8 minute read
International
PETWORTH PRINTING
Your Quality Printers
301 Kennedy Street, NW n Washington, DC 202-291-6565 PRINTING & DESIGN
Color / Black & White Printing
n Booklets n Brochures n Business Cards n Banners n Canvas Bags n Color Copies n Contracts & Vouchers n Church Fans n Fax & Scan n Programs n Postcards n Promotional Products n Posters & Signs n Tithe Envelopes n Tickets & Flyers n T-Shirts n Mugs & Glassware n Notary
10% OFF
BOOKLETS AND T-SHIRTS
*NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY*
SEE OUR ONLINE STORE: www.QualityPrintersDC.com
Traditional Help Buttons
At Home In the Car On a Walk On Vacation At the Park Shopping
A Help Button Should Go Where You Go!
To be truly independent your personal emergency device needs to work on the go.
Order Now & Receive a FREE Lockbox! 1-800-681-0667
Service availability and access/coverage on the AT&T network is not available everywhere and at all times. Current GPS location may not always be available in every situation.
Satellite Internet That is Unlimited With No Hard Data Limits!2
25 Mbps Download Speed
25mbps download and 3mbps upload1 No Hard Data Limits2 Wi-Fi Built-In
Connect your wireless devices at home
Call For Special O ers In Your Area
Pricing varies by region
CALL TODAY - LIMITED SPECIAL OFFERS IN YOUR AREA! 1-855-973-9254
HughesNet is a registered trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar Company. 2 If you exceed your monthly plan data, you will experience reduced data speeds until the start of your next billing period. Reduced speeds will typically be in the range of 1 – 3 Mbps and may cause Web sites to load more slowly or a ect the performance of certain activities, such as video streaming or large downloads/uploads.
africa now COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Gabon Wants More Equality Between Men and Women
Gabon will present three bills to parliament to strengthen equality between men and women, notably by fighting against "violence" and "discrimination", Prime Minister Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda told AFP on Friday, March 26. One of the texts introduces divorce by mutual consent. And adultery, committed by the man or the woman, will be a reason for separation for both spouses, whereas until now it could only be invoked by the man before the judge. Today, a Gabonese woman is also obliged by law to "obey" her husband. The planned changes will put an end to this, the trailblazing female head of government assured AFP in an interview. "It was time to strengthen this protection for women by progressively eliminating the discrimination and violence against them," Ms. Ossouka Raponda said.
Three bills were adopted on Tuesday, March 23, by the council of ministers -- one on "the elimination of violence against women, " the other two aiming to amend the criminal code and the civil code, which still enshrines the pre-eminence of the man in the couple by making the husband the sole head of the family.
The bills have yet to be voted on by the National Assembly and Senate, but the party of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has ruled Gabon since his first election in 2009 when he took over from his late father Omar Bongo's long reign, largely dominates both houses. "Today, the husband is the head of the family, the wife must obey the husband and it is the husband who has the choice of residence" for the family, explained Ms. Ossouka Raponda. Thanks to the new bills, the woman will share with the man the role of head of the family, she promised.
Any act of domestic violence against a spouse could also lead to divorce. "We want to protect the family as a whole," the Prime Minister said.
The draft amendment to the penal code extends the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy to some extent, although it remains highly conditional. "It is not yet the right time" to liberalize it, Ms. Ossouka Raponda said.
For an abortion, the state of distress of the woman will no longer need to be "serious" and the requirement of a doctor's opinion to establish this will be removed.
These reforms are already triggering heated debates on social networks. In 2020, the decriminalization of homosexuality had led to a strong protest movement in a large part of public opinion.
In a recent report published by the World Bank "Women, Business and Law 2021", Gabon, a small Central African country, was ranked 41st out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries in terms of promoting women's rights.
WI
caribbean now
Trinidad and Tobago PM Rowley Meets Virtually with Congresswoman Waters
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Chairman of CARICOM, met virtually met U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, on Thursday, March 25, 2021, The Associates Times reported on Saturday, March 27. In a press release, the Prime Minister’s office said the meeting focused on several matters of mutual interests. Discussions included talks on access to COVID-19 vaccines, Venezuela, Haiti and other CARICOM-related issues. “Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Senator Dr Amery Browne, and Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago to CARICOM, Her Excellency Ms. Frances Seignoret, also attended the meeting,” the releases added.
After weeks of the dilemma of its arrival date, Trinidad and Tobago’s supply of coronavirus vaccines is on its way. The 33,600 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
Last week, Jamaica became the first Caribbean country to get vaccines through COVAX, receiving 14,400 doses. WI
Embracing Care for Black Mothers
Submitted by AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia
At AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia (DC), we work to help moms and moms-to-be get access to quality maternity care. We help connect moms with needed services throughout and after pregnancy. We aim to help our enrollees feel empowered to voice their needs. And for Black Maternal Health Week, from April 11 to 17, we join the national effort to raise awareness of and improve Black maternal health care.
The need for this awareness is urgent. Black women over age 30 have four to five times more risk of death from problems related to pregnancy than their white peers.1
Many of these pregnancy-related problems can be prevented.1 Awareness of health risks and a plan to address them are powerful steps toward a healthy pregnancy and baby.
HEALTH RISKS OF STRESS
Research suggests that experiencing negative beliefs about race may create long-term stress that raises the risk of health problems. This kind of stress may lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). It may also bring a higher risk of heart disease.2
Hypertension and heart disease contribute to more pregnancy-related deaths among Black women than white women.1 Hypertension may also lead to another condition, called preeclampsia. Preeclampsia only happens during pregnancy. If it is not found and treated, preeclampsia can lead to:3 • Organ damage for the mother • Low birth weight, early birth, or death for the baby
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Consider making a plan to address your needs with your health care provider. At your appointments, share any concerns you have about your care. It may help to mention what research has shown. You could say: “I’m concerned about recent information I’ve seen. I read that Black women have a much higher chance of problems during pregnancy and childbirth than white women. Some of these problems can lead to death. What do you think about what these studies show? How can we work together to prevent these problems?”
In your plan, you can also include your checkups for during and after your pregnancy. These are your prenatal and postpartum checkups. They can help providers catch problems early. Getting consistent care can help you and your baby be healthy.
It’s important to us that you feel comfortable voicing your needs in your health care. And we want you to feel sure that your concerns are being heard and honored. If you are an AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee with concerns about your health, call us. Our Enrollee Services department is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 202-408-4720 or 1-800-408-7511.
The information in this article is to help you learn more about this topic. It is not to take the place of your health care provider. If you have questions, talk with your health care provider. If you think you need to see your health care provider because of something you have read in this information, please contact your health care provider. Never stop or wait to get medical attention because of something you have read in this material.
Sources: 1.“Racial and Ethnic Disparities Continue in Pregnancy-Related Deaths,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), https://www.cdc.gov/media/ releases/2019/p0905-racial-ethnic-disparities-pregnancy-deaths.html. 2.“Race, Discrimination, and Cardiovascular Disease,” American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/race-discrimination-and-cardiovascular-disease/2014-06. 3.“High Blood Pressure and Women,” American Heart Association, https://www.heart.org/en/ health-topics/high-blood-pressure/whyhigh-blood-pressure-is-a-silent-killer/ high-blood-pressure-and-womenConcerns,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), https://www.cdc. gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/ vaccine-decision.html.
All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model
Celebrating Black Mothers #BestMe
AmeriHealth Caritas DC celebrates Black mothers for Black Maternal Health Week! If you are pregnant and an AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee, the Bright Start® maternity care program works to help you make healthy choices for yourself and your unborn baby. Get help with: • Choosing the right doctor or midwife for your family • Finding childbirth classes • Making appointments • Learning about prenatal vitamins • Getting supplies to prepare for your baby
To learn more, visit https://www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/preventive-care/member/postpartum/index.aspx. You can also visit our resource guide at https://www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com/pdf/member/medicaid/firstthings-first-guide.pdf.
Find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amerihealthdc. / Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/amerihealthcaritasdc. / Find us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/amerihealthcaritasdc.
#BestMe
Rewards Program I got a gift card for getting my sugar levels checked. You can too.
You can get a $25 gift card if you:
• Are 18 – 75 years old • Are an AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia enrollee • Have type 1 or 2 diabetes • See your doctor for hemoglobin A1C and nephropathy exams
Note: An enrollee cannot get more than $75 in incentives each year. Certain limitations and restrictions may apply.
www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com
AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
ACDC-201001070-1
All images are used under license for illustrative purposes only. Any individual depicted is a model.
