TGIF Quote of the Week!

Happy Friday Everyone!
Hopefully everyone will find time to relax this weekend. 
Here is the quote of the week:

“One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go.”
 — Sheila Murray Bethel

Have a good weekend!

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Listeria in the News

If you attended  our first Seminar Series, Gender Jeopardy you may remember this 1000 point question: 

This bacteria affects older people, pregnant women (especially Hispanic women) and immunocompromised people after drinking unpasteurized milk or eating lunchmeat that is too old; can cause preterm labor, bacteremia, fetal loss, meningitis and death.

Answer: Invasive Listeria Monocytogenes

In 2011, an outbreak of Listeria became the worst food borne illness on record (Since they began recording in the 1970's) Over one hundred people were infected and 33 died. In recent news, owners of the farm where the outbreak originated were arrested. It was found that contaminated cantaloupes were the cause of this outbreak. 

To Read the full article in the NY Times, Click Here.

 

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WHEP: What's Happening

We recently had the pleasure of discussing two very interesting articles presented to us by 4th year students Natalie Beaty and Rachel Danis! Check out and share these articles with your friends:

• Childhood maltreatment and response to novel face stimuli presented during functional magnetic resonance imaging in adults,  Elliot Kale Edmiston and Jennifer Urbano Blackford

• At what cost?: Payment for abortion care by U.S. women, Rachel K. Jones, PhD a, Ushma D. Upadhyay, PhD, MPHb, Tracy A. Weitz, PhD, MPA 

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Seminar Series - Best of Center City (Part 2)

As promised, here is part 2 of our "best of" entries (check out best of Queen Lane from yesterday if you haven't already!) During our first seminar, we asked students to compile lists of the best places fellow students should check out. Here is the list for Center City:

Best of Center City:

Best Restaurant
Banana Leaf
Sabrina's

Iztaccihuatl

Village Whiskey

Many Places in Chinatown

Fun Ideas for less than $10

First Friday (Monthly art gallery open house)

Best Place to Study

OCF Coffeehouse

Hahneman Library 24 hr room  

Best Food on the Go

Subway

Best Places/Ways to relieve stress

Rittenhouse Park

Kelly Drive

Do you have a favorite place that you would like to share? Let us know in the comments section. And please don't forget to come out to our next seminar on September 24th! 

*The Women's Health Education has no affiliations or partnerships with any of the businesses listed. Results were decided solely based on student feedback

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Foundation for Women's Wellness Research and Fellowship Awards

The Foundation for Women's Wellness (FWW) is currently accepting applications for both research and fellowship awards in women's health.  FWW is dedicated to improving women's health by raising support for small, short-term studies with promising big impact. Details and online applications are at: FWW  http://www.thefww.org under the research awards and fellowship awards tabs.  

Both are short applications. The research award is a two page letter of inquiry and finalists will be invited to apply, it is a one time $25,000 award.  The two fellowship awards are given directly to the MD/PhD student, intern, fellow or trainee that is working on women's health research topics ($2,500 each).

The deadline for both is October 25. Check it out!

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Seminar Series - Best of Queen Lane (part 1)

Our first seminar series for the 2013-2014 was last night! Thanks for those who came out and if you were not able to make it, please come join us next time! ( Our next seminar is September 24th!)

One of the activities we did yesterday was have participants compile  "Best Of"  lists for both the Queen Lane and Center City areas. Today, we will be posting the Queen lane list, tomorrow the list for Center City will be up! If you are looking for

Queen Lane Area Best...

 Best Places to Study
- Starbucks (Manayunk)
- Volo Cafe
- The Computer Lab

Favorite places/ ways to relieve stress
- Quizzo at Kildares
- Pretzel Park (Manayunk)
- Yoga
- Play sports, walk or run  (East Falls Park/ Towpath or Preztel Park (Manayuk)

Best restaurant 
Franklins
Rose Petals Cafe & Lounge
In Riva
Cactus
Tomato Bistro

Best food on the Go
-Wawa
- Anything on City Ave (Chipotle, Pei Wei, etc.)

Fun Ideas for under $10
-Wine Tasting on Main Street in Manayunk

Have a "best of  Queen Lane that you would like to share? Post in our comments section to keep the discussion going!

*The Women's Health Education has no affiliations or partnerships with any of the businesses listed. Results were decided solely based on student feedback

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The Costs of Child Care in America

 Having children is an event that many in Americans choose to embark upon and has been built into the "typical" model of the American dream. While there are many factors that contribute to the decision to have a child, early child care costs from infancy to the start of grade school may be a large deterrent. According to Census Bureau, the cost of child care has almost doubled in the last 25 years. This burden falls heavily on working mothers as they are more likely to leave their jobs to take care of children if they make less than their partner. And once children reach grade school, these women find it difficult to get back into, and become a competitive force in the workplace again.

Regardless of income, many feel the strain of childcare. However some of the hardest hit are those right above the income bracket to receive government assistance and those living in poverty. While the average percent of household income spent on childcare is about 7%, It can be much higher for low income families (about 30%!). This can impact the families ability to pay for other things such as housing, utilities and food; Which can effect the health and wellness of every family member.

Moving forward, physicians can have a significant role of encouraging parents to prepare for child care. During early prenatal visits, simple questions such as "have you began making preparations for early child care after maternity/paternity leave?"can get soon to be parents thinking if they haven't already. While it may not be possible to discuss their options, knowing what is available within the community and having resources to give can really make a difference. Simply mentioning websites like Care.com could start parents on the right track.  Also encouraging new parents to talk to others who have recently or currently exploring child care options can remind them to build their social networks as they enter into this next phase of life.

Read the Story : Crushed By the Cost of Child Care

Childcare Infographic by the US Census

Rising childcare costs; US Census 

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Today is Female Condom Day!

Female condoms are the lesser known and used version of the male counterpart. When used effectively, planned parenthood estimates that 5 out of 100 women will get pregnant (This is compared to the 98% effectiveness of male condoms, but many also use male condoms incorrectly.) They also are effective in protection against STDs. Female condoms benefit women by allowing them to take greater control of their sex lives without using any type of hormone treatment. While both partners should be willing to agree on a method of protection, female condoms can eliminate the "too small, too tight, no feeling" discussion that sometimes comes along with using men's condoms. 

One interesting benefit of the female condom is that it can be inserted ahead of time. Therefore, there is no period of stopping to find a condom that also deters users at times. This advanced usage allows the female condom to adjust to a woman's body temperature for a more "natural" feel. 

Many women are deterred from usage because they do not know how to use a female condom. Physicians should make sure that when discussing birth control and safe sex measures, patients are not only informed of their options but know proper usage. Also, if you yourself are sexually active, make sure YOU know proper utilization for any methods of protection you choose! 

Happy Female Condom Day!

More information on female condoms and usage:

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/female-condom-4223.htm

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