Blog

Summary: The progress that the Affordable Care Act has made for women’s health couldn’t be clearer, and we shouldn’t go backward on any of these improvements.

“We continue to address the impacts of alcohol and other drugs, youth suicides, domestic violence and the list continues. However, now is the time to address the source of these symptoms—historical and intergenerational trauma.” —Tribal leader, White House Tribal Nations Conference, 2014

Summary: Mental and substance use disorders can increase vulnerability to acquiring HIV infection and they can pose serious barriers to successful management of HIV.

It’s been 35 years since the first recognition of what would become the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the decades since, much progress has been made, but as a global community, we have not yet achieved our collective goal of a world free of HIV.

Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories, and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans. It provides an opportunity to educate all Americans about American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes, to raise awareness about the unique challenges Native communities have faced historically and continue to face today, and the ways in which Tribal leaders and members have worked to conquer these challenges.

Fresh winds of transformation are rolling across the expanse of this nation. In American Indian traditional stories, wind is a power larger than life itself throughout the history of the First Americans. During this Native American Heritage Month, we look to the winds of change that are transforming adversity into hope and empowering American Indians and Alaska Natives to live longer, healthier lives.

The work of the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships makes a difference because it impacts real people with real challenges.

Summary: Nearly 9 in 10 rural Marketplace consumers will be able to get tax credits to help pay for a plan that works for them and their families.

HHS announced last week that the Health Insurance Marketplaces are open for business, and Americans can again shop for high-quality, affordable coverage on an open, transparent market. This year, most Marketplace consumers will again have plan options for less than $75 per month, thanks to financial assistance.

All across the country, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is helping to make health care accessible to millions of people. In fact, six years after its passage, 20 million more Americans now have health care coverage thanks to the ACA. And we expect this number to grow as more people continue to seek quality, affordable care they need.

Most consumers shopping on the Marketplace will be able to find a plan between $50 and $100 per month, thanks to financial assistance.

Every October, our nation is awash in a sea of pink. Everywhere we look we see pink as a reminder of survival and that our fight against breast cancer is not over yet. In my family, as in other families impacted by this disease, it is a reminder of perseverance and of our ability to press on until we find a cure.

HHS OMH and Salud Today will host a bilingual (Spanish/English) Healthy Latinos Twitter Chat in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) on Tuesday, October 11 at 1 pm ET.

When Maria Schinstock’s father was diagnosed with diabetes, she asked him to move closer to her so she could help him manage his condition and day-to-day activities. He eventually moved closer to Maria, but by that time his diabetes was in an advanced stage. Taking care of her terminally ill father made her more aware of the lack of information and support patients with chronic illnesses received in her community. This awareness also influenced her work as a promotora de salud, or community health worker.

Zika is a frightening disease few people had heard of until recently. Over the last few months, many Americans have become aware of the virus, spread by mosquitoes that if acquired during pregnancy can cause microcephaly (babies born with small heads) and other severe fetal brain defects. A few weeks ago, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) announced that the first child in the state of Texas was born with Zika-related microcephaly. The mother contracted the disease in Colombia, but gave birth at a one of our local hospitals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and family who are dealing with this heartbreaking consequence of the spread of the Zika virus.