Signal Boost: Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project - Bowl-A-Thon
This note came in from a tumblr we follow. If you can help by either signal boosting or making a pledge, it will be much appreciated. ~sgb
Hey tumblr friend, how are you? I’m sooo over this semester even though there are only a few more weeks. GAH! I wanted to tell you about something really exciting I’m doing next week, and I need your help.
The Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project (RRFP.net) is one of the only active abortion funds in the state of Virginia. They assist people in need of abortion services by providing guidance and financial support. They are filling a vital health care gap by helping people with uteri pay for abortion care, emergency contraception, options counseling, child care during abortion procedures, and transportation costs to clinics. Since May of 2012, RRFP has been able to help 10-20 folks per month with a monthly budget of $2,000 per month! This budget is possible through our Bowl-a-thon fundraiser.
More people than ever are asking for help and RRFP is finding themselves in the terrible position of turning down folks who have few, if any, other options for help.
Add to that the fact that TRAP laws just passed in Virginia, which will close all abortion clinics in Virginia within the next couple years. RRFP and the people they help need our support now more than ever.
This is where you come in. To raise much needed funds, RRFP is hosting a Bowl-A-Thon between now and April 23rd, 2013 and 100% of the money raised will go directly to the RRFP to support people in need. There are only 8 more days to raise as much money as possible.
I’m on a team with some fabulous people in the Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies department at my school (we’re Team GSEXXXY). My personal fundraising goal is now at $400, and every dollar counts. RRFP estimates that, each month, up to $2,000 is needed to assist their clients. By donating to this event, your gift will make an immediate difference in the lives of people in Virginia.
If you can, please make a tax deductible donation online at my personalized page here: http://bit.ly/sprklbowl. Even $5 would help so much.
And if you can’t donate, you can help me out by passing this message along to friends and family you think would be interested!
Thanks so much!
yeas :-)
THIS is a great challenge! I love Gratitude Lists and they have changed my life. But add NOT COMPLAINING at ALL….. whoa…
I’m gonna feel the BURN on this challenge!!!
Who wants to do this one with me? :)
Photo: Bruno weighing babies at the Malhangalene Health Centre. Maputo, Mozambique 2012. © Andre Francois
Woodtiger Funds Reporting on Women, Health and Environment
Women’s eNews begins a new investigative series on women and the environment today supported by a grant of $15,000 from The Woodtiger Fund.
The first article, published today, looks at the wide ranging risks for women and their children in America:
“Mothers and children share this “body burden” of pollutants in much the same way they share physical traits. Tests by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group found children have more synthetic chemicals in common with their mothers than with unrelated women and children.
Combined, these environmental contaminants may be responsible for the recent doubling in the incidence of asthma, autism, diabetes, male infertility, obesity and prostate cancer.”
Read the full report at: http://womensenews.org/story/environment/121117/strong-medicine-needed-combat-toxic-policies
Women’s eNews will research, report, and edit a series of stories about women and the environment, including coverage of women-led grassroots movements and the effects of environmental hazards on women’s health.
Molly Ginty, a Women’s eNews contributor, is leading the eight-part reporting series. Ginty and the Women’s eNews editorial team were recognized on June 26, 2012 with a Casey Medal for Meritorious Reporting for an Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute supported report “Infant Formula Companies Milk US Food Program”.
“Molly Ginty is an outstanding journalist who is deeply committed to producing the kind of high-impact journalism that reflects her commitment to women’s health” said Rita Henley Jensen, editor in chief of Women’s eNews. “I am delighted the Woodtiger Fund supports an opportunity for Ginty to continue in her dedication to documenting the unnecessary environmental hazards to all women’s well-being.”
This foundation sponsored series will be published over the next year and work to better inform Women’s eNews’ audience of activists, academics, students, philanthropists and government officials.
Mental Health - 3 Video Interviews that outline the state of the nation
Today I attended the Mental Health North East (MHNE) conference in Durham, which is in the North East of England. The three interviews below highlight the difficulties the sector is currently experiencing in responding to change and increased demand upon their services.
Lyn Boyd, Chief Executive of MHNE outlines how cuts to funding, services and increased demand are making service provision increasing difficult for third sector organisations. She gives examples of the devastating impact that lack of access to community mental health support services can have on individuals, their carers, their families and the communities around them. www.mhne.co.uk
Vicki Nash, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the national Mental Health charity MIND, takes a national perspective and talks about campaigning on mental health issues through a network of local branches. She goes on to describe how these branches provide services to over a quarter of million people per year and how those with mental health issues are sometimes portrayed as ‘scroungers’ in the media and elsewhere. This causes additional stress to those already struggling to deal with some very difficult personal issues. She tells the government what they should do now to really make things better to those with mental health concerns. www.mind.org.uk
Dr Santinder Sanghera is a GP and Mental Health and Clinical Commissioning Group lead for Durham Dales Clinical Commissioning Group. She describes how the newly established Clinical Commissioning Groups formed around (Doctors) GP’s practices will from April 2013 be commissioning the services that are made available from their surgeries to their local communities based on local community needs. She describes how charities and voluntary groups can best engage with local GP consortia and let them know how they can help local people to improve patient care and experience. Just saying ‘It’s a great service’ will not be good enough. Charities and NGO’s must show what impact they are having, what need they are meeting, what their outcomes are, what costs they reduce and what partnerships that they are involved in and ultimately how they are improving the situation of service users.
http://www.durhamdaleseasingtonsedgefieldccg.nhs.uk
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Are you an local, national or international NGO or charity that wants to be interviewed on goodcausetv? Contact goodcausetv@gmail.com for further information.
September is National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month
This month has been designated to reflect on the children and adults whose lives have been affected by the disease.
An estimated 100,000 people in the U.S. have sickle cell anemia, an inherited, lifelong disorder that affects the red blood cells. While the disease is most common among African Americans, it also occurs in people of Hispanic, Indian, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian descents as well.
An estimated two million people in the U.S. are sickle cell carriers, meaning that though they have no symptoms, they have inherited one sickle cell gene from a parent and could pass it along to their children. When two sickle cell carriers have a child together, there is a 25% chance that the child will be born with the disease. Although there is no cure for sickle cell anemia, treatment of some symptoms are available and early detection can lead to better management of complications.
For more information on Sickle Cell Anemia, visit the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
People can be fat yet fit, research suggests
People can be obese yet physically healthy and fit and at no greater risk of heart disease or cancer than normal weight people, say researchers.
Pain, Purpleness, and Why Strippers are Tough Bitches
I’ve noticed that a lot of the girls around my club seem to have many of the same injuries, physical problems, and illnesses. Note: I’m not a doctor, nor do I have formal training in medicine, and these are only my observations.
Bruised knees: Impact from hitting them on the stage repeatedly throughout the night. Very commonplace among all of the girls.
Shortened calf muscles: Standing in 7” heels for many hours a week, the calf muscles are intentionally contracted (making the legs look more toned).
Poor posture: The misconception is that strippers have great posture. It appears so, when in heels, but the abdominal muscles are overstretched and the back muscles contracted (think chest out, butt out). It leads to an exaggerated curve of the spine and, often, chiropractic issues. Think of this as the opposite of a slouching problem.
Foot swelling: This one’s obvious. 7” stilletos direct the pounds-per-square-inch to be approximately that of an elephant (so I’ve been told, or read, somewhere—I’d have to look that up later).
Bone movement/restructuring in the feet: This is why new dancers’ fourth and fifth toes on each foot, and some tendons, hurt pretty badly at first. The shoes force the fourth and fifth toes inward and body weight puts pressure on them to stay there. The tendons and ligaments connect to the bones in the feet, and have to adjust to the new position of the foot and toes. According to x-rays of dancers’ feet, the stilletos cause microfracturing
Brittle fingernails: Many of the girls wear fake nails, or have acrylic nails done. For whatever reason, this causes their nails to become brittle when the fake nails are removed or the acrylics allowed to grow out/fall off.
Brittle hair: Straighteners, curling irons, three-barrel rollers, hair dye, bleach, hair spray, hair gel, smoothing drops, extensions, …and on and on. These things aren’t so bad for hair, until they’re done so often that some girls never seem to get their hair to grow at all. Hence why so many girls have extensions (“tracks”).
Frequent viral and bacterial sicknesses: The girls get so close to customers’ faces and hands, that it’s almost inevitable that we get sick so often. So far in the past year? I’ve had the H1N1 flu, strep three times, an ear infection, and a handful of sniffly-nosed colds that took me out for a day. Add to this a lack of health, dental, or vision insurance by most dancers, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Seasonal cough: “Smokers’ Cough” affects many smokers…and since most dancers are smokers in my club, most have the seasonal, hacking cough.
Alcoholism: It’s absolutely rampant. We’re allowed and encouraged to drink at work with the customers, and so many of the girls rely on it to do their job at first that they don’t stop drinking. Another co-worker today announced her ascent into rehab in the near future.
Substance abuse and dependence: Not as common, but still more frequent than the general population. Drugs generally don’t faze the girls whatsoever. It’s very discouraged by the club (termination if any illegal substances are found—and everything, everyone, and everyplace is recorded on camera). Substance use, abuse, or dependence doesn’t necessarily render a girl a social outcast and isn’t really a main factor in social heirarchy.
Eating disorders/Body dysmorphic disorder: Much more frequent than in the general population.
Sexual abuse or assault history: Pretty much the norm. It isn’t discussed, but simply understood, that we’re all pretty fucked up about sex for some reason.
Defiance disorders; inappropriate behavior in regards to authority figures, mores, and rules: Much, much, much, much higher than in the general population. You might call these girls “sassy” or “bitchy” or “tough”—but some, honestly, will probably never be able to “play by the rules”. In a dancer’s world, rules and social standards are created and enforced carefully by the top dancers—usually the one’s that display a lot of hostility towards traditional social constructs! The more defiant and aggressive a girl appears to be, the higher on the social ladder she climbs. Odd, hm? I have yet to figure out why the other, less defiant, girls seem to follow them.
Unhealthy sex lives, attitudes, or practices: This could be related to the job, to a prior history of sexual abuse or assault, attitude towards her body, or any number of things. I’m not saying “why”; I’m saying, it exists. Dancers seem to float one of two ways: either into a realm of not wanting to be sexual on a personal level often (sometimes floating into complete sexual aversion), or being hypersexual in her personal life (sometimes including risky sex partners and practices).
Concussions, broken bones, sprained/twisted ankles, pulled shoulders, pulled hamstrings, etc.: Not as commonplace as you’d expect! Surprisingly, bad falls aren’t common, but they do happen occasionally.
…more as I think of them, I’m sure…
Weight Stereotyping: The Secret Way People May Judge You Based On Your Body
This was a controversial post from Glamour magazine that really got people talking! Read an excerpt below and click on the link to read more. Excerpt: “What our poll shows about the assumptions women hold… Heavy women are pegged as… “lazy” 11 times as often as thin women; “sloppy” nine times; “undisciplined” seven times; “slow” six times as often While thin women are seen as… “conceited” or “superficial” about eight times as often as heavy women; “vain” or “self-centered” four times as often; “bitchy,” “mean,” or “controlling” more than twice as often. Even the “good” labels are unfair. An overweight woman may be five times as likely to be perceived as “giving” as a skinny one. Read More: http://glamour.com/health-fitness/2012/05/weight-stereotyping-the-secret-way-people-are-judging-you-based-on-your-body-glamour-june-2012 Thoughts?
Latinos, blacks more likely to suffer health disparities due to wealth inequality
August 24, 2012A recent study found that health disparities among Latino, black and white children -– but when adjusted for socioeconomic factors, differences had more to do with class than race.
Researchers interviewed more than 5,000 fifth graders in Los Angeles, Houston and Birmingham, Ala. They measured 16 health behaviors and outcomes including use of tobacco and alcohol, exercise habits, helmet use and obesity.
Black children (20 percent) were more likely than Latino children (11 percent) and whites (5 percent) to have witnessed a gun threat or injury.
Latinos were 15 percent and blacks 12 percent more likely than whites to be obese.
Latinos and blacks got less exercise and had poorer physical and psychological health.
However, when adjusted for income and education of children’s families, differences significantly shrunk.
Most of the disparities between Latinos and whites disappeared and the rest were reduced after adjusting for socioeconomic status.
Where a child went to school played a big role in what researchers found. Even within the same neighborhood, schools played a significant role.
The report said:
The child’s school was the most important mediator of disparities between black children and white children for 11 of 16 measures, whereas socioeconomic status was the largest mediator of disparities between Latino children and white children for 10 measures.
But, in the end, what does it really mean to “adjust?” The fact remains that children of color are growing up with poor physical and psychological health.
Capitalism is literally killing us.
Trans Masculine Health Guide download it here!
There are many sexual health guides out there, so why is this one different? Because transmen are different - we have different bodies and therefore experience different risks to the general population. Transition can help us to develop the bodies we wanted but there are costs: time, money and sometimes even loved ones. The changes also come with risks and scars that mark our history. But for many of us, the journey we have taken becomes a source of great strength and pride - we have had the courage to stand up and say:‘This is who I am.’
meteorshowersaftermidnight submitted:
I am a first generation American and first generation college student. Because of financial aid I am able to stay in school and therefor be on my university’s health plan. While exploring my options for birth control I was asked by my doctor to take a pregnancy test for safe measure before I started on any anti contraceptives.
This pregnancy test revealed that I had a high amount of protein in my urine which is a red flag for kidney problems. Many tests later it is revealed that my kidneys are in fact not healthy and the tissue is not in the shape it should be, luckily we have caught it early before it became kidney disease.
I am twenty years old. Twenty. If it weren’t for birth control I would not know about this condition and I would be well on my way to an early death.
If I hadn’t gone to my the health center I would have gone to a planned parenthood clinic and we would have caught it there. Either way exploring my options for women’s health saved my life.
Living With Painful Intercourse
“One of the worst experiences of my life was my honeymoon.”
Well-written, thoughtful, and enlightening series of articles. Love this writer.
FREE AND CHEAP DRUGS YA’LL
Hey Tumblr, if you’re poor, under-or-unemployed, and/or uninsured, you can probably get free drugs directly from the manufacturers.
Yeah, free. Like seriously all you pay for is maybe the doctor/nurse visit you’ll probably need to go to for the prescription.
The basics, because every program is different:
You need:
- to fill out a buttload of paperwork, which is a pain in the buns, but FREE MEDS
- a prescription for the medication(s) you’re trying to obtain, which means you’ll need to find a doctor or nurse practitioner (someone who can legally write scripts), whom you can also probably see for free at a community clinic if you’re willing to chill on a waiting list for three months.
- proof of residence, official ID, utility bill, something like that
- probably your most recent W-2 or paystub, to prove you need assistance. if you make a “decent” amount but maybe have tremendous bills or something, some companies will make exceptions if you take the time to write a letter explaining the situation, and maybe include a pile of copies of your bills. if you’ve been unemployed for a while or have never worked, they’ll probably ask you to explain how you get by, or to provide proof that you’re getting food stamps or something of the sort.
- that’s pretty much it.
- like i said, every company is different, so make sure you read every line of the requirements, because it’s a pain in the arse to send all your shit in and find out that whoops you forgot to draw a unicorn on the lower left-hand corner of your 2011 W-2 form or some ridic shit
Links to patient assistance programs; feel free to add your own:
Lilly (Byetta, Cymbalta, Glucagon, Humalog, Humulin, Livalo, Prozac, Quinidine, ReoPro, Strattera, Xigris, Sybyax, Zyprexa) : http://www.lillytruassist.com/pages/FindProgram.aspx
Sanofi-Aventis (Apidra, Lantus, Clolar, Jevtana, Elitek, Leukine, Eloxatin, Mozobil, Eligard, Lovenox, Rilutek, Multaq, Priftin) : https://patientassistanceprogram.sanofi-aventis.us/index.html
abbott (ANDROGEL, PROMETRIUM, Advicor, Creon, Depakote, Gengraf, Humira, Kaletra, Synthroid, Tarka, and several more) : http://www.abbottpatientassistancefoundation.org/pharmaceutical_products.asp
Pfizer (lots and lots of drugs; I have gotten free Zoloft from them in the past) : http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/pages/Application/Application.aspx
Basically, pretty much every major pharmaceutical company has some sort of free/discount drug program; you just have to dig around to find it because nobody tells us about them unless they’re those rare sorts of doctors who actually advocate for their patients.
Service-y! Healthcare reform doesn’t happen at lightning speed, sadly, so I’m sure this is relevant to lots of my readers.
(Source: holdontoyourassbutts)
![andigreyscale:
thedailywhat:
Case For Sunscreen of the Day: This man is 69 years old.
He drove a truck for 28 years.
The premature aging from sun damage to the left side of his face is extensive enough to warrant a feature in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Trucker or not, don’t forget your sunscreen.
[gizmodo]
This is why I wear sunscreen year round (yes, even during winter). All over my face, ears and neck (at least!) and all over uncovered area’s, like my hands.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4y30jcfVY1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg)
Case For Sunscreen of the Day: This man is 69 years old.
He drove a truck for 28 years.
The premature aging from sun damage to the left side of his face is extensive enough to warrant a feature in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Trucker or not, don’t forget your sunscreen.
[gizmodo]
This is why I wear sunscreen year round (yes, even during winter). All over my face, ears and neck (at least!) and all over uncovered area’s, like my hands.
(Source: thedailywhat)
