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August Featured Health Article: Violence against women affects all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Across all races, it is minority women who seem to report this abuse the least and are often the most victimized. Please click on the link below for this article: Read the rest of this article. Hot Topics of the Month: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
| From the NWHIC Project Director U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services Breast Cancer More Aggressive in Black Women Pregnant Hispanic Women Have Highest Rates of Food Borne Disease Millions of American Indians Are at an Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Headlines like those listed above are becoming all too familiar to us. As we read the newspaper, or watch the nightly news, we hear stories about our minority population who struggle with staying healthy as the cost of healthcare rises and becomes less available. Minority women, who are often the health-care decision makers in their households, sometimes have an even greater burden. With a population that is often underserved and underpaid, these women are usually the ones who suffer the consequences of higher health costs, increasing premiums, fewer doctors, and closing health care facilities. In an effort to empower minority women to take an active approach to their health, this issue of Healthy Woman Today is focusing on minority women’s health issues. We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity when it comes to personal health. You can try printing out free materials from the NWHIC website and bringing them to a community center or writing a letter to your congressman about the importance of health care equality. You can make a difference in the lives of others today. Minority women’s health is a public health issue that none of us can afford to ignore. Valerie Scardino, M.P.A. 2004 Minority Women's Health Summit August 12 - 15, 2004 JW Marriott Hotel Objectives for the 2004 Minority Women's Health Summit This conference will build on the outcomes of the 1997 National Conference "Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Partnerships to Improve Minority Women's Health." Key areas in women's health including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS will be highlighted. The goals of the conference include:
For more information please contact Elizabeth David at (202) 205-0571, Adrienne Smith at (202) 690-5884, or Frances Ashe-Goins at (202) 690-6373. Minority Women’s Health Page Available Babies are Born to Be Breastfed! Join NWHIC and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health in the effort to increase public access to breastfeeding resources. Our Breastfeeding Peer Counselors can answer your basic breastfeeding questions and offer you support while you or your loved-one goes through this experience. We can answer breastfeeding questions in English and Spanish, order free breastfeeding publications for you, and direct you to organizations that can provide you with additional assistance. Call us today at: 1-800-994-9662 or TDD 1-888-220-5446. Check Out our NEW Mental Health Section! Please visit our new page at www.4woman.gov/mh/
Test your Knowledge! August 1 is National Minority Donor Awareness Day. Did you know that over 23,000 African Americans are currently awaiting kidney transplants and are in desperate need of organ and tissue donations? Take the quiz below from the coalition on donation to see how much you know about Organ Donation: "8 Quick Questions About Organ Donation."
TRUE or FALSE TRUE or FALSE For the answers to this quiz and for more information about how to Donate Life or request of FREE copy of the brochure You Have the Power to Donate Life, visit www.donatelife.net or call 1-866-LETS-GIVE (1-866-538-7448). NIH NEWS RELEASE Millions of Hispanics at Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Phoenix, AZ — About 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 — millions of whom are Hispanic or Latino — currently have pre-diabetes, a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. To respond to this rapidly growing problem, experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and community-based organizations from around the country met recently at the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) annual conference to discuss national and local efforts to stem the diabetes epidemic in the Hispanic community. “If [a] child is Hispanic and female, she has a one in two chance of developing diabetes in her lifetime. We need to get the word out that type 2 diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful," said Dr. Saul Malozowski, Senior Advisor for Clinical Trials and Diabetes Translation at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at NIH. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a joint effort of NIH and CDC, developed a bilingual diabetes prevention campaign: "Prevengamos la diabetes tipo 2. Paso a Paso" (Let's Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Step by Step). The campaign promotes losing weight, limiting fat and caloric intake, and exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, to reduce your risk for diabetes. More than 500 Hispanics participated in the DPP. To help Hispanics take their first step, the NDEP is offering a new music CD free of charge to help Hispanics get more physical activity to prevent type 2 diabetes. With words repeated in Spanish and English, the CD boasts strong, positive health messages which are promoted via energetic, sizzling songs that make you want to get up and move. For more information or to obtain a free copy of MOVIMIENTO or any of the campaign materials, call 1-800-438-5383 (bilingual information specialists are available), or visit the NDEP website at www.ndep.nih.gov. 
UNITY 2004 -- the third joint gathering of the UNITY Alliance Associations -- is the culmination of years of research and planning, and the most ambitious undertaking of its kind. Never in the history of the news industry has there been a larger networking, career-building and professional development event. This world-class event will feature plenary sessions on topical news issues, the largest "Career Expo" in the news industry, as well as numerous journalism workshops and panel discussions focusing on print, broadcast, photography, and new media. Thousands of journalists, journalism students, media and corporate representatives, political and community leaders, and UNITY supporters from all parts of the country are expected to attend. Scores of participating recruiters and employers are only part of the allure. Website: http://www.unityjournalists.org/DC2004/index.html The Oklahoma City Area Inter-Tribal Health Board is pleased to announce the 21st Annual National Indian Health Board Consumer Conference will be held August 8 - 11, 2004 in Oklahoma City at the Cox Business Services Convention Center. The host hotels are the Renaissance and the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Oklahoma City. The theme for this year's conference is "Uniting for One Cause: Coming Together for the Greater Good." Website:
This conference will build on the outcomes of the 1997 National Conference, "Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Partnerships to Improve Minority Women's Health." Key areas in women's health including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS will be highlighted. Website:http://www.4woman.gov/mwhs/
This year's educational program has been developed to meet the learning needs of the beginning educator to the advanced practitioner. A broad spectrum of program opportunities include such categories as medical nutrition therapy, behavior change, case management, reimbursement, program management, independent practice, teaching and learning, children and adolescents, pharmacology, co-morbidity, technology, and special populations. Website: http://www.aadenet.org/AnnualMeetings/index.html
Be sure to look at the entire 5Aday Campaign website: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/campaign Also, the plum is August’s *Fruit of the Month*. You’d be surprised to learn how many varieties of plums exist and all of the recipes you can make with this small fruit. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/month/plum.htm Quick and Creamy Grape and Orange Shake Fresh Orange Compote With Granola Cherry and Smoked Turkey Salad 
National Observances
These are the August Health Observances. For a listing of previous or future health observances, be sure to check out Healthfinder for more information at Month Long Observances Week Long Observances Day Long Observances
Featured Organizations
National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program Office of Minority Women’s Health National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action and La Leche League International Office of Minority Health Resource Center 
Who is Using NWHIC's Services?
New York continues to be the leading state, bringing in the most calls this month. 
User Support
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This month's special publications for your health Minority Prevention Guides now available! We have Spanish and Chinese Prevention Guides available. These publications provide a comprehensive guide for women’s health—printed in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Order by calling 1-800-994-9662. Breast Cancer Resource Guide for Minority Women : Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Minority Health, which is available in a PDF format or by calling 1-800-994-9662 . NEW Easy Guide to Breastfeeding Available! Three new guides are now available. Order your easy guide to breastfeeding in English, Spanish and for American Indians. Call 1-800-994-9662. Breastfeeding Publications Available in Spanish and Chinese: This guide includes information about proper nutrition during lactation, the benefits to baby and mom, and additional information. Order by calling 1-800-994-9662. Cardiovascular Health in Asian American and Pacific Islanders Adolescent Girls Pick Your Path To Health Mini Pocket Planners Still Available Guest Editor Feature for August 2004: Women of Color: Progress, Partnerships, and Possibilities Author: Taya McMillian, Service Fellow, OWH Heart disease, cancer, diabetes-what’s the common thread? These and many other diseases are preventable causes of death and illness in minority women. According to Healthy People 2010, elimination of health disparities in minority women is a major challenge in the United States. In effort to increase positive health outcomes in minority women’s health, the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), in collaboration with the Minority Women’s Health Panel of Experts (MWHPE)*, and the National Medical Association (NMA) is sponsoring the 2004 Minority Women’s Health Summit (MWHS) Read the rest of this month's article.
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