Category: Health

For the first time since the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) began issuing its Emergency Travel Order in July of 2020, no states are in the “orange” tier that would necessitate a quarantine, full vaccination, or a negative COVID test for anyone arriving in Chicago. Due to improving conditions around the country and the ongoing up-take of the COVID-19 vaccine, no states are above the 15 cases per 100,000 residents per day threshold. Seven states that had been in the orange tier when the previous Travel Order was issued two weeks ago have moved to the yellow tier. Those states are Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia and Washington. Based on current data, the only states that are above 10 cases a day per 100,000 residents are Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, and West Virginia. No Midwest states are above 7.9 cases per day, per 100,000 residents:

State – Cases/100,000
Indiana – 7.9
Michigan – 7.9
Illinois- 7.3
Missouri – 7.3
Minnesota – 7.1
Wisconsin – 4.3
Iowa – 3.7

For more information, visit chicago.gov/coronavirus.

Nearly a year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic began significantly impairing the mental health of children and those that care for them, the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) announces two new initiatives to allocate $8.4 million of its 2021 and 2022 COVID-19 Recovery Funds to children’s mental health. The allocation, issued through two geographic-specific RFPs, one focused on 14 specific zip codes in Chicago, and the other focused on 14 specific counties across the state, will provide grants of up to $150,000 per year for two years. The cost of potentially funding 28 grants of $300,000 each, as well as the evaluation of the two initiatives, will total an estimated $8.6 million. Applications are due by close of business on August 16th. Schools located in the following zip codes and counties are invited to partner with a Medicaid billing non-profit mental health organization to submit a response to the appropriate RFP:  

Cook County Health will be distributing Six Flags Great America tickets on June 9 and June 16 to anyone who gets vaccinated at a CCH location, while supplies last. With summer coming, if you have not gotten your vaccine, now is the time. Find location details at myshotcookcounty.com/locations or calling 833-308-1988. Hours of sites and vaccines offered remain subject to change. Walk-ins are welcome. The last walk-in will be accepted 30 minutes prior to close. Individuals can still make appointments at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling 833-308-1988. Individuals under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to get vaccinated.

Por primera vez desde que el Departamento de Salud Pública de Chicago (CDPH) comenzara a expedir su Orden de Viaje de Emergencia en julio del 2020, ningún estado está en el nivel “naranja” que necesitaría una cuarentena, vacunaciones completas o una prueba negativa del COVID para cualquiera que llegue a Chicago. Debido a que las condiciones y actualizaciones de la vacuna del COVID-19 mejoran alrededor del país, ningún estado está arriba de 15 casos por 100,000 residentes por día. Siete estados que han estado en el nivel naranja cuando fue expedida la Orden de Viaje previa, hace dos semanas, han pasado al nivel amarillo. Estos estados son Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia y Washington. En base a datos actuales, los únicos estados que están con más de 10 casos al día por cada 100,000 residenets son Washington, Colorado, Wyoming y West Virginia. Ningún estado del Medio Oeste está por arriba de 7.9 casos por día, por 100,000 resientes:

Estado – Casos/100,000

Indiana – 7.9
Michigan – 7.9
Illinois – 7.3
Missouri – 7.3
Minnesota – 7.1
Wisconsin – 4.3
Iowa – 3.7

Para más información, visite chicago.gov/coronavirus.

Cook County Health distribuirá boletos para Six Flags Great America del 9 al 16 de junio a todos los que se vacunen en un local de CCH, mientras dure el surtido. Con la aproximación del verano, si usted no se ha vacunado, ahora el es momento. Vea detalles del lugar en myshotookcounty.com/locations o llame al 833-308-1988. Las horas de lugares y vacunas siguen sujetas al cambio. Las personas sin cita son bienvenidas. La última persona sin cita será aceptada 30 minutos antes del cierre. Las personas aún pueden hacer cita en vaccine.cookcountyil.gov o llamando al 833-308-1988. Las personas menores de 18 años deben estar acompañados por un padre o tutor para ser vacunados.

Biomarker testing — the medical technology used to determine medical risk factors like cancer — would be covered under state-regulated insurance plans under a measure sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago), which passed the Senate Tuesday. “Inequalities exist in our health care services, especially for communities of color and people with lower income,” Munoz said. “Everyone deserves the right to benefit from this testing that can lead to better health outcomes, and this is essential for our fight against inequalities in our health care services.” A “biomarker” is a sign of disease or abnormal function that can be measured in blood, tissue or bodily fluid. In cancer care, biomarkers are often used to help determine the best treatment for a patient. Biomarker testing analyzes a patient’s tissue, blood or other biospecimen for the presence of a biomarker. Insurance coverage for biomarker testing is currently limited and disparate, a fact Munoz said leads to inequities in care for cancer patients. House Bill 1779 requires group and individual accident and health insurance policies and managed care plans to include coverage for biomarker testing for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment. House Bill 1779 passed the Senate with a vote of 58-0.

Glowing skin is always the trend of the summer, after all dewy, fresh, and radiant skin not only makes you feel confident but also makes your skin look healthy and hydrated.  However, being in the sun all day can have a negative impact on your overall skin health, which is why we’d love to offer you Dove Dermatologist and beauty expert, Dr. Alicia Barba’s most coveted tips that will give your skin that TLC it needs all season. 

Go Easy on the Exfoliating: First step to glowing, radiant skin is to gently exfoliate in the shower because without proper exfoliation, skin can develop a dull appearance. I recommend exfoliating once a week and using a polish that has built in moisturizers. Remember to not over-exfoliate as that can strip the skin of its essential oils which leads to breakouts. Many people think by over exfoliating they’re going to scrub away the dry skin cells and somehow that’s going to make it better, but it makes it worse because you’re also rubbing away the natural lipids and proteins from the skin. 

Practice Proper Hair Removal Care: Part of many of our routines is hair removal, especially during Summer. The safest and most practical method for hair removal is shaving, especially for women of color. To safely shave, always start with a clean razor and shaving gel, while making sure to be gentle and not rub too hard against the skin as over exfoliation of the underarm area can lead to low grade inflammation, which in-turn can lead to staining of the underarm area.  

• Pro tip: After shaving, I recommend using a moisturizing antiperspirant like the new Dove Nourishing Secrets Waterlily & Sakura Blossom Antiperspirant. Made with Dove’s signature ¼ moisturizers, it provides up to 48-hour of odor and sweat protection, which will give you that long-lasting protection and hydration needed to withstand a hot summer day.  

Always keep Sunscreen Handy: I wear sunscreen every single day on my face but not on my body! I only wear it on my body when I am at the beach, or I’m exposed to the sun which in Miami is very often. In general sunscreen application all depends on what we do every day, if you’re truly indoors and there are no windows around you then you’re probably fine with not wearing sunscreen that day. But if you’re outdoors, suffer from pigment disorders and/or are at high risk for skin cancer, then I absolutely would be wearing sunscreen, especially on your face! 

Take Your Vitamins: As a dermatologist, I make people inherently vitamin D deficient! This is because I tell you to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen, so your natural vitamin D levels go down. Taking vitamin D helps to boost your immune system, fight inflammatory symptoms of acne, and strengthen elastin while maintaining overall skin health. Antioxidants for me are also non-negotiable. It’s one of the four things that I think are necessary. Antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and D are key to healthy skin.

To expand access to birth control – especially for women with limited financial resources – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) is championing a measure to allow people to receive contraceptives without visiting a doctor. “Birth control is a basic health care service and should be treated as such,” Bush said. “Providing greater access to contraceptives is providing a more equitable health care system.” Under the proposed legislation, pharmacists who wish to participate would have to meet several educational requirements to provide them with the best tools to help patients complete a self-screening risk assessment. Once the assessment is finished, the pharmacist would provide counseling and education on all methods of contraception, then help the patient choose a form of birth control.  Currently, 16 states and Washington, D.C. allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense self-administered hormonal birth control. House Bill 135 passed the Senate Insurance Committee Wednesday and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

Prueba de Biomarcadores – la tecnología médica utilizada para determinar factores médicos de riesgo, como el cáncer – serían cubiertos bajo planes de seguros regulados por el estado bajo una medida patrocinada por el Líder Asistente de las Mayorías, Tony (D-Chicago), que fue aprobado por el Senado el martes. “Existen desigualdades en nuestros servicios de cuidado de salud, especialmente para las comunidades de color y la gente con un bajo ingreso”, dijo Muñoz. “Todos merecen el derecho a los beneficios de esta prueba que puede llevar a mejores resultados de salud, y esto es esencial para nuestra lucha contra las desigualdades en nuestro servicio de cuidado de salud”. Una “prueba de biomarcadores” es un signo de enfermedad o función anormal que se puede medir en sangre, tejidos o fluidos corporales. En el cáncer, los biomarcadores son utilizados para ayudar a determinar el mejor tratamiento para un paciente. La prueba de biomarcadores analiza el tejido, la sangre u otros bioespecímenes del paciente buscando la presencia de un biomarcador. La cobertura del seguro para la prueba de biomarcadores está actualmente limitada y es dispar, hecho que Muñoz dice conduce a desigualdades en el cuidado de pacientes de cáncer. El Proyecto de Ley 1779 requiere que las pólizas de seguros de salud y accidentes grupales e individuales y los planes de atención administrada incluyan cobertura para pruebas de biomarcadores con fines de diagnóstico y control. El proyecto de ley 1779 de la Cámara de Representantes fue aprobado por el Senado con una votación de 58-0.

Para ampliar el acceso al control de la natalidad – especialmente para mujeres con recursos financieros limitados. La Senadora Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) defiende una medida para permitir que la gente reciba anticonceptivos sin visitar a un doctor. “El Control de la natalidad es un servicio básico de cuidado de salud y debe tratarse como tal”, dijo Bush. “Brindar un mayor acceso a los anticonceptivos es brindar un sistema de salud más equitativo”. Bajo la propuesta legislación, los farmacéuticos que deseen participar tendrían que reunir varios requisitos educativos para proporcionar los mejores medios para ayudar a los pacientes a completar una autoevaluación de riesgos. Una vez terminada la evaluación, el farmacéutico brindaría consejería y educación sobre todos los métodos anticonceptivos y luego ayudaría al paciente a escoger una forma de anticonceptivos. Actualmente, 16 estados y Washington D.C., permiten a los farmacéuticos recetar y entregar anticonceptivos hormonales auto-administrados. El Proyecto 135 de la Cámara fue aprobado el miércoles por el Comité de Seguros del Senado y ahora pasa al Senado en pleno para mayor consideración.