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The Ohio Department of Development and The Breathing Association is helping income-eligible Ohioans with water and wastewater assistance. The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) started in October 2021 and runs through September 2023.

The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) Can help:

Income 175% of Federal Poverty Guidelines
Utilities must be in disconnect status, shut off, in need of payment to transfer or establish new service
Maximum amount for bill payment assistance is up to $750 for water, up to $750 for wastewater/sewage or $1500 for water and wastewater combine

“Sometimes it helps to keep people in their homes because the water bill can be tied to your lease and if you don’t pay it you can be evicted,” Director of Government Programs for the Breathing Association Susan Spiert said. “That can put families out on the street. So, if we can pay the bill, they can stay in their homes.”

Spiert said in 2022, the program has helped pay water bills for 555 Central Ohio Families.

Columbus mom of four, Kiersten Clardy said The Breathing Association helped get her water turned back on this month.

“I am in a rental property and the bill was in my landlord’s name,” Clardy said. “I didn’t realize the bill had gotten so high. I really needed some assistance because at the time, I was attending school, a trades training and didn’t have any income coming in.”

Clardy said she owed $400.

Click here to read the full article

admin2023-03-28T14:21:46-04:00March 1st, 2023|Uncategorized|

New Programs for 2023

We’re excited to share our four new programs for 2023: At Home For Seniors, Quit For Good, Elevating New Moms and Kick The Nic.

At Home for Seniors is a new program that improves the health of seniors with conditions like asthma, COPD and tobacco cessation. This program helps reduces barriers to care by bringing education, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up services directly to their homes. For more information on this program call 614-457-4570 or click here to learn more.

Quit For Good is a free workplace tobacco cessation program that encourages employees to quit smoking. This evidence-based program gets results by combining best practices, such as group education and counseling, with individual follow up to help employees quit for good. For more information on this program, click here to learn more.

Elevating New Moms is a is a groundbreaking new initiative that aims to increase infant vitality and improve the health of new moms through smoking cessation programming. Participants receive counseling and both mom and infant receive basic health screenings throughout the program. For more information on this program, click here to learn more.

Kick the Nic is an interactive program that engages Central Ohio students and educates them about the dangers of nicotine use and the importance of prevention by addressing the health effects of nicotine use, the topic of peer pressure and encouraging parents and caregivers to continue the messaging at home. For more information on this program, click here to learn more.

admin2023-03-28T14:24:02-04:00February 24th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Postpartum Psychosis: Education, Screening, and Treatment for Maternal and Infant Vitality

This month, we want to spotlight a perinatal mental health complication that is often misunderstood and has recently received media attention. Perinatal or postpartum psychosis is a mental health condition that occurs during pregnancy and the first year following birth. This condition is deemed a mental health emergency due to the risk for harm to self and others, including infants and children. Timely screening and treatment are critical for optimal recovery.

Postpartum psychosis is characterized by the mom, pregnant woman, or birthing person losing touch with reality. Specifically, they may experience auditory or visual hallucinations where they hear or see things others do not see or hear. They may also experience delusions, characterized by strange or inaccurate beliefs, which can be associated with perinatal suicide and infanticide. Other symptoms include cognitive impairment, irritability, difficulty sleeping, paranoia, mood swings, and persistent thoughts about death or lack of safety¹.

Approximately 1-2 moms or birthing people per 1,000 births experience postpartum psychosis². Those who have been diagnosed with or have unmanaged symptoms of bipolar disorder may be at greater risk for this perinatal mental health complication. Although psychosis is a serious mental health condition, it can be treated. Treatment typically includes hospitalization, medication, and therapy. For those who experience postpartum psychosis to receive necessary treatment, there is a need for health care providers and birthworkers to receive adequate training on the breadth of perinatal mental health complications, as well as screening and referral processes. Additionally, there is a need for parents and family members to receive accurate education about all perinatal mental health complications and available resources. We have included resources for providers and families in this newsletter.

Resources:

admin2023-03-28T14:29:12-04:00February 22nd, 2023|Dr. Alfred, Uncategorized|

Our Charity Care Brings Health Equity

The patients we see every day in our Lung Health Clinic and out in the community in our Mobile Medical Unit receive the care and attention that they need but may not have access to treatment due to cost or accessibility.

At no cost to them, our patients get screenings, vaccinations, education on how to improve their breathing, smoking cessation tools and much more.

But we could do much more.

A major roadblock we face in our charity care is the ability to perform more detailed screenings. To more precisely screen for infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and other pulmonary diseases and conditions, we need a mobile X-Ray machine. This would give us the ability to see concerning spots in patients’ lungs to determine the best next steps for care. With a mobile X-Ray machine, that care can go anywhere we are, either in the community or in our own clinic.

For more information on how our patients could better be served if The Breathing Association had a mobile Xray machine, please click here to hear from Dr. Iyaad Hasan, DNP, MBA, APRN

Our charity care is 100% funded by people like you. Maybe you or someone you care for have been touched by a lung health condition, or you know someone who has benefited from charity care services. No matter your “why” we can all agree that providing much needed medical services to our growing vulnerable communities is much needed. This fiscal year we are on track to spend approximately $80,000 to provide charity care, have raised $47,000 so far. We are almost there. Would you help us bridge the gap in charity care?

Click Here to Donate Today

Together, we can care for every breath our community takes.

admin2023-03-28T14:32:36-04:00February 17th, 2023|Uncategorized|

Why the need is great: Franklin County reports higher rates of disease in every demographic group compared to the rest of Ohio

While rates of tuberculosis have remained constant overall, rates of the disease in every demographic group are higher in Franklin County as compared to Ohio. In fact, the tuberculosis is four times higher in Franklin County males and two times higher in Franklin County African American communities than in Ohio.

Interestingly, Franklin County residents ages 65 years and older have a higher percentage report having had a pneumonia vaccination than average Ohioans, yet Pneumonia is still one of the top 10 causes of admission for Franklin County hospitals. A mobile X-Ray Machine will help screen, diagnosis, and provide treatment to more individuals in their own communities.

2021 TB Risk Assessment for Franklin County, Ohio

2021 Ohio TB Cases

– Iyaad Hasan DNP, MBA, APRN

Chief Operations Officer / VP of Operations

admin2023-03-28T15:30:17-04:00February 10th, 2023|Uncategorized|

How Does Ohio Measure Up?

We need to do annual check-ups with our family physicians, don’t we? They can tell us so many things. In the last several weeks, there have been two great annual tobacco “check-ups” that can certainly tell us a lot about the state of Ohio. Let’s take a look. The first is the “Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Broken Promises To Our Children”. This report highlights that Ohio ranks 31^st in its spending on tobacco prevention and cessation. This is only a little over 11% of what the CDC recommended spending amount is. The state of Ohio brings in $1.2 billion in tobacco revenue and the tobacco industry spends almost $430 million to market its product in Ohio. So, what is the real cost to our state? Residents’ state and federal tax burden from smoking-caused expenditures is $1,186 per household. Tobacco killed 20,200 Ohio citizens last year. This isn’t a very good check-up.

Let’s now turn to the American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control Grade Card”. When I was a child, my teacher handed my grade card to me, and I then handed it to my parents. Here are Ohio’s grades: Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding: F, Smokefree Air: A, Tobacco Taxes: F, Access to Cessation Services: C, Flavored Tobacco Products: F. That’s 3F’s, 1C, 1A. They gave Ohio an overall grade of F. The ALA’s Ohio annual healthcare cost due to smoking is $5,647,310,236. And the last number I will share is the high school tobacco use rate. It is 36.70%. That is staggering.

What do we do with a diagnosis like this? Our primary care physician would certainly voice their concern about the state of our condition. We must use our voice and share our concern about the condition of the health of Ohio. We need to let our local elected officials know our concerns and most importantly, let our state and federal elected officials know these outcomes are not acceptable. We have the right and responsibility to hold them accountable. Ohio’s health will not improve if we simply hope for better outcomes.

admin2023-03-28T15:18:18-04:00February 6th, 2023|Bruce Barcelo, Uncategorized|

2023 Brimming With Optimism!

An Article by Bruce Barcelo

Happy New Year! There is nothing I would rather do than submit an article this month to 2023 brimming with optimism regarding youth vaping. National survey numbers told us that youth vaping went down in 2021 but when youth returned to classrooms in the fall of 2021 the conversations, I was having with school administrators from around the country certainly didn’t reflect that. Florida data recently released shows that vaping/tobacco incidents almost doubled in this past school year.

If we look at the sales numbers of e-cigarettes, we might better understand the youth epidemic. Zero percent of disposable e-cigarettes had the highest level of nicotine in 2017, today 90% have the highest level of nicotine. Nearly half of the high school students who vape do so daily. A number that doesn’t make any sense, the prices for vaping products with nicotine strengths that had a low nicotine level (1-2%), increased in prices ($10.40-$29.20). Products with high nicotine levels (4-5%) dropped ($12.80-$10.10). Why this is so concerning is that youth are price sensitive. The market moved to higher nicotine-level products with a cheaper cost for one reason.

So where do we turn for our New Year’s inspiration? Let us turn to the remarkable citizens of Ohio, who when it looked like Big Tobacco had used all its massive weight to sway politicians to potentially dismantle not only the Columbus flavor ban, but tobacco prevention efforts made around the state, it was you who called and wrote the governor to ask him to veto this effort. Today, Ohio is stronger because we stood together and weathered this storm. It is now a new year and together, we will battle because our youth need our support.

admin2023-03-28T15:31:19-04:00January 23rd, 2023|Bruce Barcelo, Uncategorized|

Partnering with Parents for Improved Nicotine Cessation Outcomes

Many parents who use nicotine products recognize that there are risks to their health and the wellbeing of their baby. However, efforts to quit are complicated by a myriad of factors, especially for those who Black, Indigenous and People of Color. For instance, in addition to having higher rates of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, research suggests that smokers who identify as African American also experience disparities in tobacco cessation counseling despite best practices for universal screening and counseling.^1,2,4As providers, we can positively impact the experiences of parents trying to quit using nicotine, especially those for whom health inequities exist. Below are some suggestions for becoming better partners with parents in tobacco treatment settings:

Listen to parents. We all know that quitting can be difficult. As providers, it is essential for us to understand the unique challenges of each parent, as well as their available resources if we are going to develop a quit plan that is realistic and attainable for them. If we are not collaborating with clients on strategies that meet their unique needs, quit attempts may not be as successful.
Practice cultural humility. A lack of awareness of cultural practices and rituals that are important to parents of diverse backgrounds may give the perception that these things are not valued or relevant to their quit attempts. It is important for us to recognize that culture matters in health care decision-making and behavior change. As such, it is imperative that we are intentional about understanding the lived experiences of those we serve and not imposing our values upon them.
Explore implicit biases. Implicit bias occurs when attitudes and perceptions unconsciously affect our behaviors. For providers offering nicotine cessation treatment, it is essential that we explore our implicit biases in working with specific populations and individuals and make appropriate corrections to behaviors that negatively impact care (e.g., decisions about who we offer services and what those services entail, confronting assumptions about treatment adherence). This may be difficult to discern without direct feedback from our clients. However, regular consultation and collaboration with colleagues from diverse backgrounds can support our efforts to be more aware of and reduce bias.
Address structural racism within our organizations. If we are to address the impact of structural racism in our organizational policies and practices, we must first acknowledge the systems of racism that exist. Prioritizing continuing education that focuses on anti-racism and cultural humility is an important first step. Ensuring that stakeholders are part of the process in creating nicotine cessation programs and services is also paramount. We should be developing programs with those who are seeking our services, not for

By becoming better partners to parents, especially those for whom health inequities exist, we can positively impact their well-being and the health of their babies. What commitment will you make to become a better partner?

References:

admin2023-03-28T15:41:09-04:00January 23rd, 2023|Dr. Alfred, Uncategorized|

Vaping is the new smoking

While tobacco products, combustibles as well as dip and chew, continue to be utilized by more than thirty million adults in the United States¹, vaping seems to be the new smoking. Research shows that vaping is one of the most popular substances use trends, especially among young adults and teens. Flavors that are enticing to young people, including sweet, fruity flavors and menthol have led to their popularity. Additionally, vaping devices come in forms that are appealing and discreet, making them more accessible than other forms of nicotine.

Vaping has also become popularized as a strategy for tobacco cessation. There is a perception that vaping is a healthier option than smoking. However, despite its popularity, vaping does not come without risks. We share a few myths and misconceptions to help clarify the dangers of using vaping devices and e-cigarettes.

Myth #1 Vaping is safe. While those who vape avoid exposure to tar, carbon monoxide and harmful chemicals that are associated with combustible tobacco, studies show that there are still thousands of toxins, metals, and ultrafine particles that people who vape are exposed to². Further, the substance that is released from vaping is not a water vapor. The substance released is an aerosol, which over time can result in cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Additionally, it has been estimated that more than 90% of vaping cartridges and liquids sold in the United States contain nicotine, which can be harmful to adolescent brain development and lead to nicotine dependence³. Vaping also presents risks for those who are pregnant. Vaping during pregnancy can result in low birth weight, and problems with lung and brain development in babies^4,5. In essence, vaping is not free from health risks for adults, youth, or those who are pregnant.

Myth #2 Vaping can help with tobacco cessation. While some have had success with quitting tobacco after initiating vaping, many who vape also continue to smoke in some capacity. Most American public health agencies discourage vaping and e-cigarettes as a tool for tobacco cessation because there are known, and unknown health risks associated with their use. Certified nicotine treatment specialists can assist those trying to quit in exploring safer options.

Myth #3 Vaping is not addictive. As noted earlier, most vapes contain nicotine, a substance that is highly addictive. Both physiological and psychological addiction are possible consequences of vaping. Working with a nicotine treatment specialist can help with developing strategies for managing cravings and other symptoms associated with nicotine addiction. They can also assist with nicotine replacement therapies that are deemed safe for those who are trying to quit.

In summary, vaping has become a popularized form of smoking, but it is not risk-free. Learn more about the risks of vaping and the impact it can have on you and those around you, especially if you are pregnant.

References:

admin2023-03-28T15:43:52-04:00January 10th, 2023|Dr. Alfred, Uncategorized|

Welcome To The Team, Beryl!

Meet Our New Board Member

We’re excited to announce that we have added a new board member to our team, Beryl Brown Piccolantonio!

Beryl is the Chief Ombudsman, Ohio Worker’s’ Compensation and Board President, Gahanna-Jefferson school board.

Her strengths include problem solving, communication skills, community outreach, public policy and organizational proficiency.

When asked what her “why” is for joining The Breathing Association Board, she said: “I’m excited to join the Breathing Association because it’s an opportunity for me to help make sure that everyone in our community has an opportunity for healthy breathing”.

We look forward to the expertise she will bring to our team!

admin2023-03-28T15:45:02-04:00December 29th, 2022|Uncategorized|

Better Breathing for Better Lives.

Tobacco Treatment Center of Ohio

Meet Our New Board Member