Tag Archives: health

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Support the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act

11/02/2011 Nativegrl77

Urge Congress to support local food systems, instead of subsidizing unhealthy processed foods — tell your members Congress to cosponsor Local Farms, Food and the Jobs Act !

Currently, billions of taxpayer dollars subsidize unhealthy, processed foods, while farmers who grow healthy foods work without support—but we can change that!

Leaders in Congress have introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act to support local farmers and food markets. A recent UCS report found that expanding local food systems will boost local economies, create jobs, and encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables. As a bonus, these farmers are also more likely to embrace practices that protect our air, water, and soil.

With enough support, this bill could become part of the larger Food and Farm Bill, currently moving through Congress at a lightning pace.

Write to your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act today!

WWW.UCSUSA.ORG

Take Action Today!

Sincerely,

Jenn Yates
National Field Organizer
UCS Food & Environment Program

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Food Day: Let’s transform the American diet …Earth Day Network

09/26/2011 Nativegrl77

We here at Earth Day Network know all about special dates. After all, the first Earth Day in 1970 is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Today Earth Day is observed in 192 countries and is the largest secular modern day holiday in the world. Now we’re seeking to help promote another special date on the calendar, one that is equally as important–Food Day.

Food Day is October 24, 2011 – Learn how you can participate

Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life-parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes-to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. We will work with people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals.

Food Day seeks to transform the American diet. It is about time that we all started eating real. Right now there are far too many people eating diets composed of salty, overly processed packaged foods clad in cardboard and plastic; high-calorie sugary drinks that pack on pounds and rot teeth, but have no nutritional benefit; and fast-food meals made of white bread, fatty grain-fed factory-farmed meat and French fries.

We want to get Americans cooking real food for their families again. We want fewer people at drive-thrus and bigger crowds at farmers’ markets. We want to celebrate fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy whole grains-and to support the local farms and farmers that produce them. Food produced in a sustainable manner helps to keep pesticides and other toxics out of our water and ecosystems. When you buy food locally you also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation of non-local food sources.

We are committed to:Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
Support fair conditions for food and farm workers
We welcome you to join us in celebrating Food Day by hosting or attending an event. Transforming our diet is a big step in transforming the way we live so that we may be better stewards of the earth.

Sincerely,
The Earth Day Network Team

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Cruelty to animals at UW … Patrick Schmitt, Change.org

08/18/2011 Nativegrl77

In just a few weeks, medical residents at the University of Washington will begin their fall rotations, studying new topics and performing new procedures. Unfortunately, they’ll be using cruel and outdated training methods to do so.

Students at UW still learn how to insert breathing tubes in human infants using live ferrets instead of simulators.

Here’s what happens: Students push breathing tubes down the throats of live ferrets to practice intubation. Each ferret is subjected to the process repeatedly, experiencing pain, bruising, bleeding, and even death.

More than 90 percent of U.S. pediatrics programs have moved from abusing animals to relying on simulators — an option that has been proven to be more effective for teaching.

Join the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in urging University of Washington President Michael Young and the UW School of Medicine to stop using ferrets in its pediatrics program. >> http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-university-of-washingtons-cruel-ferret-lab-3?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=NNSacSzXig_zLjAKpCEDe

The use of ferrets in pediatric training is cruel and unnecessary. These ferrets suffer needlessly in the short-term — and medical students receive inferior training that affects their abilities as physicians in the long-term.

According to experts at PCRM, “Simulators approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics actually provide a better training experience – they’re humane, they can be used over and over again to aid learning, and they’re specifically designed to mimic the anatomy of newborns and infants.”

August is the perfect time to push for policy change before the new school year starts.

Several weeks ago, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed an animal cruelty complaint against the university with the county prosecutor, increasing pressure on UW officials.

Plus, University of Washington President Michael Young has only been at the university for a month. He is still likely to be receptive to reviewing and updating policies.

If Young commits to switching the pediatrics program to using simulators before the next classes of students and residents begin training, 2011-2012 could be a cruelty-free school year for UW’s pediatric residency program.

Sign here to ask UW to end the practice of animal cruelty in its pediatrics program and begin offering more modern methods of training to its medical students and residents:

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-university-of-washingtons-cruel-ferret-lab-3

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Patrick and the Change.org team

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Addressing the Debt and Deficit will take Shared Sacrifices

07/15/2011 Nativegrl77

July 15, 2011

Addressing the Debt and Deficit will take Shared Sacrifices

As we work to put together a deal to raise the debt limit, reduce the deficit and debt, and stave off an economic crisis – I believe that the sacrifices required need to be shared. It wouldn’t be right to ask middle class families, students, and our seniors to bear this heavy burden alone, while the very wealthiest corporations and individuals get off scot-free. That’s why on Wednesday I delivered a speech on the Senate floor to push for a balanced approach that recognizes that we must make smart cuts while also protecting seniors and addressing our national jobs deficit.

I believe it’s time for all sides to embrace compromise and assure Americans that their benefits and financial safety won’t be jeopardized by petty partisanship or political games. Families, seniors, and businesses in Washington state and across America are counting on us to get this right, and I am proud to stand up for their priorities.

Bridging the Gaps in VA Mental Health Care

On Thursday, I chaired a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to address shortcomings in VA mental health care that have contributed to unacceptable waiting times for care, rising suicide levels, and a series of negative reports from VA watchdogs. At the hearing I heard from Daniel Williams, an Iraq veteran who described how an IED explosion during his 2003/2004 deployment to Iraq led to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) injuries. Williams told the committee how those experiences then led to a suicide attempt in 2004 that was broken up by his wife and local police. He also discussed how his PTSD was received by fellow soldiers, his concerns over the stigma attached to the mental wounds of war, and his frustrations with the mental health care administered by the VA.

I also heard testimony from Andrea Sawyer, wife and caregiver of Loyd Sawyer, who, after being deployed in Iraq, shared similar stories of frustration, including a failed suicide attempt. These two servicemembers, even after attempting to take their own lives, were met with red tape, wait times for initial appointments at the VA, and additional frustrations in seeking the mental health care they so desperately needed. These undue burdens are unacceptable and I will continue asking the tough questions until our service men and women have access to the quality of mental health care they deserve.

Helping Veterans Get off the Streets and Into Safe and Secure Housing

This week, I announced that public housing authorities in Washington state would receive a total of 175 housing vouchers to help local homeless veterans and their families get off the streets and into permanent housing. The vouchers, which can be used by eligible veterans for rental assistance in their local community, are a key reason why we are making real progress toward goals to finally end veterans homelessness. For some veterans, this support is long overdue, and I’m glad that homeless veterans across Washington state will have an opportunity to secure stable housing.

Commemorating Hanford’s Role in WWII and the Cold War

Earlier this week, I applauded the recommendation by the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the National Park Service that Congress establish a national historic park to commemorate the Manhattan Project at three sites where much of the critical scientific activity associated with the project occurred, including Hanford, Washington. Hanford’s B Reactor played a critical role in the history of our nation, and establishing a national historical park will attract visitors from across the country and give them an opportunity to learn about and reflect on the contribution made by Hanford and the Tri-Cities during World War II and the Cold War.

“B Reactor recommended for national historical park” – Tri-City Herald

Ending Unfair Mexican Tariffs Once and For All

Last week, I applauded the agreement Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed with the Mexican government that will result in them dropping their tariffs on U.S. agricultural products by 50% in the next few days. Mexico has committed to eliminating the tariffs completely once the agreement becomes operational. This is great news for farmers and growers in Washington who have been suffering under these unfair and deeply damaging tariffs for far too long. Now that the agreement is signed, there is no reason why Washington farmers and growers should have to wait any longer. They have nothing to do with this dispute, and it is deeply unfair that they continue to be punished for it.

“Deal resolves dispute that needlessly hurt growers” – Yakima Herald

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Birth Control: We’ve Got You Covered … Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

06/14/2011 Nativegrl77

Couples who want to delay having another child because of uncertain economic times need to be covered. College students who decide to go to graduate school before starting families need to be covered. Millions of women in the United States trying to prevent an unintended pregnancy need to be covered.

It’s time to move women’s health forward, and for us to say — we’ve got you covered. Join the effort to make prescription birth control available in new health plans without a co-pay.

http://www.nwlc.org/action/petition-birth-control-weve-got-you-covered <<< Petition

For many years, the National Women’s Law Center has been working to get contraception covered in all health insurance plans. Thanks to your support of our efforts on the health care law, we are finally within reach of achieving this critical goal for women. In the next several months, the Department of Health and Human Services will decide which preventive services should be covered by new health insurance plans without a co-pay or other out-of-pocket costs, and we need you to join this effort to make prescription birth control available in all new health plans without a co-pay.

Women need access to birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the size of their families, and protect their health. Be part of the effort! Sign our petition and be part of the effort to make prescription birth control more affordable and accessible to all women. http://www.nwlc.org/action/petition-birth-control-weve-got-you-covered <<< Petition

Thank you for all you do for women and their families.
Sincerely,

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center