Get the Facts About the Affordable Care Act

Tue, 12/10/2013 - 12:29pm by monkk

Join MSU Extension experts for a live, online webinar to learn how you can get the most out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Sessions for individuals and families will be held on Mondays from 9 am to 11 am, 3 pm to 5 pm, and 6 pm to 8 pm. The same information will be provided during each time period. Sessions for farmers, self-employed people and small business owners will be held on Mondays from noon to 2 pm. To participate, log on to connect.msu.edu/healthinsurance. Click "guest" and type any name to attend anonymously.

Using Yoga to Fall Asleep

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 9:06am by K.C.

Monday November 18, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

This event is intended for adults and teens (grade 6 and up).

Difficulty in falling asleep is an issue for millions of Americans. Sleep loss increases stress hormone levels and blood pressure, glucose intolerance, and variations in heart rate.

Kundalini Yoga instructor Victoria Duranona will guide you through moves designed to help you relax. In addition she will offer Yogic tips for good sleep, suggestions on falling asleep, and nap advice as well as a few herbs that can help with sleep issues.

Dress comfortably and bring some kind of padding (e.g. towel, yoga mat) as you will be seated on the hard floor.

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Affordable Care Act....

Wed, 10/16/2013 - 10:59am by Beth Manuel

Last month the Washtenaw Health Plan and Washtenaw Health Initiative, Care Net, hosted a training "Everything You Wanted to Know About the Affordable Care Act but Were Afraid to Ask". Due to high interest, this training was filmed and is now being made available to the public! The training was several hours in length, but has been broken up into segments so you can pick and choose the information most pertinent to you:

ACA: Overview and History (1:36:51)
Presented by Marianne Udow-Phillips, Center for Health Care Research & Training

ACA: Understanding the Marketplace and the Benefit Choices (1:24:41)
Presented by Phillip Bergquist, Michigan Primary Care Association

Outreach to the Uninsured (29:34)
Presented by Michael Radtke, Enroll America

Key Things to Know about Timelines (39:56)
Presented by Ruth Kraut, Washtenaw Health Plan

Enrollment Planning at UMHS and SJMHS (14:19)
Presented by Karen Harold, University of Michigan Health System, and
Tammy Stryker, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Enrollment: Tricks and Techniques (59:34)
Presented by Krista Nordberg, Washtenaw Health Plan

Pediatric Support Group for Parents and Families of Children with Eye Disease and Visual Impairment

Thu, 10/10/2013 - 3:43pm by monkk

The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is hosting a pediatric support group for parents and families of children with eye disease and visual impairment on Saturday, November 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This support group is open to all parents and families of children with eye disease and visual impairment. The meeting is free but registration is required. Bring your questions! In addition to presentations, the program includes time for group discussion and Q&A sessions. Childcare and a continental breakfast will be provided. Parking is free. For more information please contact: Karen Norman at 734.764.4163.

Vegan Ultramarathoner Matt Frazier Discusses His Book "No Meat Athlete: Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self"

Wed, 10/09/2013 - 3:08pm by yugure

Vegan ultramarathoner and blogger Matt Frazier will be visiting AADL on Saturday, October 12th at 9:30 a.m. to discuss his new book No Meat Athlete: Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self, as well as talk about his active, vegan lifestyle. Copies of the book will be for sale, and the event includes a book signing.

This event is cosponsored by VegMichigan, a nonprofit organization promoting awareness of the health, environmental and ethical benefits of a plant-based diet. In conjunction with this event, local business Running Fit (at the corner of 4th Ave and E. Liberty) will be hosting group runs at 7:00 a.m. (for distances over 10 miles) and 7:30 a.m. (for distances under 10 miles). Anyone interested in running is invited to lace up and join them! A vegan breakfast will also be available at The Running Institute (connected next door to Running Fit) from 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Happy National Kale Day!

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 9:50am by manz

Today is National Kale Day! A whole day to pay extra attention to the yummy, delicious, truly beneficial green leafy vegetable known as kale. Put this super food in green smoothies, have a kale salad, toss it in a burrito, in chili, or on pizza! Bake it into chips, eat it raw, or massage it up. Kale is super hearty and versatile, ready to go in just about any dish.

For a few books from AADL on kale and other greens check out Spinach and Beyond and Wild About Greens. For books outside of AADL I recommend The Book of Kale: The Easy-To-Grow Superfood and Kale The Complete Guide to the World's Most Powerful Superfood.

And for some extra fun: Perhaps you remember when Chick-Fil-A went up against a Vermont artist and T-shirt creator stating that his slogan “Eat More Kale” was too similar to their slogan “Eat More Chickin.” The matter still has not been settled, as Chick-Fil-A claims that “Eat More ____” is their property.

Lastly, local gardener Diana Dyer (garlic!) has a blog called 365 Days of Kale where she offers a ton of recipes, info, and insight on the health benefits of kale.

How will you be celebrating Kale Day?!

Affordable Care Act

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 12:37pm by sherlonya

For those looking for more information about the Affordable Care Act and associated changes, the government offers healthcare.gov as the one stop shopping point. Beginning today, October 1, people seeking healthcare can go there to explore options. While they are encouraging people to begin at the site, there is a toll free number people can use to ask questions: 1-800-318-2596.

Consumer reports has published a booklet called, "Health Reform: Seven Things You Need to Know Now." This booklet aims to help people understand the changes brought about by health care reform. This booklet is also available in Spanish as "Reforma del Sistema de Salud: 7 cosas que necesita saber ahora." The Michigan eLibrary pulled together some resources to help Michiganders understand changes in health care law. AARP has also compiled several factsheets that explain how the Affordable Care Act affects different groups of the population.

Finally, AADL is offering an event called How the Affordable Care Act Affects You on October 2, 7:00-8:30 in the Multipurpose Room at the Downtown Library. This program is intended to provide community members age 64 and under with the information and resources to correctly navigate the decisions that must be made in order to comply with new healthcare laws.

Affordable Care Act 101 Webinars for Small Businesses

Thu, 08/22/2013 - 3:03pm by monkk

The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are excited to announce the next set of Affordable Care Act 101 weekly webinar dates. The webinars will focus on what the new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, means for small businesses. It will focus on both federal and state provisions to help local small business owners understand how the law will affect them. Topics being discussed include small business tax credits, marketplace updates, shared responsibility, cost containment and tools and resources available for small businesses interested in learning more about the law. A question and answer period will follow. The webinars will be held from 2pm to 3pm on the following dates: August 22, September 5, September 12, September 19, and September 26. Click on a date to complete registration for that session.

Health Care 2014

Wed, 08/14/2013 - 9:47am by Beth Manuel

Do you have questions about Health Care? Like millions of Americans, you probably do. As you may have heard, in 2014 the landscape of health care options will change drastically for some people. This site will answer all of your questions and even some you didn't know you had. If you have additional questions you'd like answered in person, click here for information on a Community Forum scheduled for Thursday, August 22. For more health related sites that have been vetted by AADL staff, check out our health-related Select Sites.

Try Kundalini Yoga for Stress Reduction

Mon, 08/12/2013 - 12:38pm by K.C.

Monday, August 19, 2013 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Downtown Library | Multipurpose Room

Learn about stressors and how they influence our communication, our relationships and our performance.

Then take part in yoga and meditation to release the stress so you can flow with the right voltage and be able to put up with life’s challenges without losing yourself.