December ’16 Newsletter

Rhode Islanders and ObamaCare

No changes until 2019; sign up or renew now

The Economic Progress Institute reports two important facts about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ObamaCare:

1. You should still sign up or renew this month; any changes by the new Administration and Congress won’t take place until 2019;
2. If you are one of the 70,000 adults who now have coverage because of the ACA or the 30,000 who buy coverage through HealthSourceRI – or would like to advocate on their behalfs, consider calling Senators Whitehouse and Reed to ask for their continuing support.

HealthSourceRI members and uninsured Rhode Islanders should enroll and pay for coverage by December 23 for coverage to January 1. If you wait until the end of the month, coverage will start later.

For more information about what the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would mean for Rhode Island, check out EPI’s ACA fact sheet.

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Just because it’s cold outside

Your child can still be active, with these tips

The temperatures are getting colder, especially here in Rhode Island. But, tempting as it may be, that doesn’t mean it’s time to hibernate for the winter. Instead, it’s time to get creative!

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has gathered lots of tips, for teachers (if the students can’t have outdoor recess, that doesn’t mean they can’t have energetic time inside) as well as parents, especially when the kids are cooped up.

Here are three tips we particularly like (especially #3!):

1. Move it indoors, but keep it moving. Visit an indoor roller skating rink, a bowling alley or an indoor (heated!) pool.
2. Take a class. During the break, try a new type of physical activity, such as martial arts, yoga or dance. Many gyms or studios will let you try a class for free or at a discounted rate.
3. Start dancing. When you start to feel the itch, turn up the music and let loose in your living room. Dancing is a great way to get your heart rate up, while also having fun.

Follow the Alliance’s tips to keep students moving; no matter what the thermometer says.

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Speaking of stretching your legs

“Taking a hike” may be just what the doctor ordered

Next time you and your youngster visit the pediatrician, don’t be surprised if the doctor gives your child a “prescription” to take a hike on one of Rhode Island’s many land trust trails.

But it’s not just for kids. A walk outdoors is good people of all ages in combatting obesity, anxiety, and depression, points out Rupert Friday, executive director of the Rhode Island Land Trust, who brought the idea to Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds and South County doctors.

Friday reports that Dr. Celeste Corcoran of Coastal Medical/Narragansett Bay Pediatrics has not only been writing “prescriptions”, but has joined her patients and families on guided walks. Thundermist Health Center in Wakefield and Wood River Health Center in Hope Valley are also writing the healthy hike prescriptions.

“Start the new year off on the right foot,” Friday encourages. Join a free guided walk on Saturday, January 7 at 10 am at either of two South County trails: South Kingstown Land Trust’s Browning Woods Trail and the Westerly Land Trust’s Dr. John Champlin Glacier Park Trail.

For more information, contact Rupert Friday at (401) 932-4667.

You don’t have to limit yourself to these two hikes. The amazing ExploreRI.org shows virtually every trail in Rhode Island, noting length and difficulty, as well.

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5 tips so you won’t pass your holiday anxiety onto the kids

Lots of tips to keep your cool, so your kids can, too 

Here come the holidays. Could be three or more, depending on how many your family celebrates. Adults aren’t the only ones to get stressed out, you know; so do the kids in your life, whether they are age 3 or 30 (or maybe even 50!).

The Child Mind Institute has five good suggestions, plus some easy-to-read articles on the subject.

Our favorites? #4: Give yourself a break; prioritize that which is really important. #5: Be sure to laugh; have a sense of humor. C’mon, it’s a holiday, after all.

Check out all 5 tips, and more, at Child Mind Institute.