HealthyConcerns.com

Today is Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act

Yes, the first blog action event of the BlogHers Act initiative is happening today: Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act, which we are co-sponsoring along with Postpartum Progress and Postpartum Support International.

What does it entail?

Call your senators today!!

Blog it!!

Add your link to the growing list at BlogHer.

What is all this about?

Up to 800,000 women in the U.S. will develop a diagnosable perinatal mood disorder this year! (This does not include women whose babies are stillborn, who miscarry or suffer pregnancy termination). Yet only 15% of these women will receive any treatment. We need to do a better job screening, educating and treating our nation's mothers! The MOTHERS Act addresses these concerns and offers the common sense and needed remedies of screening, education, provision of services and research. Thanks to your efforts it will not go unnoticed! Let's move this out of the HELP committee and into the full senate!!

Who shall I call? What shall I say? Are those your questions?

That's where Postpartum Support International comes in. They'll even tell you if your Senator has already stepped up to co-sponsor the legislation.

The list of links is growing...add your voice to the chorus asking for this legislation to be put to a vote in the Senate and passed.

Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act is October 24th

This year BlogHer's year-long blogging activism project called BlogHers Act is focusing on maternal health. If you want to know why (besides the fact that the community voted for it) check out this post.

We're kicking off the initiative with a specific, actionable project: Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act.

For more info on what it is and why we are supporting it, check out these great other resrouces:

Postpartum Support International

Katherine Stone of Postpartum Progress

Bottom line: Of the more than 800,000 women annually who are affected by post-partum emotional and mental issues, a mere 15% get treatment. The MOTHERS Act aims to change this by requiring screening of women who have given birth.

What do you do:

1. Blog it on Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act, October 24, 2007
2. Share your link at BlogHer
3. Proudly display the badge in this post stating you're going to do the above.
4. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!!! Go to Postpartum Support International to get all the contact info you need.

Here's the code:

<a href="http://blogher.org/bloghers-act-blog-day-mothers-act"><img src="http://blogher.org/files/BlogHersACT_MOTHERSAct.gif" height="155" width="155" alt="BlogHers Act: Blog Day for the Mothers Act" border="0"></a>


Doesn't it feel good to DO something!

Today is National Depression Screening Day

Courtesy of Mental Health America, today is National Depression Screening Day.

Why?

According to MHA:

-Clinical depression is a serious medical illness.
-Clinical depression can lead to suicide.
-Sometimes people with depression mistakenly believe that the symptoms of depression are a "normal part of life."
-Clinical depression affects men and women of all ages, races and socioeconomic groups.
-One in four women and one in 10 men will experience depression at some point during their lifetimes.
-Two-thirds of those suffering from the illness do not seek the necessary treatment.
-Depression can co-occur and complicate other medical conditions.
-More than 80 percent of all cases of clinical depression can be effectively treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both.
-Screenings are often the first step in getting help.

More is at their web site.

The one stat I wonder about: Do we really think that few men experience depression at some point in their lives, in comparison to women? Or is this again a stat driven by self-selection (and therefore subject to societal pressures that men and women experience differently.)

Yup, he did it, he vetoed SCHIP

Well, I don't know why I'm surprised, but today George Bush continued to show us his own unique brand of "compassionate" conservatism and vetoed the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill.

A couple of different posts on BlogHer look at the political tug-of-war over this bill.

But it's all moot now that he's vetoed it, not only squashing hope that the program would be expanded to cover some children who are currently uninsured altogether, but also creating a situation where currently covered children will lose coverage.

Too bad, so sad for you Junior.

Couple of different organizations seeking your action:

You can sign an online petition asking Congress to overturn his veto here.

But MoveOn believes that sometimes we have to get up from behind our computers and take to the streets, so they've got a site where you can find out where rallies are happening near you.

This is, I believe, only Bush's 3rd veto of his entire presidency.

The first was over stem cell research.

The second was a war funding bill that asked for timetables for withdrawal.

This is the third.

I'm just wondering if Bush has looked at the polls on any of those issues?

But more importantly, I'm wondering if Congress has?

Overturn the veto you wusses!!!

So say I. What about you?

The American people will be fine with that.