gov, 1 in 8 people living with HIV are unaware of their infection. About 1 in 4 new HIV infections are among youth ages 13-24 (1). HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus , a blood born virus.  HIV is a virus that causes AIDS, and AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV.  AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Who should get tested?

According to the CDC, the behaviors listed below increase your chances of getting HIV. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should get tested for HIV as soon as possible (2).

• Have you injected drugs or steroids or shared equipment (such as needles, syringes, works) with others?
• Have you had unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners?
• Have you exchanged sex for drugs or money?
• Have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted infection (STI), like syphilis?
• Have you had unprotected sex with someone who could answer yes to any of the above questions?
• If you have had sex with someone whose history of sex partners and/or drug use is unknown to you or if you or your partner has had many sex partners, then you have more of a chance of being infected with HIV. Both you and your new partner should get tested for HIV, and learn the results, before having sex for the first time.

HealthNet’s Family Planning Title X Program offers confidential HIV testing. The Family Planning Resource Title X Program hours are as follows:

Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays 8:00 a.m. – Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays 2:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

To make an appointment to get tested, please call 317-957-2970. For more information about HealthNet’s Family Planning Title X Program and our services, please click here.

To find other HIV testing sites near you, visit gettested.cdc.gov.

Post by Holly Arnold

1. https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/ 

2. http://www.damien.org/hiv-testing-should-i-get-tested 

Many people are familiar with the “classic” signs of a heart attack: sudden, crushing chest pain that may feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest, and pain that radiates down your left arm. However, some people may not know that women can experience slightly different heart attack symptoms, too.

Although women can feel severe chest pain or left arm pain or tightness during a heart attack, they may also or instead experience some different symptoms, including:

• A feeling of fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It may be constant, or it may be on and off
• Pain in your jaw, arm, neck, back or stomach
• Feeling short of breath. You may feel short of breath with chest pain, or without chest pain
• Having cold sweat on your body
• Feeling nauseated (sick at your stomach) or vomiting (throwing up)
• Lightheadedness
• Feeling extremely tired
• Fainting

Of these symptoms, the most common ones for women to feel (other than chest pain) are “shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain” (source: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Heart-Attack-Symptoms-in-Women_UCM_436448_Article.jsp#.VssbaHT2a71).

Sometimes, it might feel too scary to admit to yourself that something serious could be happening. You might try to tell yourself, “I’m just tired” or “I bet it’s just the flu.” However, if you’re a woman and you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, or if a woman in your life is experiencing these symptoms,  especially if you have any history of heart disease, please go the hospital or call 911 right away! During a heart attack, delays in treatment can cause more of your heart muscle to become injured or die. This heart muscle damage or death can cause even more serious health problems. Taking heart attack symptoms seriously is very important for both women and men.

If you’d like more information about heart disease or heart attack, please ask your HealthNet staff or provider for handouts or other information.

Post by Kate Buckley

Source: Helen Osborne – www.healthliteracymonth.org

When you visit your doctor, do you always understand everything the doctor or staff tells you about your medications, your diet, or your health problems? If you don’t understand all the information given to you at a health center visit, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with health literacy.

“Health literacy is a person’s ability to understand and use health information (1).”

Anyone can have a hard time understanding information about disease and medicines or health instructions from health care professionals. Only one out of every ten adults in America has all the skills needed to fully use the health information that is commonly found on the internet, in stores, or at your health center. When you’re sick or worried, it can be even harder to understand information given at a health care visit (2). If you don’t understand information you receive at your doctor’s appointment, it might cause problems. For instance, if you don’t understand that you need to take your antibiotic until the pill bottle is empty, not just until you feel better, the germs that are making you sick might still be alive and might cause you to get sick again.

Staff and providers at health centers are learning health literacy skills like plain language, speaking slowly, and only giving out small chunks of information at a time to help patients better understand health information.  As a patient, there are some tools you can try, too:

• When you get health information from a doctor, nurse, or medical assistant, ask questions if you don’t understand what that person is saying.
• If you’re told you have a condition, such as obesity or diabetes, ask “What are the 3 most important things I need to know about this condition?”
• If you’re given instructions, ask the staff member or doctor if you can tell her the instructions in your own words to make sure you’ve got it. For example, you could say “I’m supposed to take this new pill, metformin, every day with breakfast and dinner. Is that right?”

HealthNet uses the Health Literacy Universal Precautions approach. This means, that anyone, at any time, can misunderstand their health information. Therefore, we put precautions in place to make sure everyone understands! Health center staff and patients can work together to promote health literacy. Then, patients can have the power to make healthier choices.

Post by Kate Buckley, RN

1. http://communicatehealth.com/ideas/glossary/#sthash.RWkFWHZf.dpuf

2. http://communicatehealth.com/2015/07/frequently-asked-question-why-%e2%9d%a4-health-literacy/

In King v. Burwell, the United States Supreme Court had to decide on the newest challenge to the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).  As stated in my first post, King argued that, as written, the ACA only provides support to states that set up their own exchange.  On the other hand, Burwell argued that the ACA meant to treat all health exchange markets the same, whether state-managed or not.

On July 25, 2015, the Court issued their opinion and ruled in favor of Burwell, saying that Congress meant to treat all exchanges the same.  This ruling means that those Hoosiers who received aid from the government to help purchase a health plan under the Federal Exchange will be able to keep this aid.

The 6 Justices who ruled in favor of Burwell explained that the words “established by a state” really meant to include Federal Exchanges as well.  Their 21-page ruling argued many points to help build their case, but one of their most basic points was that the ACA would fall apart if they read those words in favor of King.

King v. Burwell Broken Down

To help clarify this case, let’s think of the ACA as a 3-legged stool.  Each of the 3 legs, which are listed below, relies on the other in order hold the ACA up.  If one leg falls, however, then the entire stool will also fall over.   There are three key points, or legs, which make the ACA stand up:

1. People are given government aid (tax subsidies) to purchase a health plan.
2. The ACA says people must have insurance or pay a fee;
3. Insurance groups must accept every person in the State that applies for a plan, even if sick;

The Court said that if the ACA was read in favor of King then the ACA would collapse.  The points below make up what the Court called the “death spiral” of King’s argument.

1. No person in a federal exchange state would get any government aid in buying a plan.
2. If no one got any government aid, then many would not have to purchase any insurance at all, since the ACA says it would cost too much (over 8% of income).
3. If no one bought insurance, then insurance groups would have to a lot charge more money and many more people would lose coverage.

Conclusion

The Court said that Congress would not have meant for this “death spiral” to happen.  Congress would only pass the ACA in order for it to work; they would not have passed it if it was doomed to fail.  This is one of the many key reasons that the Court again found the ACA legal.  This was the second time the ACA has been in front of the Supreme Court, and the second time that it has been upheld.

Post by Dan Wegg

What does this mean for Indiana?
If the court agrees with King, over 200,000 Hoosiers may lose the money they received to help purchase their health plan, along with millions of Americans.[iii]  If the court agrees with Burwell, then all money that was received to help buy a health plan will be seen as legal and no one will be at risk for losing their support.

What will happen if King wins?
If King wins, Congress could slightly change the law to fix the problem. Although not likely, this would be the fastest option.  It could also fall on each state to fix the problem, for example, by setting up a new exchange. This, however, could cost a lot of money. We will hear a lot more about a fix in the coming months if the court rules in favor of King.[iv]

How will the Supreme Court decide?
The Supreme Court is made up of 9 Justices.  So far, 4 Justices seemed to side with the Burwell, while 2 seemed to side with King.  If this is the case, then Burwell only needs the support of one more Justice in order to save the ACA as it is written.[v]  Though this seems a bit more likely than not, it is very hard to say how this court will rule. We are looking for the ruling in late June; I’ll provide an update once more news is received.

Post by Dan Wegg, Corporate Affairs Manager

There is always a stigma based around everything, however a lot of times that stigma affects the person more than the actual disease itself.  We often focus on the disease rather than helping out the person.  What does that mean you ask?  If you discover someone you know, love, or care about has been infected with HIV/AIDS virus, what would you do?  Would you create distance between yourself and that person, or would you support them in getting the help they need? Many times, family do not understand how HIV/AIDS work and when they create distance between themselves and their loved one it makes it a lot harder for them to get the help they need.

What is HIV?
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus , a blood born virus.  HIV is a virus that causes AIDS, and AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV.  AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

How do you get HIV?
The virus is spread from person to person through blood and unprotected sex, sharing of body fluids; such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk.  The virus can be passed by sharing needles and syringes for people who use drugs.  Using drugs is an important factor in spreading HIV, as drugs and alcohol lower a person’s ability to make decisions and create risk factors for HIV to be spread (2).  In 2001, 30% of Americans had the HIV virus under control, and about 2/3 of that 30% who were diagnosed were no longer in care (3).

What happens when you get HIV?
Our body has white blood cells, also known as CD4 Cells or T cells, which help to keep our immune system strong. Once you are exposed to HIV, the virus has to get into the blood. It then attacks the CD4 Cells and begins repeating and breaks it down. The virus will move onto another healthy CD4 Cell and do the same thing, eventually lowering our immune system’s ability to protect itself.  Once the count of CD4 Cells get below 200, someone is then considered to have AIDS (4).

How does medicine help?
There is medicine for people with HIV/AIDS and if all medicines (usually 3) are taken daily, then that person has a greater chance of leading a “normal” life.   With HIV/AIDS medicine, if you start taking it for a while and then stop for whatever reason, you have to then be started on a new group of medicines, as the old medicine will no longer be effective. No one dies of AIDS, rather they die of pneumonia, cold, flu, etc. as the body can’t protect itself any more.

How can I protect myself against HIV?
You can protect yourself against HIV by limiting the number of sexual partners you have, always using a condom, and never sharing needles.You should also get tested for HIV.

HealthNet’s Family Planning Title X Program offers confidential HIV testing. For more information, click here or call 317-957-2970.

1. https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-hiv-and-aids-us
2. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/behavior/substanceuse.html 
3. http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns
4. http://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids/how-hiv-affects-the-body

Post by Bhumi Bhavsar

Did you know today is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is a global day dedicated to giving back! All over the world today, people are giving back and donating to their favorite charities and non-profit organizations.

Last year, HealthNet served more 58,801 individuals throughout Indianapolis. Through our network of community-based health centers, Homeless Initiative Program, Healthy Families Program, dental centers and support programs, we are working to improve the health status of our community.

In honor of Giving Tuesday, we invite you to give back today to help us continue our mission of improving lives with compassionate health care and support services, regardless of ability to pay. Your financial support enables HealthNet to bring quality health care and support services to residents who most need it and can least afford it. To make a donation online, visit us at www.indyhealthnet.org/donate.

See how your tax-deductible gift makes a difference in the lives of our patients:

$25 provides patients with emergency medical needs, such as medications, food, shelter, or transportation to and from medical offices.

$50 helps build literacy by providing books, volunteer readers and child-friendly waiting areas for HealthNet’s Reach Out and Read Program.

$100 gives HealthNet the ability to use your donation for the programs and people who need it most urgently.

$500 provides services through our Healthy Families Program that teach and encourage the skills that make a family work.

$1000 provides tuition for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and certification for someone in our Homeless Initiative Program.