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December ’16 Newsletter

Every month Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds & Director Susan Orban likes to connect you with current articles, events, and resources to help you keep your family healthy and informed!

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.

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.

June ’16 Newsletter

Every month Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds & Director Susan Orban likes to connect you with current articles, events, and resources to help you keep your family healthy and informed!

Do you need another reason to visit a local farmers market this year?

Only 1% of the food we eat is produced in RI
Despite the efforts of our passionate farmers and fishing families, only about one percent of the food we eat is produced in the Ocean State. A recent article in the Providence Business News reported that the high cost of dwindling acres of possible farmland is a big part of the crisis.
     Two bits of good news. First, Rhode Island has joined a regional coalition to increase locally-produced food. Plus, organizations like Farm Fresh Rhode Island are connecting local producers with schools, businesses, restaurants, and other major consumers.
     Second, it’s summer! Locally-grown, delicious-tasting fresh food is rarely more than a half-hour’s drive away and frequently just a walk downtown. And markets are increasingly accepting SNAP/WIC benefits thanks to our joint work with Thundermist Health Center.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island has a map of all the expected farmers markets in Rhode Island as well as nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut. South County sites include Charleston, Narragansett, Richmond, South Kingstown (2), Westerly (2), and Wickford.

The “2” in 5-2-1-0

How to limit your child to no more than two hours a day of screen time this summer
South County Health Bodies, Healthy Minds is running the region’s 5-2-1-0 program. “5-2-1-0” is a daily prescription of 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables, no more than 2 hours of screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity, and zero sugary drinks.
     The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has tackled the “2” with some great suggestions.
     For example: help your child choose his or her favorite TV shows and schedule them on an actual calendar. When each show is over, turn off the TV to avoid “runover”.
     Create a Top 10 list of activities – bike riding, shooting hoops, walking the dog – as a reminder there are positive alternatives to the computer, smartphone, and television screens.
     And “cut the cord” in the bedroom: make it a “screen-free” zone.