Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

The expansion of health coverage is certainly something to celebrate this holiday season. As 49,000 Idahoans and counting will have health coverage due to Medicaid expansion, we can all be grateful for the peace of mind, economic security and improved health that these families will enjoy. And we must continue to work together to help Idahoans get and keep the health coverage they need. As a physician practicing in rural Idaho, Im looking forward to more members of our community being able to receive preventative care and address chronic conditions that have gone untreated for far too long.

Medicaid makes it possible for low-income Idahoans to be healthy making sure they can work and take care of their families. It allows them to see a doctor when they are sick, get check-ups, buy medications and go to the hospital without fear of choosing between their health and groceries or paying their rent/mortgage. Medicaid offers financial protection for families so they dont have to go bankrupt when they face an unexpected illness or need to go to the hospital.

Medicaid expansion was achieved in Idaho through a bipartisan effort that included the support of former Gov. Butch Otter and several Republican lawmakers with deep knowledge and experience with Idahos health system. While a small group of Idaho legislators want to play Grinch and spread fear about people being kicked off private health coverage, the truth is that these Idahoans will still have health coverage without the burden of extra out-of-pocket costs that make their private plans difficult to afford.

Medicaid is more cost-effective and offers better health coverage for the vast majority of Idahoans who will qualify for Medicaid expansion. Efforts to keep some Idahoans who are newly eligible for Medicaid expansion on the state exchange would have cost taxpayers more money and added to the federal deficit, which is why the Trump administration rejected Idaho lawmakers request to do so.

Health care providers across Idaho, from hospitals, to physicians, to community clinics, have embraced Medicaid expansion and are working hard to enroll Idahoans and care for these individuals. As a physician, I know that Im looking forward to treating patients earlier before they have costly, more serious health conditions.

Medicaid expansion is a gift for Idaho. Idahoans who are struggling to make ends meet will now have access to health coverage and can receive preventative care to keep them healthy, or finally treat chronic conditions that have damaged their quality of life and ability to work. By 2022, Medicaid expansion will result in savings or offsets to the state totaling over $31 million, with a net savings of $3.5 million annually. Starting on Jan. 1, Idahoans across the state will have health coverage, reducing uncompensated care costs for rural hospitals, helping fund more Idaho physicians, saving local communities money and creating over $16 million in new economic activity. Its time to put politics aside and come together to fully support Medicaid expansion in Idaho.

Dr. Keith Davis is a family medicine doctor in Shoshone, Idaho and is affiliated with two hospitals in the Magic Valley. He is the owner, CEO and medical director of Shoshone Family Medical Center, where he has practiced for over 30 years. He received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine.

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Medicaid expansion is a gift - Post Register

NewsPoliticsIt may take more than positive thinking and a change in calendars to improve the economy, personal finances, health and sense of unity

Wednesday, 1st January 2020, 11:46 am

Boris Johnsons New Year message was brimming with optimism as he said the country could now turn the page on division, rancour and uncertainty which has dominated public life and held us back for far too long.

From his Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, there was a similar message to start the New Year. In an article for conservativehome.com, Mr Hancock said the coming decade holds great promise in the treatment of illness, through technology and social prescribing.

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But given Brexit will happen at the end of this month, heralding an uncertain period for the economy and society, can the upbeat messages really match the reality of what lies ahead?

People are more optimistic than a year ago

A YouGov poll for The Times seems to suggest that the public are feeling generally more optimistic about their financial prospects in the coming year than they were last year - although a majority still feel they could worsen.

It is all relative: 20 per cent expect an improvement in prospects, up from 13 per cent a year ago, while 27 per cent are gloomy about their own finances, a figure which has, nevertheless, fallen from 40 per cent last year.

The survey found 24 per cent believed the economy was in good shape, compared with 18 per cent a year earlier while 34 per cent believed it was doing badly, down from 41 per cent.

Yet it is going to take more than just positive thinking and a change in calendars to improve the nation's economy, personal finances, health and sense of unity.

When Britain leaves the European Union on 31 January, there will still be uncertainty over the countrys future trading arrangements with both the EU and the rest of the world.

Warnings of recession

Post-Brexit Britain could mean an improvement for the nations finances, or it could spell trouble - particularly because there have been warnings of recession for other major economies at the start of this decade.

Nobody really knows how the UK economy will fare after Brexit, as no major country has left the EU before.

On health, Mr Hancock admitted in his article that great challenges as well as incredible promise lies ahead. He is right to say that harnessing new technology in the NHS will transform lives - including genome sequencing, which will be able to identify future health conditions at birth, focusing on preventative medicine which could in turn save the NHS billions.

The Health Secretary also placed great focus on new research in tackling dementia, one of the underlying drivers in the social care crisis that is only deepening as the population gradually ages.

Yet, despite the optimistic messages on health and social care, the fact remains that the NHS, according to experts, needs more money than has been pledged even in this supposed post-austerity era.

It is also the case that a long-term plan for tackling social care - not just focusing on future treatment for dementia or short-term funding boosts - has not been published by the government.

And given the period of division over Brexit and austerity that the country has just been through in the past decade, it is all too easy for the Prime Minister to say that a page can be turned, as if the change of a date can bring an end to societys troubles and political argument.

Mr Johnson may have overcome some disunity in Parliament with his 80-seat majority, but Scottish independence is back on the agenda after the SNPs landslide at the election, and the rest of the country may feel it needs to see more evidence that Project Positive can translate into reality.

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Will the rhetoric of Boris Johnson's New Year's Project Positive message match the reality? - inews

WeTheTrillions wants to make it easier for people - especially women - to eat healthier, with an ... [+] emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods.

Its long been said that food is medicine, but the healthcare system doesnt always treat it as such. Despite the fact that we need to eat every day, multiple times a day, just to stay alive, medical schools in the U.S. provide on average only 19 hours of nutritional education throughout a doctors training.

As a result, your doctor may be able to prescribe you a medicine to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, or any number of other conditions, but they simply might not know how to advise you to try to prevent illness in the first place.

But some folks are trying to change that. WeTheTrillions is a public benefit corporation that is approaching nutritious food as not just part of a healthy lifestyle, but as one of the first to leverage technology and prescription-grade delivered meals as the frontlines of preventative healthcare to stop the epidemic of chronic conditions touching more than 60 percent of adults in the US. The company is named for the trillions of microbes in each of our gut biomes along with trillions of cells, which make up the central focus of the companys food-as-medicine because of the gut biomes role in well, virtually every part of our lives and bodies.

WeTheTrillions main product is ready-to-eat customized meal and snack options, and those who subscribe to their weekly meal plans also have access to health specialists to discuss and stay on top of their goals and concerns. They also provide software to clinicians so they can track progress and help patients reach tangible results through a customized food program. This could be for patients suffering from IBS, diabetes, anemia or any other female-related hormonal imbalances.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 percent of doctors recommendations to patients with chronic illnesses are not followed and this number goes up to more than 70 percent when it comes to lifestyle changes like dietary guidelines, says Lamiaa Bounahmidi, Founder and CEO of WeTheTrillions. Closing that gap is already making WeTheTrillions an appealing solution to hundreds of doctors across the US who see this as an immediate intervention to leverage theory and practice for preventative healthcare and help save trillions of dollars in healthcare bills - effectively staunching the leading public health crisis of the 21st century: chronic disease.

To know your eligibility for a WeTheTrillions program, you first start by filling out a 3-minute online intake quiz and then have a 20-min call with a health specialist to fully customize your plan and agree on clear target biomarkers levels to reach. The process is based on an aggregation of evidence-based randomized controlled trials to provide a fully science-driven approach beyond fad diets.

Notably, theyre also looking to set up machines in urban and rural food deserts that offer affordable options via subsidization through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other government assistance programs. And all the food is 100% plant-based, a choice justified by medical evidence that currently points to a veggie-heavy diet for its abilities to fight heart disease, diabetes, and strokes as well as hormonal balance and gut health.

But their approach to food as preventative medicine is more specific and science-backed than simply offering healthy plant-based foods. While the meals are, theoretically, for anyone looking to eat well and improve their health, much of the emphasis is on using food to treat Polycystic ovary syndrome, menopause symptoms, fertility, and other issues pertaining to womens reproductive health. Even the general health issues WeTheTrillions seeks to address, like anemia, often disproportionately affect women, especially women of color.

Theres a reason to believe that this method of specifically targeting womens reproductive and general health could be an effective strategy in improving the overall health of society. Overwhelming evidence links maternal health to that of children, which together affect the overall health of society. A society with healthy women is more likely to have healthy children who will grow into healthy adults. WeTheTrillions emphasis on the health of female-sexed people is not exclusive, but it is strong and forward-thinking.

There are a plethora of premade or prepped meal kits on the market now, many of which are vegan, organic, and health-focused. Not all of them, however, can claim to have the medical emphasis of WeTheTrillions, with its specific issue-based meal plans and grand focus on making food accessible via work, school, physicians, and public assistance.In a way, its simplicity is inspiring: to improve the health of society at large, eat plants. The work of doctors, scientists, and public health experts boil down to some tasty vegetables on your plate customized to your unique health needs.

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WeTheTrillions Says The Future Of Public Health Is Female And Plant-Based - Forbes

We all know that high blood pressure increases the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke but rarely is information presented on the risks of low blood pressure. A number of medical studies have claimed little or no serious medical risk associated with low blood pressure with serious medical risk only being defined as a heart attack and stroke. Other medical studies suggest that low blood pressure does increase the risk of coronary artery disease, falling and even increases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In both traditional and on-traditional medicine, low blood pressure is usually ignored even if there are clinical findings of the blood pressure being too low.

The medical risks of chronic high blood pressure are now well defined. But it was not always the case. At the turn of the century, high blood pressure was so common in the elderly that it was considered the natural result of aging. The famous Framingham Heart Study (1949-1952) showed that those with a systolic blood pressure over 159 had a three to six times increased of heart disease. Since then the relationship between high blood pressure and illnesses has been clearly delineated. As a result, many medications are available to lower high blood pressure are available and numerous lives saved.

Low blood pressure is not uncommon but with the increasing use of medications, not limited to blood pressure medications, low blood pressure has become a relatively common. Besides high blood pressure medications, drugs often used for Parkinson's disease, depression/anxiety, sedative-hypnotics, pain medications and muscle relaxants all can cause low blood pressure. This effect can be intensified when specific medications are used in combination.

There is limited clinical research on low blood pressure but two recent medical studies are pertinent today. One large study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine looked at the risk of falls and loss of consciousness in almost one half a million people with low blood pressure. The concluded that a systolic blood pressure less than 110 significantly increased the risk of serious falls and loss of consciousness.

Another study in the Indian Heart Journal found that there is an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in people who had a history of dizziness with standing (serious low blood pressure). Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart failure. It most commonly occurs in the elderly as does low blood pressure. Interestingly high blood pressure is also a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. In this study low blood pressure also increased the risk of stroke and a 50 to 100 percent increased mortality rate probably secondary to a higher incidence of coronary heart disease and heart failure.

Traditional therapy for low blood pressure includes graded exercise, generous salt intake and caution going from sitting/laying to standing. I have found that a critical review of a patient's medications, select herbs and regular meditation can be curative. Low blood pressure should be taken as seriously as high blood pressure.

Dr. Patrick Massey, M.D., Ph.D., is medical director of complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village.

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Low blood pressure is a risk and should be taken seriously - Chicago Daily Herald

By ETHAN MARSHALL

After three years of focused fundraising efforts by community members, Glen Cove Hospital has begun renovation and expansion of its $5.5 million outpatient Family Medicine Center. Located on the ground floor since the Family Medicine Center was established in the 1970s, the practice will be relocated to a new modern space on the third floor.

The centers clinical staff currently provides personalized medical services to patients of all ages. It offers primary, prenatal and pediatric care, preventative services as well as behavioral health and gynecological services to underserved members in the community and other residents.

The expanded, 6,660 square-foot Family Medicine Center is expected to open in late spring 2020. It would serve more than 18,500 patients annually, representing a 40 percent increase in patient volume.

We have a long and proud history of providing high-quality health care services to members in need in our community, said Barbara Keber, MD, chair of family medicine at Glen Cove Hospital and vice-chair of family medicine at Northwell Health. Our new Family Medicine Center will not only accommodate more patients, but the renovation will create a welcoming and modern environment as well as upgrades that enhance clinical care and collaboration.

The Family Medicine Center will feature 12 exam rooms, bedside ultrasound machines, a procedure room, laboratory and medication room and modern reception and seating areas. A focal point of the space will be a large glass-enclosed area, which will offer central viewing and monitoring of the center. It will also provide much-needed space for clinical team members to collaborate and huddle before patient visits in a confidential setting.

The center is a designated patient-centered medical home that recognizes the coordinated, comprehensive medical care provided by the interdisciplinary team. Clinicians include physicians, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and other health care professionals. Many of the centers staff are bilingual to better communicate with the areas Spanish-speaking community.

Glen Coves Family Medicine Center has the distinction of also being one of the original family medicine residency training programs in the United States. More than 230 board-certified family physicians have received training at Glen Cove Hospital.

We are extremely grateful to the hospitals Advisory Council and caring individuals in the community who spearheaded the fundraising campaign for the Family Medicine Center, making this vision into reality, said Kerri Anne Scanlon, RN, Glen Cove Hospitals executive director. The state-of-the-art Family Medicine Center has been designed to provide quality medical care and to deliver the best patient experience possible.

Nancy Taylor, a member of the Advisory Council and longtime supporter and volunteer at the hospital, said, Weve been working towards this goal for a long time. The Family Medicine Center was in dire need of renovation.

A resident of Locust Valley, Taylor said she was delighted when hospital leaders asked if shed donate to the Family Medicine renovation project through her family charity, the David S. Taylor Fund. Taylors late husband, David S. Taylor, served as Board of Trustees chair of the hospital from 1988-1990 and later Board of Trustees chair of the North Shore Health System from 1994-1995. Mrs. Taylor and her family have had a long history of giving back to Glen Cove Hospital. She volunteers once a week at the hospitals main reception desk and her sister volunteered in the Emergency Department for 33 years. David Taylor worked as an orderly in the hospital when he was young.

To date, the community fundraising efforts have totaled $3.5 million. This will benefit Glen Cove Hospital as part of Northwell Healths $1 billionOutpacing the Impossible campaign, which supports capital projects, improves hospitals and clinical programs, advances research and funds endowment for teaching and research initiatives.

Story submitted by Northwell Health.

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Glen Cove Hospital begins expansion and modernization of Family Medical Center - ROP Common - The Island Now

World AIDS Day was observed on Dec. 1, bringing worldwide attention to an epidemic that continues after nearly 40 years, and still needs to be eradicated. About 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV today, and roughly 15 percent of them are unaware they are infected.

The good news is that through the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and the drugs associated with this treatment (including Truvada, and the newly FDA-approved drug for PrEP, Descovy), there is a brighter hope for ending new cases of HIV.

PrEP is targeted at individuals who are not infected by HIV and want to prevent infection. A daily regimen of two oral antiretroviral medications (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) in one pill, when taken correctly, reduces the risk of acquiring HIV by up to 97 percent.

PrEP should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy, including adherence to daily administration and safer sex practices, including condoms/barrier protection, to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV.

This strategy of prevention is critical to achieving the goal of lowering infection rates in years to come, and the goal of ending the HIV epidemic within 10 years.

The newly approved medication also has the benefit of being cleared for men with lower kidney and liver functionality range, good news for those in the LGBTQ community who are ages 55 and up, because they now have an option for HIV prevention that wont interact with other medications.

Its important to note, though, that the newest drug option is not available for women, because there have not been any trials in women to date, leaving only one option for women taking part in PrEP.

At Corktown, where more than 125 patients are currently taking PrEP medication, we teach that prevention isnt only about taking the pills. It requires commitment over the long haul to have the proper effect.

PrEP is marketed toward specific populations, including African-American and LatinX men who have sex with men, transgender women of color, people in a relationship with an HIV-positive partner, and IV drug users. I believe PrEP should be for anyone who asks for it. We make sure to understand each persons story, then determine if PrEP is the best fit for their preventative treatment.

We also recommend follow-up care as the PrEP program continues, so we can identify any financial or social barriers that may prevent the patient from following through on their treatment.

There are also cost-savings programs available that can make both medications affordable to patients with financial hardship, which is often a barrier to getting treatment to those who need it.

In the end, the battle against HIV is winnable, and a large part of that success will come through preventive medicine programs to limit new infections.

Especially among at-risk populations, spreading the word about prevention medication, including the new alternative, will be an essential part of making the number of new HIV cases as close to zero as possible in the years to come.

Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones is medical director at Corktown Health Center in Detroit, and an assistant professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Corktown Health Center is the only health clinic in Michigan focused on treating LGBTQ patients. Visitcorktownhealth.org.

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HIV prevention drugs will play key role in stemming disease - The Oakland Press

December 17, 2019, 3:54 AM

5 min read

Andrew Yang released his health care plan Monday morning, a proposal with elements of Medicare for All, but without the public option plan that even moderate candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have committed to implementing.

"To be clear, I support the spirit of Medicare for All," Yang said in outlining his plan, before adding, "Swiftly reformatting 18% of our economy and eliminating private insurance for millions of Americans is not a realistic strategy, so we need to provide a new way forward on healthcare for all Americans."

In a statement to ABC News, a Yang campaign spokesperson said, "The U.S. is on track to spend a total of $60 trillion on healthcare between 2022-2031. Andrew Yangs plan will cut about $9.7 trillion over this time period by tackling the root problems in the system, including prescription drug costs, utilizing tele-health, decreasing unnecessary medical services, diminishing billing and insurance related waste, minimizing doctor burnout, improving end of life care, and reducing poverty.

His "A New Way Forward" plan includes pieces already in his competitors' plans, but it differs dramatically from other candidates in several key ways too.

"Yangs proposal does not include provisions targeted at expanding insurance coverage," said Matt Fiedler, a fellow with University of Southern California's nonpartisan Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang takes a selfie with Mindi Callison of Ames after playing basketball with congressional candidate J.D. Scholten in Ames, Iowa, on Dec. 12, 2019.

Fiedler pointed to Yang's suggestion that coverage cannot extend to everyone in a practical way, and said that's not likely correct.

"While reducing the underlying cost of care is a meritorious goal, it is also quite feasible to achieve universal coverage even as we continue to work on reducing costs," said Fiedler.

While Yang's six-pronged plan doesn't work to expand the current system, it does attempt to revamp it in a way that weaves in his previous policy pitches.

Just last week, Yang released his plan to lower prescription drug costs. His health care plan builds on some of his earlier promises to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable by directing the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice to work together in bringing criminal cases against pharmaceutical execs who use misleading marketing tactics.

Yang also commits to investing in telehealth, information and services given over the phone or internet, noting that the demand for physicians is outpacing the available supply.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang arrives before he plays basketball with former congressional candidate J.D. Scholten in Ames, Iowa, on Dec. 12, 2019.

His third prong also touches on the demand for doctors, and proposes forgiving their student loans and moving them through a fee-for-service system to a salary system.

He also wants to do more to shield doctors from malpractice lawsuits arguing, "We need to allow doctors to practice medicine that prioritizes their patients health without legal fear in the back of their minds."

Yang's last points focus on preventative care, and putting health care resources into suicide prevention, mental health checkups, handicapped patients and treatment for HIV/AIDS patients.

He closes the plan by explaining how he would minimize lobbyist influence in the health care industry, saying in part, he will refuse to hire anyone who previously worked at a pharmaceutical industry as a lobbyist.

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Yang draws contrasts with rest of field on health care plan - ABC News

Such conservative bromides ignore the evidence that SNAP beneficiaries by and large do not want to depend on government difficult circumstances in their lives make it necessary and that the program does not dissuade them from working. Depriving them of assistance will only exacerbate their poverty, and cost Americans in other ways.

The policy change, effective April 1, will oust nearly 700,000 people from food stamps nationwide and cut $5.5 billion in SNAP spending over five years. Approximately 35,000 of those affected live in Massachusetts. They are underemployed adults who have no children and are not disabled generally, a group of people not eligible for the benefit. But a longstanding waiver program has allowed the Commonwealth and other states to enroll such people in SNAP for more than three months in a three-year period if they live in localities with high unemployment or a tight job market. A recent study revealed that nationwide this group of childless individuals has received an average of $181 every month in SNAP benefits due to the state waivers.

The new rule will impose stricter criteria for issuing the state waivers. The government wants to move more able-bodied SNAP beneficiaries toward self-sufficiency and into employment. These waivers have long been seen a weakness of the program a loophole exploited by low-income individuals who simply dont want to work at a time when there are 7 million job openings nationwide and the unemployment rate is at 3.6 percent.

But, the Trump Administration is ignoring . . . the connection between geography and employment opportunities, said Georgia Katsoulomitis, executive director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, in a statement. "For example, this rule will disproportionately harm communities of color that are already struggling with economic instability and limited employment opportunities resulting from decades of explicit and implicit labor and housing discrimination.

Requiring some recipients of SNAP benefits to work more is a dramatic change from longstanding policy, one that Congress itself rejected twice last year when it was proposed in Trumps budget and in the farm bill the latter by a bipartisan House vote of 330-83. The new rule also rests on a grave misconception about the food assistance program: SNAP is intended to address hunger and help people rise out of poverty, not to compel them to work.

Indeed, there is no evidence that the new SNAP rule will result in more people gaining steady jobs. Instead, research has shown that nondisabled, low-income individuals face a complex set of barriers to self-sufficiency that have nothing to do with whether they get food stamps. Some cycle in and out of low-paying jobs or can only get irregular hours, while others are noncustodial parents who support children in their extended family as grandparents or uncles.

Whats more, Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, executive director of Childrens HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center, warns that reducing SNAP benefits could increase health costs in the long run. SNAP acts as important medicine across the lifespan, she said. Food insecurity and hunger are highly correlated with negative health outcomes, such as depression, diabetes, and anemia. One study showed that participation in SNAP was associated with a reduction in health care expenditures by roughly $1,400 per person per year. In Massachusetts, health care costs related to food insecurity and hunger were estimated at $2.4 billion in 2016. Food, in this way, is like preventative medicine or primary care.

The move to curb the SNAP state waiver program is misguided, and ought to be reversed by the next president. Denying help getting food to the poor wont do much to help them find full-time work. More likely, it will have a damaging impact on public health, which ultimately affects us all.

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Trumps holiday gift: Cutting off help to the poor - The Boston Globe

A report in the New England Journal of Medicine is predicting that by 2030 nearly 1 in 2 adults in the country will have obesity.

The report, funded by the New York-based JPB Foundation and based on 20 years of data from more than 6 million adults, also says this prevalence will be higher than 50 percent in 29 states and not below 35 percent in any state.

It says its projections are similar to previous estimates showing that 57 percent of children 2 to 19 years of age in 2016 are projected to have obesity by the age of 35.

It projects that nearly 1 in 4 adults will have severe obesity by 2030, and that this will be higher than 25 percent in 25 states.

Rates for Massachusetts for obesity by 2030 are projected at 42 percent and at 20 percent for severe obesity.

Authors of the report on projected state-level prevalence of adult obesity and severity are from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as well as George Washingtons Milken Institute School of Public Health in D.C.

Their projections were based in part on adjusted figures from an annual telephone survey during the years 1993 and 1994 and 1999 through 2016 of more than 400,000 adults in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia that provides information on body-mass index as well as National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

Body Mass Index categories were defined according to guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Besides projecting levels of obesity by state, researchers also tracked by other factors including by income.

The report projects by 2030 severe obesity will be the most common BMI category in the country among women, black non-Hispanic adults and low-income adults, that is, according to the report, household income of less than $50,000.

It also projects that severe obesity will be the most common BMI category in 44 states among adults with an annual household income of less than $20,000.

It called its projections on severe obesity especially worrisome as this is associated with even higher mortality and morbidity and health care costs.

It called for more cost effective preventative interventions for achieving and maintaining meaningful weight loss.

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Report: 1 in 2 adults obese by 2030 - MassLive.com

EIT Health has announced that its 2020 Wild Card is now open for applications for teams and individuals, inviting Europes most-promising health innovators to submit stand-out proposals in the areas of womens health and digital therapeutics.

Applications for the Wild Card programme are open until 9 February 2020.

One of the most comprehensive programmes in the European healthcare innovation landscape, Wild Card will first create and then invest up to 2 million into two ventures that push the boundaries in the challenge areas.

Now in its third year and with four start-ups already launched, the Wild Card programme seeks to support the most promising teams and turn their ideas into businesses.

Each year the Wild Card programme carefully selects two challenges which represent a pressing health issue for European citizens. For 2020 the first challenge set to Europes health innovation community is womens health. Innovators are urged to devise cost-effective, technology-driven solutions to provide specialised care for women.

The second challenge is digital therapeutics, which asks innovations to harness the power of digital solutions to prevent, manage and treat medical conditions or disease.

Commenting on the womens health challenge, Jorge Fernndez Garca, EIT Health Director of Innovation explains: Addressing womens healthcare is vital. A historical female under-representation in research has led to womens health issues being overlooked or under served.

In Europe, its estimated that women spend almost 12 years of their life in ill health, they are more likely to develop adverse reactions to medication, and cardiovascular disease, traditionally considered as a threat to men, is the greatest mortality risk for women in Europe alongside cancer.

Womens health is rich territory for Europes health innovators, we look forward to supporting breakthroughs that can make a real impact here.

Commenting on the digital therapeutics challenge, Garca, comments: Were looking for innovators who can create digital therapeutic solutions that enhance the delivery and quality of care. Although its a relatively new field, its an area that holds great promise to deliver breakthroughs in therapy areas where medicine has so far struggled, as well as tackling the challenge of shifting healthcare towards a more preventative rather than reactive approach.

Were looking for innovation that can show a distinct and measurable benefit for patients and healthcare systems.

The most promising applicants will attend a hackathon to build or complement their team and write their business plan. Up to six teams will then be selected to progress to a 10-week Business Model Validation phase.

Since the launch of Wild Card in 2018, EIT Health has invested 8 million in four ventures who put forward game-changing proposals to tackle some of Europes most significant health challenges.

Entries for the 2020 Wild Card close on 9th February 2020, further information about the programme, the challenges and how to apply can be found at https://wildcard.eithealth.eu/.

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4 million investment for innovations addressing women's health and digital therapeutics - Health Europa