POLICY PULSE
July 2015 
Health Observances 
July 28, 2015

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver caused by a viral infection or toxins. There are five forms of the viral infection - hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis can be debilitating and deadly, but it is also preventable. Worldwide, 400 million people are infected with the disease, and 1.4 million people die annually - 4,000 each day - from some form of hepatitis. Join us in observing World Hepatitis Day by raising awareness about ways to prevent and treat hepatitis. Show your support for the World Hepatitis Alliance campaign by tweeting  #4000voices. Click HERE to learn more about what you can do to make a difference. 

July 30, 2015
July 30th marks 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1965, signed legislation authorizing Medicare and Medicaid, creating access to care for millions of seniors and low-income citizens. Over the past half-century, much has surely changed for Medicare and Medicaid - and both programs certainly face important challenges in the days ahead. Click here to read a comprehensive assessment of Medicare published in the New England Journal of Medicine and here to read a Medicaid report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. To learn more, visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), nearly 20% of adults and children between the ages of 13-18 deal with a mental health condition. There are many racial and cultural factors that influence mental health outcomes. American Indians and Alaskan Natives experience a higher prevalence of mental illness than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Asian Americans, Hispanics and African Americans are also less likely to utilize mental health services than their White counterparts. In 2008, July was designated as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness. HPRC encourages you to take NAMI's Stigma Free pledge to help increase awareness about mental health issues.
SAVE THE DATE!
Come join the Health Policy Research Consortium (HPRC) and the Town of Capitol Heights for the first-ever Back-to-School Health Extravaganza on Saturday, August 29th from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Get your child's free school supplies!  Enjoy free food!  Participate in health screenings and fun activities for kids! Hear special guests talk about what you can do to improve health for your children and your community. The free event will take place at the Oakcrest Community Center, 1300 Capitol Heights Blvd. in Capitol Heights, Maryland. For more information please call 301-375-2021. Click HERE to register.
Health Policy Research Consortium
Office: 301-375-2021
Email: info@hprc.info
Website: www.hprc.info 

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health under award number #1U54MD008608-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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