May 2022 Health Wellness and Nutrition Suuplement

M A Y 2 0 2 2 H E A LT H , WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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Americans are living longer than ever before — about 30 years longer, on average, than a century ago — according to leading scholars who participated the Longevity Project and the Stanford Center on Longevity’s December 2021 conference. Additionally, Living Longer: Historical and Projected Life Expectancy in the United States, 1960 to 2060, a report of population estimates and projections from the U.S Census, estimate increases in life expectancy to be larger for men than women, by 2060. The report’s authors, Lauren Medi5 Dr. Shantella Sherman (Photo by India Kea) na, Shannon Sabo, and Jonathan Vespa issued their findings in February 2020, and noted that all racial and ethnic groups are projected to have longer life expectancies in coming decades, but the greatest gains will be to African American men and Native Americans. Currently, adults 50 and older represent 35 percent of the nation’s population and account for more than 50 percent of consumer spending.

So, what does that mean for African Americans and their ability to age gracefully and vibrantly into their 80s?

Well, despite the horrid precedence set by The Social Security Act of 1935, which while designed to secure respectable, livable incomes for the nation’s seniors, reinforced the racially divisive exclusion of agricultural and domestic workers, all is not lost.

This legislation, signed by then-President Franklin Roosevelt, unilaterally removed the intended safety net for Black elderly, unemployed and disadvantaged Americans, and forced them to continue working into their twilight, to rely on charity, or depend on family members for care.

Nearly 90 years later, and despite the Act’s volatility, African Americans continue to thrive and live their best lives.

“There will always be issues of health disparities and wealth gaps, but there has also been an amazing amount of growth. African Americans are hardly ‘tragically Black,’ and without happiness,” psychologist Miranda Sedgwick told the Informer. “Not only are Black Americans living longer, but they are doing so happy, content, loved, and loving.”

Sedgwick found that Black seniors were taking active roles in the world around them – from participating in protests and mentoring others, to returning to college, traveling, and taking on new and exciting hobbies.

“Many Black seniors are taking the YOLO (You Only Live Once) phrase to a new level, investing in their own happiness and inspiring younger generations in the process,” Sedgwick said. “African American seniors are reinvigorating their sex lives, enjoying newfound companionship on social media and dating sites, and strengthening their marriages.”

In this edition of The Washington Informer, we have gathered information on how best to live abundant and fulfilled lives over the age of 50, including tips and resources.

Read, Learn, Grow.

Dr. Shantella Sherman

www.washingtoninformer.com / MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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Medicare Advantage Plans Send Pals to Seniors’ Homes for Companionship — And Profits

By Phil Galewitz Kaiser Health News Tim Barrage stands next to Gloria Bailey outside her home in Akron, Ohio.

Widowed and usually living alone, Gloria Bailey walks with a cane after two knee replacement surgeries and needs help with housekeeping.

So, she was thrilled last summer when her Medicare Advantage plan, SummaCare, began sending a worker to her house in Akron, Ohio, to mop floors, clean dishes, and help with computer problems.

Some days, they would spend the two-hour weekly visit just chatting at her kitchen table. “I love it,” she said of the free benefit.

Bailey, 72, is one of thousands of seniors around the country being visited each week by employees of Papa Inc. Known as “Papa pals,” their primary aim is to provide companionship to seniors along with helping with errands and light housework duties. Since 2020, more than 65 Medicare Advantage plans nationwide have signed up with Papa, a Miami-based company, to address members’ loneliness — a problem exacerbated by the pandemic.

“It’s the best thing ever” to counteract social isolation, said Anne Armao, a vice president at SummaCare. More than 12% of the company’s 23,000 Ohio Medicare members used the Papa benefit last year.

But SummaCare and other health plans also stand to benefit by sending Papa pals into members’ homes. The workers can help the plans collect more money from Medicare by persuading members to get annual wellness exams, fill out personal health risk assessments, and undergo covered health screenings.

Accomplishing these steps helps plans in two ways: By gleaning more information, plans may discover members have health issues that may earn higher reimbursement rates from Medicare.

Plans can boost their star ratings, which are based on more than 40 performance measures, including cancer, diabetes, and blood pressure screenings; outcome measures such as controlling hypertension; and overall satisfaction with the plan. Plans that score at least four stars on a five-star scale receive bonuses from Medicare.

Bonus payments from the star ratings make up an increasing share of federal payments to these private Medicare Advantage plans, which are an alternative to traditional Medicare. In 2021, Medicare paid plans $11.6 billion in bonus pay, double the amount in 2017.

The federal government’s base pay for the plans is a monthly fee for each member, but it increases that amount based on the members’ health risks. So plans also get billions of dollars a year in extra payments by pinpointing members’ health problems through a variety of measures, including the health risk assessments.

Yet federal investigators have found these diagnoses do not always result in additional treatment or follow-up care to beneficiaries. As a result, the federal government is probably overpaying the Medicare health plans and wasting billions in taxpayer dollars, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission that advises Congress.

In a report last September, the Health and Human Services inspector general found 20 Medicare Advantage companies generated $5 billion in extra payments from the federal government for diagnoses identified through health risk assessments and chart reviews without documentation that the patients were treated for these issues.

Nearly half of Medicare enrollees get their coverage through Medicare Advantage.

David Lipschutz, associate director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, said Papa pals provide an important benefit to seniors by helping them with chores, reducing their loneliness, and getting them to medical appointments. But the benefit can also help the insurers’ bottom lines.

“If there is one thing these plans are good at its maximizing their profit,” he said.

Medicare Advantage plans often give doctors financial incentives to get patients to undergo health assessments. Plan workers repeatedly call patients with offers to send nurses or doctors to their homes to complete them. Lipschutz said health risk assessments are useful only if the health plans act on the information by making sure patients are getting treatment for those issues.

Armao said the health risk assessment and annual wellness exam reminders are on the list of things Papa employees are told to ask about on visits.

“They are our eyes and ears who can learn so much from members in their homes,” she explained.

Pals look in refrigerators to see if members have enough to eat, check on how members are feeling, and remind them to take prescriptions. SummaCare even directs pals to ask whether members have urinary incontinence or are up to date on cancer screenings.

Andrew Parker, who founded Papa in 2017 after finding a couple of college students to visit with his grandfather, take him to doctor appointments, and do other errands, said he estimates his company will provide more than a million hours of companionship in 2022. The Medicare plans pay Papa, a

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5 Tim Barrage, a “Papa pal,” takes a break from doing yardwork for Gloria Bailey outside her home in Akron, Ohio. Bailey’s Medicare Advantage health plan, SummaCare, contracts with Papa Inc., which provides workers to provide companionship, perform light housekeeping, and run errands. Barrage usually visits Bailey once a week for two hours. (JOHN TOMSICK)

for-profit company, a per-member fee monthly.

“Papas [pals] are very proactive and will call you to see how you are feeling and, maybe not on the first day but over the course of the program, can ask, ‘Did you know your health plan would prefer if you had a wellness exam and it could help you with your health?’” he said. “A pal is a trusted adviser who can get them to think about benefits they do not know about.”

He said insurers often don’t know a member is facing a health issue until they see a medical claim. “We can identify things they don’t know about,” he said.

Until recently, Medicare rarely paid for non-health services. But Papa began working with Medicare Advantage plans in 2020, just one year after the program began allowing the private insurers to have more flexibility addressing members’ so-called social needs, such as transportation, housing, and food, which are not typically covered by Medicare but could influence health. Papa’s goal of addressing members’ loneliness took on even more significance during the pandemic when many seniors became socially isolated as they sought to reduce their risk of getting infected.

Papa has more than 25,000 pals whose average age is mid-30s. Before being hired, pals must undergo a criminal background check and a driving record review as part of the vetting process.

After being hired, pals are trained on empathy, cultural competency, and humility.

Michael Walling, 22, who works as a Papa pal near his home in Port Huron, Michigan, said most seniors are receptive to getting help or a chance to talk to someone for a couple of hours.

One of his clients has trouble walking so Walling helps vacuum and mop her trailer and take her to the grocery store. On Christmas Eve, he even took her out to lunch. “It was to be my day off, but I didn’t want her to be alone on the holiday,” he said.

Tim Barrage, a former parole officer, who visits Bailey and about a dozen other seniors in the Akron area each week, turned to Papa because he was looking for a flexible part-time job to supplement income from his firearms safety training businesses.

“I’ve done work in the garden, hanging up and taking down Christmas decorations, cleaning ovens or stovetops,” he said.

Each time he arrives at a member’s home, Papa directs him to check to see how the member is feeling overall and then periodically ask about issues that can include the wellness exam and health risk assessment. At the end of the visit, he reports to Papa about what services he provided and how the member interacted with him. He alerts his supervisors at Papa to a member’s potential health issues, and Papa connects with the health plan to address them.

Jennifer Kivi, manager of Medicare product development for Priority Health, a Michigan health plan, said members who have used the Papa service said it makes them feel less lonely. “If we can reduce their loneliness, it helps members feel better and their physical health will improve,” she said.

The insurer doesn’t want its Papa pals to ask members a long list of health questions, but they can ask about cancer or diabetes screenings, which also can bolster a plan’s ratings. “What we have seen is you can have a doctor tell them and their insurance company tell them they need it, but a Papa pal can start to build that relationship with them, and it means a lot more coming from them,” she said.

MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Healthy Summer Tips Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia It’s May, and summer is just around the corner. Warmer weather brings with it more opportunities to get outdoors with friends and family. Here are some other ways we can help boost our health for the summer.

BE SUMMER SAVVY

Make the most of this time to get and stay healthy. Stay active in safe ways that make you feel good:1 • Beat the heat! If you exercise outside, be active in the early morning.

Watch the sun come up while moving in place with exercises like stretches, jumping jacks, or skipping rope.

• Sidewalks sizzling? Get moving indoors! Move your body in the privacy of your home with virtual fitness classes.

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Drink more water as the temperatures rise.

• Fuel up. Help yourself stay active by getting lots of nutrients. Mix up your meals, using these healthy foods:

o Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds o Fat-free or low-fat milk and cheese o Seafood, poultry, and eggs • Grow your own food! Start a small garden in your yard or use a plot in a community garden. It is rewarding to eat fruits and vegetables you planted yourself. Gardening can also be a great way to exercise and move your body.

STAYING SAFE ON THE PLAYGROUND

A warm, sunny day is the perfect opportunity to get your children out of the house and onto a playground.

Play areas are a great place for kids to learn social skills, like playing with others, as well as use up some of that never-ending energy. Here are some tips on how to keep your child safe on the playground:2 • Check for hazards, such as rusted or broken equipment and dangerous surfaces. Report any hazards to the school or appropriate local office.

• Dress appropriately for the playground. Remove necklaces, purses,

More Than A Sugar Rush scarves, or clothing with drawstrings that can get caught on equipment and pose a safety hazard. Even helmets can be dangerous on a playground, so save those for bikes.

• Avoid playgrounds with non‒ impact-absorbing surfaces, such as asphalt, concrete, grass, dirt, or gravel.

Good alternatives are sand, pea gravel, wood chips, mulch, and shredded rubber.

• Most importantly, keep an eye on your child at all times. Supervising your child is the easiest way to recognize potential safety issues and quickly respond if something happens.

These articles are for educational purposes only. They are not intended to take the place of your primary care provider (PCP). If you have questions or are on a special diet prescribed by a provider, talk with your PCP before making any changes. Check with your PCP before starting any exercise program. If you think you need to see your PCP because of something you have read in this information, please contact your PCP. Never stop or wait to get medical attention because of something you have read in this information.

Type 1, Type 2, gestational, and prediabetes are all forms of diabetes that affect how the body processes blood sugar. These conditions can be dangerous if not managed properly.

Check the list below to see if you are experiencing any warning signs of diabetes:3 • Feeling hungry and/or thirsty all the time • Going to the bathroom a lot • Blurred vision • Feeling very tired • Unexplained weight loss/gain • Cuts that heal slowly • Hands/feet feel numb or tingly • Having very dry skin

#BestMe Corner

Columbia (DC) offers virtual classes to help enrollees learn how to prevent hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, as well as ways to manage these conditions over time. Through weekly online classes, enrollees will learn from experts in the field during interactive sessions. Visit the AmeriHealth Caritas DC Diabetes Care Center webpage to learn more about these classes. For more information on diabetes, please visit www.diabetes.org.

Remember, you can still live a full and active life with diabetes.

AmeriHealth Caritas District of Sources: 1. “Keep Active and Eat Healthy to Improve Well-being and Feel Great”” National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, https://www.niddk.nih. gov/health-information/weight-management/healthy-habits-summer.

2. “Playground Safety Tips,” Safe

Kids Worldwide, https://www.safekids. org/tip/playground-safety-tips.

3. “Diabetes Symptoms,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/ symptoms.html.

All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model

Find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amerihealthdc. / Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmeriHealthCaritasDC.

www.washingtoninformer.com / MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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8 Great Activities to Strengthen Senior Minds Try a brain Training App

By Lee Ross WI Staff Writer The days of elders sitting in the park feeding ducks has all but disappeared. Seniors have increasingly taken to more vigorous activities that enhance their physical agility and strengthen mental and intellectual acuity. And while the coronavirus forced many seniors to forego activities that required them to engage with large crowds, most adapted to indoor and hybrid activities that continued to keep them sharp and healthy.Here are some of the best ways to strengthen the minds of seniors.

As long as your elderly loved one has a mobile phone or tablet they will be able to download apps to help with brain training. Apps can improve concentration levels, visual-spatial skills and problem solving. A quick search in the app store will provide you with hundreds of brain training apps to choose from, like Lumosity, Peak, and BrainHQ.

Trivia Quizzes

Trivia is a great way to stimulate elderly adults’ minds, and it can also provide a good laugh. With the infinite amount of trivia topics available online, it is up to you to decide on which topic and whether or not it will be played in groups or individually.

Keep the hands and mind busy with arts & crafts

Arts and crafts are one of the best activities for the elderly to participate in as not only does it encourage the use of the mind, but it keeps the hands busy too. Using their hands helps to maintain dexterity and being able to explore their creative side helps with the use of the imagination. Making greeting cards, painting, drawing, knitting, word puzzles and scrapbooking.

Word Puzzles

Get your elderly loved one’s brain buzzing with enjoyable yet challenging word puzzles. Word puzzles are a fantastic way to keep elderly adults entertained and exercise their brain. Here are some word puzzles that are popular with seniors: word search, crosswords, hangman, and unscramble words.

Bingo

Bingo is an old favorite amongst the elderly community as it encourages social interaction, typically played in care homes, but it can still be enjoyed in your own home. While this is a fun and enjoyable game for the elderly, it also provides some essential health benefits.

Learn a New Language

Learning a new language might sound a little daunting, but challenging our brain is the best way to enhance brain health and reduce the impact of aging. Depending on your loved one’s physical and mental health condition, there are a variety of ways to learn a new language. Phone and tablet apps: DuoLingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone.

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MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

Video Games

Jigsaw Puzzles If you want to start with a

simple activity to stimulate the mind, try completing a puzzle. While this might seem basic, there are a multitude of benefits for your elderly loved one, such as a slower breathing rate which aids in reducing anxiety and lowering blood pressure levels.

A lot of people believe that video games are played mostly by children and teenagers; however, they are a great activity for the elderly too. Playing video games is considered to be beneficial for older adults as it requires planning, quick responses, and a memory as to which buttons to use.

Brain Boosting Foods

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD (Safeway Corporate Dietitian) What you choose to eat and drink every day can boost your brainpower in the short term and long-term!

Think you don’t need to worry about protecting your brain? Guess again!

Cognitive decline is already taking effect in middle age — around age 45 — according to research from France. The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative damage and inflammation; for optimal brain health, start by emphasizing foods rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants help prevent oxidative stress in the body and may help delay effects of aging such as a decline in cognitive function. The antioxidant power peaks around two hours after the meal; keep a steady stream of powerful antioxidants in your blood stream by indulging in a variety of colorful plant foods! Colorful vegetables and fruits are antioxidant go-to foods, which include the following

fruits and vegetables: • Dark Green (kale, spinach, greens, green peppers, broccoli, asparagus) • Red/Purple (berries, red grapes, cherries, tomatoes, plums, beets, red cabbage, red pepper, eggplant) • Orange/Yellow (carrots, butternut squash,sweet potato, papaya, mango, cantaloupe, citrus fruits) Other high antioxidant foods include nuts, olives, beans, legumes, whole grains, garlic, onions, herbs, spices, and tea (especially green and white teas).

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY COMPOUNDS

While research in this area continues to develop and advance, dietary patterns with antiinflammatory activity seem to include eating plenty of: • Colorful vegetables and fruits • Nuts and legumes • Fish and plant sources of omega-3s (walnuts, ground flaxseed and canola oil) • Whole grains instead of refined grains

• Lean protein • Phytochemical-rich herbs and spices such as ginger and turmeric (used in curry powder) • Unsweetened Tea (particularly green/white), rich in bioactive phytochemicals Be sure to enjoy Berries There is growing evidence that eating berries at least several times a week may prevent age-related memory loss and other changes in brain function.

Berries provide high levels of antioxidants, which help protect brain cells from damage. Foods bursting with polyphenol compounds, like berries and walnuts, may also help protect the brain by removing biochemical byproducts that accumulate in the brain.

Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds come up as a brain boosting food due to several components. Walnuts are rich in plant omega-3s and polyphenol compounds (similar to berries) and nuts and seeds in general contribute polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, thought to

be helpful. But nuts and seeds are also the top food sources of vitamin E, a very potent antioxidant associated with brain health. In one study, people in the top 20th percentile of intake of vitamin E from food (around 11 IU a day) had a 70 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those in the bottom 20th percentile. If you include a cup of dark leafy greens or broccoli and a handful of nuts every day, you’ll likely hit this amount.

THE BRAIN IS BETTER WITH THE B’S

All of the B-vitamins are suspected to help neurons cope with aging and some experts suggest they may help protect the brain. More research is needed, but there is some evidence suggesting folic acid, B6 and B12 may play a role in healthy brain-aging, and that low levels of these vitamins can lead to quicker brain deterioration. B-vitamins are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fish (B12 is in animal products and some fortified foods). A British study suggest daily B-vitamin supplements may slow the decline in

mental function in people with mild cognitive impairment.

SWITCH TO MONOUNSATURATED FATS

New research suggests substituting bad fats with good fats could help prevent a decline in memory. Researchers found that the total amount of fat didn’t really matter but type of fat did. Over four years of testing, women over the age of 65 who consumed the highest amount of saturated fat had worse overall cognitive and verbal memory scores compared to women with the lowest amounts, whereas women who ate the most monounsaturated fat (found in nuts, extra virgin olive oil, olives, canola oil, avocados, etc.) had better cognitive scores over time. Making simple, deliberate choices when it comes to nutrition is important for each and every system in the body. Overall health depends on the things we put on our plates and in our stomachs. Choose healthy foods; it’s a no-brainer!

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD is the author of 25 books on nutrition and healthy cooking and is currently the Wellness Services Corporate Dietitian for Safeway.

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organic & natural in every aisle

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Recent & Recommended Books about Aging Vibrantly

By Lee Ross / WI Staff Writer Senior Tourism: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Aging and Traveling

By Simone Francescato, Roberta Maierhofer, Valeria Minghetti, Eva-Maria Trinkaus This volume aims to bridge the disciplinary gap between tourism studies and aging studies. It investigates the intersections of tourism and aging from a variety of perspectives that focus on the many ways in which senior tourism is socially constructed and/or individually experienced. The essays tackle key topics ranging from the socio-economic aspects of post-retirement travel to the representations of the traveling elderly in literature, film and media, and the influence of travel on late-life creativity.

Senior Citizens Writing: A Workshop and Anthology, with an Introduction and Guide for Workshop Leaders

By W. Ross Winterowd In Senior Citizens Writing, renowned teacher and writer W. Ross Winterowd describes in his introduction how writing workshops for seniors not only provide an

Be a DC hero. Get vaccinated.

For my health, for your health and for the health of all our DC families.

audience but also give them opportunities for the intellectual growth and engagement that everyone wants and needs. Included in this anthology are new poems, stories, and essays by workshop participants.

Advanced Style

By Ari Seth Cohen Advanced Style is Ari Seth Cohen’s blogbased ode to the confidence, beauty, and fashion that can only be achieved through the experience of a life lived glamorously. It is a collection of street fashion unlike any seen before - focused on the over-60 set in the world’s most stylish locales. The (mostly) ladies of Advanced Style are enjoying their later years with grace and panache, marching to the beat of their own drummer. These timeless images and words of wisdom provide fashion inspiration for all ages and prove that age is nothing but a state of mind. Ari Seth Cohen started his blog inspired by his own grandmother’s unique personal style and his lifelong interest in the put-together fashion of vibrant seniors.

Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex

By Joan Price In Naked at Our Age, women and men, coupled and single, straight and gay talk candidly about how their sex lives and relationships have changed with age, and about how they see themselves, their partners, or their single life. Many of them are having unsatisfying sex, or no sex at all, and are seeking advice. Price presents their personal stories, and follows up with tips from sex therapists, health professionals, counselors, sex educators, and other knowledgeable experts. Naked at Our Age is an entertaining and indispensable guide to handling and understanding the issues of senior sex and relationships.

Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning

By Tom Vanderbilt Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to be bad at something? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of beginning from the ground up? Inspired by his young daughter’s insatiable curiosity, Tom Vanderbilt embarks on a yearlong quest of learning--purely for the sake of learning. He interviews dozens of experts about the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner and shows how anyone can get better at beginning again--and, more importantly, why they should take those first awkward steps.

#VaxxedTogether

vaccinate.dc.gov

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Working together to support the healthcare needs of greater D.C. At Bank of America, we are committed to addressing access to health care and health care disparities in our local markets.

Since 2021, we’ve invested more than $66 million to help support the communities we serve, including a new partnership with Bread for the City to provide preventative care and behavioral health treatment in the Anacostia community.

Addressing barriers to equal access to healthcare is a critical step in helping communities move forward and realize true economic mobility.

©2022 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. AD-04-22-0341 | XXXXXXX

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The Mental Health Crisis that is Impacting Pregnant People and New Parents Submitted by Amerigroup Maryland During the month of May, there is a focus on Mental Health Awareness.

It is an especially important observance for the Black community, where more than 16 percent of those who identify as Black or African American have reported having a mental health illness in the past year. It is even more important when we narrow in on people who are pregnant, since one in five mothers meet the criteria for a mental health disorder during or after pregnancy.

Many think of Mother’s Day, baby showers and happy beginnings when they think of May, but our country is still in the middle of a pandemic and financial crisis. The State of the

Nation’s Mental Health report unveils that the U.S. is experiencing a dramatic increase in mental health needs. The past year has been marked by uncertainty, isolation, grief and trauma from things such as human loss, divisive politics and police brutality. This has all taken a heavy toll on people who are pregnant or just had a baby, particularly because they also have to deal with the physical and emotional challenges that come naturally during and after pregnancy.

Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth. These conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar illness, substance use disorders, and even postpartum psychosis. If left

untreated, they can have long-term, negative impacts on parents, babies, families and society. Almost 40 percent of Black people who are pregnant and new moms experience these maternal mental health conditions – twice as many as white women, yet Black women are half as likely to receive treatment.

Between the mental health crisis that has gripped our nation and the maternal mental health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black people, it is obvious that action is needed. That action has to start by raising awareness and initiating conversations. Amerigroup Maryland has made a commitment to starting these conversations and connecting entire communities with the education, information and resources needed to address issues.

When Amerigroup becomes aware that a member is pregnant, outreach

Dedicated to your health.

Dedicated to your community.

800-600-4441 (TTY 711)

myamerigroup.com/md

is conducted to share information about benefits, resources and supports.

During this outreach, Amerigroup care managers use a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for potential issues. Case managers also employ a method call motivational interviewing to open conversations about mental health and substance use issues. Amerigroup has also been leading campaigns to educate partnering providers and community advocates about tools and resources that can start conversations about mental health early enough to address concerns before they become life-threatening issues. And when Amerigroup can’t be the one to start the conversation, it hopes pregnant members start the conversation by reaching out to their healthcare providers or Amerigroup Member Services – even if it is just to let them know that they are pregnant.

Amerigroup also urges friends and family of pregnant people to make an effort to initiate conversations about mental health during pregnancy and after birth. Social and cultural stigma are among the top reasons why pregnant and postpartum people do not access needed mental health and substance use disorder resources. Having candid conversations about feelings and emotions, or just checking in to ask a pregnant person how they are doing, could go a long way in breaking the stigma to start the process of getting help. Open ended questions should be asked, such as: “It must be

really hard transitioning to being a mom, so how is that going for you?”

Personal experiences about being tired, lonely and depressed should be shared as ice breakers. Also, reminders should be given that not everyone has to follow the same pregnancy advice that is trending on social media, and that it is OK to get help from a professional.

Amerigroup serves as one source of truth by offering evidence-based information and resources on its Pregnancy & Women’s Health page at https:// www.myamerigroup.com/md/care/ pregnancy-womens-health.html. And for those who prefer to get personalized health info, tips, resources and tools by phone, text or app, are encouraged to check out MyAdvocateHelps.com.

Mental health is a critical component of a healthy pregnancy and healthy futures for new families. If awareness about maternal mental health is not raised and conversations are not started, we cannot make progress in getting past the mental health crisis that is plaguing our nation, the Black community, and pregnant/postnatal people.

Mental Health Awareness month encourages everyone to take time to learn more about maternal mental health, to be empowered with awareness, and to start conversations that can improve and save lives. Take an initiative to do your part, and if you need help, start by visiting Amerigroup.com.

HealthChoice is a program of the Maryland Department of Health.

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www.washingtoninformer.com / MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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Recovery

is possible.

READY?

“As an addict, I lost 15 years of my life to the penal system. Today, I’m a business owner in grad school.”

TREATMENT WORKS. Connect with someone who’s been there and understands. No judgment, just help.

See local stories of recovery and find a certified peer at MyRecoveryDC.org.

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MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.com

LIVE

LONG

DC

Saving lives from the opioid epidemic

Ebonee Givens, RN

Honoring our nurses The last 2 years have changed us. We mourn those we’ve lost to this pandemic, including the nurses who selflessly cared for those battling COVID-19. We see and feel things differently because of what we’ve experienced together — in health care and in our country.

Through it all, the 65,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and more than 4 million nurses across our nation have reminded us what it means to heal, the importance of dignity and grace, and the power of hope.

This National Nurses Month we recognize and celebrate our nurses — leaders, clinicians, researchers, innovators, and scientists. We see your long hours, deep compassion, and true humanity.

Thank you for choosing to be a nurse, and for leading us through the last 2 years with your heart and professionalism.

You honor those who came before you — and provide an example for those who will follow in your footsteps.

With deep gratitude,

Greg A. Adams Chair and Chief Executive Officer Kaiser Permanente

www.washingtoninformer.com / MAY 2022 HEALTH WELLNESS & NUTRITION SUPPLEMENT

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