In honor of American Heart Month, CVS is offering free heart health screenings at MinuteClinics throughout February, while supplies last.

The free tests—which can be redeemed via online vouchers—are in support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., causing approximately one in five deaths.

“We partner closely with our patients to help monitor their risk factors and use the results of these screenings and monitoring sessions to make recommendations,” Angela Patterson, DNP, chief nurse practitioner officer of retail health and vice president at CVS Health, told Health in a statement.

With the information gathered from a heart health screening, individuals and their doctors can make decisions about adopting different lifestyle choices or taking medications to reduce their risk of heart disease. 

Facing blowback, the director of Florida’s high school sports governing body is backing away from using an eligibility form that requires female athletes to disclose their menstrual history in order to compete.

Instead, the executive director of the Florida High School Athletic Association is recommending that most personal information revealed on medical history forms stay at the doctor’s office and not be stored at school.

The association’s board has an emergency meeting Thursday to vote on whether to adopt the four-page form — which would remove questions that force student-athletes to share details about their menstruation cycles in order to be participate in sports.

Under the new recommendation, answers to additional questions about mental health, alcohol and drug use, and family health history would stay in the offices of the health care practitioner who conducted the medical screening.

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An earlier version of the form, which had mandatory questions about students’ menstrual histories, had been recommended by an advisory committee of the association. It “created concerns and questions from parents, school district administrators, school board members and coaches regarding the health privacy of student-athletes,” according to the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

“Therefore, this recommendation provides pertinent medical history to the qualified health care practitioner and gives schools the medical authorization necessary for allowing athletic participation, while the protecting the privacy of the student-athlete,” the agenda item said.

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Thursday’s meeting was being held after a group of Democratic state lawmakers sent a letter this week to John Gerdes, the association’s president, calling the reporting requirements in the earlier proposed form “highly invasive.” The letter said, “no girl should be forced to disclose her bodily functions to someone who is not her mother, father, caretaker, or physician.”

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The state lawmakers said they were concerned that, if the schools had the information, a coach or athletic director would be able to get access to it. With the current form, such questions are optional, not mandatory; in the revised form under consideration, they would be scrapped.

“There is absolutely no reason for FHSAA to collect such private information and no reason why the schools need it,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

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Getting enough quality sleep each night is just as essential as a healthy diet and regular exercise. As a nurse practitioner with over two decades of experience, I've seen firsthand the widespread health effects poor sleep can have.

Why Is Sleep Important?

In our modern-day world, where work can find us at all hours, where we hold computers in our hands and have access to 24-hour streaming, it is easy to get distracted and put off those much-needed ZZZs each night.

Although your metabolism, breathing, and heart rate may slow, your body and brain are still very active while you sleep. Sleep is when our body works to repair and restore tissue, muscle, organs, and other cells. Sleep is a critical time when our body regulates numerous hormones.

While sleeping, our brain works diligently to convert short-term memories to long-term storage, and your brain's waste removal system, known as the glymphatic system, removes toxic by-products from your brain.

How Much Sleep Do We Need?

According to the CDC, that number depends on your age. However, most adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per night. We know that consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep per night can have widespread health risks. For example, it is regularly reported that chronic sleep deficiency increases one's risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, increased infections, cancer, and mood disorders such as anxiety or depression.

The 6 Health Effects of Poor Sleep

1. Weight Gain.

When we get insufficient sleep, our appetite-regulating hormones are disrupted. Ghrelin, our hunger hormone, goes up, and leptin, our satiety hormone, goes down. This imbalance leads to feeling hungrier and less satisfied. This can contribute to food cravings, increased calorie consumption, and weight gain.

2. Insulin Resistance.

Even one night of poor sleep has been shown to increase insulin resistance the following day. As a result, our bodies produce less insulin, and our cells are less receptive to insulin, leaving us with increased blood glucose (sugar) levels. Over time, this puts one at an increased risk of developing diabetes.

3. Cardiovascular Disease.

Poor sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can also contribute to higher levels of inflammation, cholesterol, and triglycerides. All of which can contribute to cardiovascular disease.

4. Weakened Immunity.

Lack of sleep may lead to a decrease in protective proteins called cytokines. In addition, our infection-fighting antibodies and cells are often reduced during periods when we don't get enough sleep. This weakens our immune system and makes us more prone to not only getting sick more often but also increasing and perhaps having a more difficult recovery time.

5. Difficulty Learning.

Poor sleep strains our brains and decreases our ability to focus, learn, and retain new material. This disruption interferes with our ability to learn and process new material. Sleep is essential to keep our brains healthy, especially as we age.

6. Mood Disorders.

When we are short on sleep, our bodies often react by making us more emotional, short-tempered, and moody. Over time, irregular sleep habits or lack of quality sleep can contribute to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

It's well-established that sleep is a significant factor in overall health and longevity. Sleep impacts every system within our body. When our circadian rhythm, the body's sleep/wake cycle, is disrupted by decreased or fragmented sleep, it can cause dysfunction in our gene expression, cellular repair, and repair of damaged DNA. When this happens, it puts us at an increased risk of developing immune-system issues, disease, and other often-times preventable health issues.

10 Best Money-Saving Tips People Learned By Being Frugal - A Dime Saved

What can we do to get a better night's sleep? There are ways to Boost our sleep habits and, in effect, our overall health and well-being.

9 Best Strategies for a Better Night's Sleep

1. Routine.

Having the same sleep/wake time each day is the most critical factor for sleeping well.

2. Morning Light.

Getting natural light within the first half hour of waking up helps to regulate our cortisol and melatonin hormones, which keep our body's circadian rhythms in sync.

3. Get Moving.

Regular, daily exercise helps your body relax and therefore sleep better at night. Pick up your pace and aim for 10,000 steps per day!

4. Curb the Caffeine.

Everyone metabolizes caffeine differently, but caffeine's half-life is generally around five hours. Therefore, half of the caffeine in an 8-ounce cup of coffee will still be in your system five hours later. So, think about that afternoon Cup of Joe, because it could affect your sleep later on.

5. Eat Early.

Our digestion starts to slow down in the evening. The later we eat, the more difficult it may be to digest our meal which can lead to indigestion and reflux. Try to finish your meal at least three hours before you plan to go to bed.

6. Go Easy With Alcohol.

Even two drinks can contribute to fragmented sleep, leaving you tired and mentally sluggish the next day. Alcohol can disrupt melatonin production, which affects your circadian rhythms.

7. Wind It Down.

We are great at creating regular nighttime routines for kids. Yet why can't we seem to create successful nighttime routines for ourselves? As adults, we forget how important they are for us too. Creating a nightly routine helps to signal our body and brain that it is time to unwind. Try taking a warm bath with Epsom salts, reading a book, or journaling. More importantly, find a routine that works best for you.

8. Disengage.

Turn off electronics at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted from electronic screens can prevent the natural rise in melatonin (your sleep hormone). If you need to be on your electronics, I suggest installing nighttime apps or wearing blue light-blocking glasses.

9. Keep Your Bedroom Cool & Dark.

Your breathing, heart rate, and body temperature drop as you sleep. If your bedroom is cool, it makes it easier to fall asleep. Aim to keep a nighttime temperature around 65 degrees; this is usually ideal for sleeping. Make sure you use curtains or blinds to keep out artificial light. Even small amounts of light can disrupt our sleep.

The bottom line? To live a long, healthy life, start with quality sleep each night.

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The Dark Side of Gen Z: Problematic Trends We Need to Leave Behind - A Dime Saved

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Several developments in federal policy are likely to have significant impacts on access to treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023. These include (1) new legislation to allow all providers that are registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe buprenorphine, a key drug for the treatment of opioid addiction, (2) proposed rules to offer new operational flexibilities for methadone clinics, including greater flexibility to dispense take-home doses to patients when clinically appropriate, and (3) proposed rules to better align SUD treatment data confidentiality requirements with regulations for protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

These new and proposed flexibilities are critically important, given the ongoing and worsening substance use disorder epidemic in the United States, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The most latest available data analyses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that an estimated 107,375 people in the United States died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. Many of these changes complement the strategies that articulated in the 2022 CMS Behavioral Health Strategy, as the Biden administration continues to seek ways to enhance access to high quality mental health and substance use disorder services.

NEW ULM — Applications are now being accepted for the New Ulm Medical Center scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year. The scholarships are awarded to students who are currently pursuing their nursing degree, nurse practitioner/physician assistant degree or a degree in a health care related field.

Go to the online scholarship application to obtain the application forms and scholarship criteria. If you have questions, please send email to vonda.dulas@allina.com. Scholarship applications are due April 1, 2023.

The Charlotte West Anderson Scholarship will be awarded to a student who resides in New Ulm or the surrounding area and is pursuing a degree in a health care field. Applicants must have been accepted into an accredited health care program. One $5,000 scholarship will be given to one recipient pursuing a degree in health care.

The Ida Ozias Nursing Scholarship is available to students living in the New Ulm are who are entering their second year into an accredited nursing degree program at a post-secondary institution. One scholarship at the minimum of $1,000 will be given to one recipient pursuing a nursing degree.

The Carol L. Ryberg Nursing Scholarship is available for students who are residents of Brown County and have been accepted into an accredited BA or BSN nursing program at a post-secondary institution. One $4,500 scholarship will be given to one recipient pursuing a nursing degree.

A second scholarship by Carol L. Ryberg has been added this year. This scholarship is available for students who are residents of Brown Country who are pursuing a Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant degree. One $7,500 scholarship will be given to one recipient pursuing either of those degrees.

The Kay Witt Nursing Scholarship is available to students who are New Ulm or surrounding area residents and have been accepted in an accredited BSN degree program at a post-secondary institution and intend to pursue a career at New Ulm Medical Center. One $2,500 scholarship will be given to one recipient pursuing a nursing degree.

Please review information regarding application guidelines and criteria for eligibility of each scholarship.

© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Tasmania has some of the lowest bulk-billing rates in the country – and they’re getting worse, a nationwide investigation by Guardian Australia reveals.

Data obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia shows the percentage of patients who did not have to pay any fee to see their GP in a given year and were entirely bulk billed. Bulk billing is when the full cost of a consultation is paid for by Medicare.

The data set also shows a separate figure of the total percentage of all GP services delivered in an electorate that were bulk billed. During an appointment, a patient might get one service bulk billed, such as a vaccination, but pay out of pocket for a separate service, such as an extended consult.

The rates of GP patients being fully bulk billed are low in affluent, metropolitan electorates such as Warringah and Wentworth in Sydney, as well as the electorate of Canberra. Experts say this likely represents the ability of wealthier communities to pay for visits.

But the bulk-billing rate is also low in several less affluent, regional and rural electorates, including Dawson in central Queensland, Eden-Monaro and Shortland in New South Wales, Indi in north-east Victoria, as well as Tasmania’s Franklin, Clark and Bass.

“This probably reflects doctor shortage and reduced competitive pressure to bulk bill,” said Charles Maskell-Knight, a health funding analyst and former senior public servant in the health department.

The problem is particularly pronounced in the Tasmanian electorates of Clark and Franklin, in and near Hobart, where only about 37% of people had all of their GP appointments bulk billed in the 2021-22 financial year, well below the national average. That has dropped from 41% two years earlier.

You can find bulk-billing data for your electorate in this map:

‘He was sick for months’

As Guardian Australia previously revealed, residents of the Glamorgan-Spring Bay council on Tasmania’s east coast are being charged to prop up bulk-billed GP services as part of their council rates. Yet with a median age of 56 and a high proportion of retirees, many are chronically ill and struggling to make ends meet. The median weekly household income in eastern Tasmania is $854, far short of the national median of $1,438.

When Grant Jenkins from Bichenot on Tasmania’s east coast became ill after being let go from his job in hospitality last year, he avoided going to the doctor because he couldn’t afford the $70 out-of-pocket cost of a visit. He hoped the illness would go away on its own.

“But he was sick for months, and months and months,” said his wife, Nicole Jenkins.

Jenkins had no choice but to pay for weekly visits on top of blood tests, bringing the total to $130 a week over eight weeks, until he was diagnosed with glandular fever.

The couple, who were living off Nicole’s income from contract shift work at the local hotel, were only able to afford the added expense by eating one meal a day.

“I never let the kids go without but we’d miss breakfast and lunch and have tea,” she said. Her husband was not able to access any bulk-billing GPs because there are none in the area.

A collective of healthcare practitioners on Tasmania’s east coast has conducted a survey of more than 100 residents. The results, provided to Guardian Australia, found 40% said it was not easy for them to travel to Launceston or Hobart for health appointments.

Almost a quarter said it was “never” easy to see a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician or podiatrist, while 45% said their healthcare provider did not fully understand or even know what other treatments and appointments they were having.

What can be done?

The federal government’s Strengthening Medicare taskforce report, published this month, found that a system of GPs working in isolation and delivering episodic care without coordination with other health professionals is failing the most chronically ill. The taskforce recommended a move to team-based, multidisciplinary care.

A report from thinktank the Grattan Institute, published in December, found most GPs have steady profit margins and that simply increasing Medicare rebates for GPs will not entice them to rural and remote areas or address patchy access to healthcare, nor help with coordination of care among different providers.

“Australia has many GPs, with more on the way,” the report said. “And general practices have survived the four-year Medicare Benefits Schedule freeze battered but intact, with higher take-home pay and steady profit margins”.

The report said other health professionals – including nurse practitioners, physiotherapists and physician assistants – should be allowed to bill a broader range of consultations and treatments to Medicare, and that requiring GP approval before Medicare rebates can be applied for consultations by other health professionals is adding to fragmented and delayed care.

This type of model did exist nationally in the 1970s, emerging out of the battle for universal healthcare under the Whitlam government. The community health program involved GPs, allied and mental health professionals, and nurses, and it existed in every state and territory. But it was abolished by subsequent governments, and states were left to prop up community healthcare alone. Most absorbed community health services into the acute care system.

Victoria was the only state to retain a comprehensive network of 24 community health services across metropolitan and rural areas, funded by a mix of state and federal money. One of the largest, Cohealth, provides “one-stop shop” access to GPs, nurses, dental care, mental health care, homelessness support, alcohol and drug treatment, and allied health services from 30 sites across Melbourne’s city centre, and the northern and western suburbs.

Richard Di Natale, who is Cohealth’s health policy adviser and a public health doctor and former leader of the Greens, is leading a project to bring this model to east Tasmania. Partnering with councils and GPs, and using funds from a federal government grant, the group will work with the community to establish a health clinic.

Di Natale said once established the community clinic would be a litmus test for how the federal government manages an increasingly ageing and chronically ill population, and responds to the needs of rural, regional and disadvantaged populations.

“It is very clear there is a real appetite to try and build this multidisciplinary, community health model in this community,” Di Natale said. “What we want to do is demonstrate just how effective this can be, and eventually expand the model potentially throughout Tasmania and into other states.”

Not all states are struggling

Tasmania stands out as a particularly tough state to find affordable care. Maskell-Knight said the data showed overall there were 40 electorates throughout Australia where more than three-quarters of the population were bulk billed for all their GP visits in 2021-22, with many of these in the most populous states.

NSW is home to nine of the top 10 electorates for bulk billing. These include Blaxland, Chifley, Fowler and Werriwa, where more than 96% of patients always had their GP appointments bulk-billed.

You can search the data to see the rates for your area here:

Maskell-Knight said the figures showed it was “still possible to offer a high level of bulk billing while maintaining a viable practice”.

“This calls into question demands from some doctor groups for a doubling of the Medicare benefits schedule rebate to restore the viability of general practice,” he said.

“Such a policy change would cost billions of dollars, much of which would flow to doctors who are already bulk billing most of their patients.

“But there are other options than GP-led care, and just paying more money to GPs to encourage GPs to bulk bill.”

But Bruce Willett, the vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, who has been working at his practice in south-east Queensland for almost three decades, said many GPs were paying a “compassion tax” by continuing to bulk bill. He said he maintains “relatively high bulk billing rates”.

“I could decide not to bulk bill any of my patients and I would still be fully booked,” he said. “I have a four to six week waiting list, which is not something I enjoy as some patients are dealing with chronic health issues.

“You don’t have that kind of waiting time and continue to offer a discounted service unless you really care about your patients. It’s not a market-driven decision to keep bulk billing at all – it’s driven by the care I have for patients I’ve been seeing for 20 to 30 years.”

Willett said reforms were sorely needed, including lifting Medicare rebates so that doctors get more back from the government for bulk billing their patients. Any moves towards integrated community healthcare had to be “built around GP practices”, he said.

“In the UK, there has been too much priority placed on access to care rather than continuity of care, and there are lots of complaints now being made about how impossible it is to see a GP there, and about how you’re referred to a pharmacist or nurse instead,” Willett said.

“People really want to see their GP for the continuity of care, and if people are seeing a number of different people and practitioners, it leads to duplication and confusion.”

Notes

Guardian Australia requested bulk-billing data from Services Australia by electorate, which was provided by the Department of Health and combined with census data for our analysis. You can obtain the original data here.