CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Simon will declare April as Sarcoidosis Awareness Month in Illinois during a visit to the Bernie Mac Sarcoidosis Translational Advanced Research (STAR) Center on Thursday. Simon will be joined by Mayor Richard M. Daley and Rhonda R. McCullough, widow of Bernie Mac and President and CEO of the Bernie Mac Foundation.

"The work of the Bernie Mac STAR Center helps promote research and awareness of Sarcoidosis as we focus efforts to decrease health disparities in the city and throughout the state," Lt. Governor Sheila Simon said. "I'm pleased to promote the organization's work by declaring April 'Sarcoidosis Awareness Month.'"

Simon serves as the honorary chairperson of the Bernie Mac Foundation and first visited the Bernie Mac STAR Center in December. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for research and increasing awareness of Sarcoidosis, a disease where inflamed cells form on various organs, most frequently the skin or lungs. Mac died in 2008 from complications of Sarcoidosis.

DATE: Thursday, April 11

TIME: 10:30 a.m.

PLACE: Bernie Mac STAR Outpatient Care Center - Suite 3C, 1801 W. Taylor St., Chicago

(DES MOINES) - The office of Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today released a true side-by-side comparison of their Healthy Iowa Plan vs. the expansion of Medicaid.

The Healthy Iowa Plan is a modern health care delivery system that will ensure the patients it serves will live longer, healthier lives, whereas Medicaid is an aging, 1960s' system that fails to make its patients healthier. The comparison is found here and pasted below:

Governor's Rebalancing Initiative is Increasing Community Care and Reducing the Number of Outdated, Expensive Institutions

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Quinn today addressed the "Going Home" rally, hosted by several disability advocacy groups, and emphasized his commitment to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities and mental challenges in Illinois. As part of his agenda to ensure all people have the opportunity to follow their dreams and reach their full potential, Governor Quinn launched his Rebalancing Initiative in 2011 to increase community care and reduce the number of outdated, expensive institutions.

In the last several years, the governor has closed two State-Operated Developmental Centers (SODCs), and increased community care options in Illinois which are proven to provide a higher quality, more independent life, according to numerous studies. A third institution - the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center - is slated for closure later this year.

"This is a historic time for Illinois as we continue our commitment to change the status quo and improve life for people with disabilities and mental health challenges in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "Moving from outdated institutions to community care is improving Illinois' quality of care and allowing people to lead more independent and fulfilling lives."

Hundreds of supporters and advocates gathered today in support of the governor's Rebalancing Initiative. Numerous studies show that individuals living in the community have a better quality of life than those living in large institutions. Community settings allow individuals to receive the care they need, including 24-hour care. In addition, community care is also significantly less costly than institution-based care. The average cost for Murray Center is $239,000 per year per resident, while the average cost for a Murray resident living in the community while receiving the supports they need is estimated at $120,000 per year.

The governor's proposed fiscal year 2014 budget will move 1,150 individuals into community living, home-based services including 500 individuals off of the waiting list. The Quinn Administration has developed a comprehensive, person-centered plan to transition residents safely into the community, ensuring that each individual's new home meets their specific needs. The plan is being implemented carefully and responsibly over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition for residents.

"We are working closely with families and guardians using a person-centered planning process to ensure safe transitions for residents of Murray Center," Kevin Casey, director of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Division of Developmental Disabilities said. "We developed a comprehensive, well thought out plan to transition Murray residents safely into the community and ensure that each individual's new home will meet their specific needs."

A not-so-surprising new study shows stress reduces the effectiveness on drugs on prostate cancer, and even accelerates the disease's development.

"More than 150 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year and how they deal with it can have a dramatic effect on their physical and emotional health," says pioneering cancer psychotherapist Dr. Niki Barr, author of "Emotional Wellness: The Other Half of Treating Cancer" (www.canceremotionalwellbeing.com).

While the mind-body connection in fighting disease is well-documented, the new study by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centers reveals just how damaging anxiety and stress can be, Barr says.

The study found that mice implanted with human prostate cancer cells responded well to treatment when they were kept calm and stress free. But when the mice were stressed, their cancer cells didn't die and tumor growth was unchecked. In another test, mice that were repeatedly stressed actually had tumors get larger.

The researchers found that stress and anxiety set off a chemical chain reaction that affects the cancer cells.

"So finding ways to ease the stress associated with cancer is vital," says Barr, who has dedicated her practice to cancer patients and their families since 2007 after more than 15 years in counseling. "And part of what causes that anxiety is the feeling that you've lost all control of your life."

To return some of that control to patients, she created the "emotional wellness toolbox," a checklist of activities and tangible items her patients use to help maintain a positive attitude and sense of well-being through treatment.

Here are a few of them:

• Diagnosis: Anxiety begins here and, according to the National Cancer Institute, "Anxiety may increase pain, affect sleep and cause nausea and vomiting," among other problems. Learning to reduce anxiety from the outset can minimize physical pain and discomfort throughout the illness and treatment. Tangible tools include writing materials, a device for favorite music, CD's for guided meditation or relaxation, and a box to hold these materials. Cancer patients and their families can use them to focus for navigating psychologically through cancer.  "A simple technique for immediate relief from anxiety is 'triangle breathing,' " Barr says. "Breathe in, breathe out, then pause- during which you say a word such as 'calm,' 'peace,' 'confident;' it's remarkably effective!"

• Medical treatment - depression and the unknown: Approximately 25 percent of cancer patients are clinically depressed, she says. By the time of treatment, which is sometimes a gamble in itself, the diagnosis has had more time to settle in, which can throw emotions into a tailspin. Just a few of the tools for battling depression include being proactive in understanding the treatment, maintaining a healthy routine, taking a break from "cancer talk," creating affirmations - true statements - that keep one moving forward, and keeping a journal.

• Back to "normal"? ... After a diagnosis that can feel like being run over by a truck and a cavalcade of tests and treatments, suddenly the whirlwind of cancer "just sort of ends," Barr says. Shifting gears - again - can be dizzying. Finding your center and moving forward with intention is a great way back to a regular routine. The first step is to collate all records of treatment, including upcoming visits; this puts the recent past and future into context. Next, decide on the kind of life you want to live from here; perhaps a healthier diet and more exercise was a promise made during treatment. Now is the time to make good on it!

"These tips are gathered from working with cancer patients and their families, taking what is most effective to share with other cancer patients and their families," Barr says. "Sometimes cancer returns; and, sadly, some do not survive cancer."

"Regardless of the severity of a diagnosis, however, there are good and bad ways to navigate this disease - that should be the primary concern, along with treatment, when you or a loved one are diagnosed."

About Niki Barr, Ph.D. (@NikiBarrPhD)

Niki Barr, Ph.D. founded a pioneering psychotherapy practice dedicated to working with cancer patients in all stages of the disease, along with their family members, caregivers and friends. In her book, she describes an "emotional wellness toolbox" patients can put together with effective and simple strategies, ready to use at any time, for helping them move forward through cancer. Dr. Barr is a dynamic and popular speaker, sharing her insights with cancer patients and clinicians across the nation.