Urges CHCs to Apply for $300 Million Fund made available through ACA

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would make available up to $300 million through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to Community Health Centers (CHCs) to expand services to underserved populations.  The funds will be used to help the nation's community health centers expand service hours, hire more medical providers, and add oral health, behavioral health, pharmacy, and vision services.

For more than a decade, Harkin has worked to expand CHC's in Iowa and around the country through his dual roles in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he played a pivotal role in the Senate passage of the ACA, and as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (the LHHS subcommittee) that funds health programs such as community health centers.

"Community health centers are a critical part of our nationwide health care system, providing essential health care services to thousands of Iowans every year," Harkin said.  "New funding made available through the Affordable Care Act will help these centers expand care to individuals and families in need, while adding good-quality jobs in our communities.  Between the Health Insurance Marketplace, which helped more than 29,000 Iowans enroll in health coverage for 2014, and expanded resources for CHCs, the ACA is helping bring affordable, quality health care to more Americans every day.  I encourage Iowa's community health centers to apply for this crucial funding and my office stands ready to assist CHCs throughout the process."

More information on this funding opportunity announcement can be found at www.grants.gov. Iowans can find a health center in their area at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.

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SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement regarding Illinois Senate passage of House Bill 5707, a bill that sets a comprehensive anti-bullying standard for Illinois school districts. The measure had previously passed the Illinois House, and now heads to the Governor's desk:

"All Illinois students deserve to go to school where they feel welcome and safe.

"This legislation requires school districts to have policies in place to prevent bullying and thoroughly investigate when it happens. By requiring schools to shine a light on the problem and come up with solutions, we will make great strides to eliminate bullying from our classrooms.

"I applaud Representative Kelly Cassidy and Senator Heather Steans for sponsoring this legislation. I look forward to signing it and increasing safety and tolerance in our schools."    

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Doctor Outlines Easy Changes That Can Vastly Improve Health, Happiness and Well-Being

"Imagine you're a spider with just one leg," says Dr. Frank King.

"You put forth immense effort to try to haul yourself around and not only does it wear you out, it's frustrating and you don't get far." King is a chiropractor and doctor of naturopathy specializing in homeopathic remedies, and author of The Healing Revolution (www.kingbio.com).

"It gets a bit easier with two legs and easier still with four legs. But it's not till you have all eight legs that you can really dance."

Dr. King explains that the eight legs represent Eight Essentials we need for optimum mental, physical and spiritual health: Empowering your human spirit; Water; Nutrition; Fitness; Sleep; Nature; Relationships; and Hands On Techniques (touch).

"It would be overwhelming and self-defeating to look at all eight areas and think, 'I have to make significant changes in every area immediately!" Dr. King says. "You don't have to and who could? I know from my experience with countless patients and friends, and even in my own life, that you can see immediate results by making a few small changes at a time."

Dr. King describes three that are easy to make and will have you feeling better quickly.

•  Drink half your body weight in ounces of spring or well water every day.
If you weigh 150 pounds, that's 75 ounces of water (about 9 cups).

"Many of us walk around dehydrated without realizing it and that can have a significant effect on our health and how we feel," Dr. King says. Dehydrated bodies trap toxins and encourage water retention - a natural defense against the chronic "drought."

"Our bodies need the steady flow of pure, spring or well water. If you don't like the taste, try mixing up to a teaspoon of sea salt into a quart of water," he says.

A simple test for dehydration: Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and hold for three seconds. When you release, if the ridge from the pinch remains for more than a second, you're probably dehydrated.

•  Take at least a few minutes every day to connect with nature.Nature brings perpetual revitalization and ongoing renewal, especially when experienced through multiple senses:  the smell of freshly turned earth or evergreens in the woods; the touch of cool stream water on your face or feet; the sight of birds on the wing and budding blooms.

"These are not just pleasant little gifts to experience - we need them for restoration, renewal, revival and rehabilitation," Dr. King says. "The more disconnected we become from the Earth, the more we inhibit our body's natural ability to heal."

•  Take a brisk, 10- to 20-minute walk every day. Walking is the simplest, most natural form of exercise. You might walk a nature trail, walk to the store instead of driving or take your pet for a stroll.

"Three brisk 10-minute walks a day are as effective at lowering blood pressure as one 30-minute walk," Dr. King says, citing an Arizona State University study.

"Outdoor walking is preferable to walking on a treadmill or other machine, since the uneven surfaces and changing directions of natural walking will engage more muscles and tendons."

Swing each arm in synchronization with the opposite foot to strengthen your cross-crawl functionality and mind-body balance.

About Dr. Frank King

Dr. Frank King is a chiropractor, doctor of naturopathy, and founder and president of King Bio, an FDA-registered pharmaceutical manufacturing company dedicated to education, research, development, manufacture and distribution of safe and natural homeopathic medicines for people and pets. Dr. King is also the author of,The Healing Revolution: Eight Essentials to Awaken Abundant Life Naturally!(www.kingbio.com). A fourth-generation farmer, Dr. King raises yak, camel, boar, wisent and American bison sold under the Carolina Bison brand. He is a member of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States.

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2014- TODAY, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Dr. Robert Murray, the President-Elect of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Donna West, a child nutrition manager at Brownwood Elementary School in Scottsboro, AL will host a media call to discuss the need to protect the childhood nutrition standards that are helping provide kids with more fruits and vegetables. They will discuss the healthcare implications of childhood obesity, which has doubled during the past 30 years.

According to Cornell University researchers, the estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are a staggering $190.2 billion, or nearly 21% of annual medical spending in the United States.  A separate Duke University study indicates that childhood obesity alone is responsible for $14 billion in direct medical costs.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014
1 p.m. EDT

WHAT: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack,  Dr. Robert Murray, the President-Elect of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Donna West, a child nutrition manager at Brownwood Elementary School in Scottsboro, AL will host a media call to discuss the need to protect the childhood nutrition standards that are helping provide kids with more fruits and vegetables.