4 consejos para prepararse ante desastres naturales que pueden impactar negativamente la salud física y mental

(Family Features) Mientras elabora su lista de verificación de preparación para emergencias, también es importante proteger su corazón y salud general después de un huracán, tornado u otro desastre natural.

Los expertos de la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica predicen por séptimo año consecutivo una temporada de huracanes en el Océano Atlántico superior al promedio. Las investigaciones muestran que no es sólo la devastación física lo que afecta la salud y la seguridad de las personas en el camino de un desastre natural.

De hecho, en un estudio presentado en las sesiones científicas de Epidemiología, prevención, estilo de vida y salud cardiometabólica de 2021 de la American Heart Association, los investigadores encontraron que existían mayores tasas de presión arterial alta, obesidad y prediabetes entre los sobrevivientes del huracán María en Puerto Rico en 2017, así como una mayor incidencia de enfermedades cardíacas y ataque cerebral dos años después de la tormenta en comparación con dos años antes del huracán.

No son sólo los huracanes los que pueden tener un impacto negativo en la salud cardiovascular. Un estudio publicado en la revista “Hypertension” encontró un aumento significativo en los niveles de presión arterial y la incidencia de presión arterial alta entre las personas que se vieron obligadas a evacuar después del gran terremoto del este de Japón en 2012.

Gustavo E. Flores, M.D., miembro del comité de Atención Cardiovascular de Emergencia de la American Heart Association, dijo que hay varios factores que pueden conducir a un aumento de la enfermedad y el riesgo cardiovascular enfermedad de un desastre natural.

“Durante y después de una tormenta, muchas personas experimentan estrés y traumas extremos, lo que, según las investigaciones, puede provocar un aumento del riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular”, afirmó. “El impacto puede ser más intenso para los pacientes con enfermedades cardíacas y accidentes cerebrovasculares. Además, después de un desastre natural importante, la destrucción de propiedades y las evacuaciones afectan muchos recursos de apoyo básicos. Esto puede dificultar la consulta a un profesional de la salud para controles de rutina o para reabastecer o ajustar medicamentos, especialmente para las poblaciones más vulnerables”.

Flores, presidente e instructor jefe de Emergency & Critical Care Trainings, LLC, dijo que es importante que las personas estén preparadas y planifiquen con anticipación. Considere estos rápidos consejos de Flores y la American Heart Association, que celebra 100 años de servicio para salvar vidas como la principal organización sin ánimo de lucro del mundo centrada en la salud del corazón y el cerebro para todos:

• Tómese el tiempo para anotar cualquier condición médica, alergias y medicamentos, incluidas las dosis y la hora en que toma los medicamentos, junto con el nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono de su farmacia. Guarde la información con cualquier otro “kit de emergencia” que tenga a mano para una evacuación rápida.
• Si necesita evacuar, aunque sea temporalmente, lleve sus medicamentos e información de salud en una bolsa de plástico con cierre para ayudar a mantenerla seca.
• Si su medicamento se pierde, se daña con el agua o se quedó atrás cuando evacuó, investigue las farmacias abiertas y solicite un resurtido lo más rápido posible. Algunos estados permiten a los farmacéuticos hacer excepciones médicamente necesarias en ciertos tipos de resurtidos de recetas durante una emergencia.
• Utilice el Plan de preparación del paciente si tiene diabetes y usa insulina. Allí encontrará una lista de verificación de suministros y pautas para prepararse para una emergencia.

Otra forma de prepararse para una posible emergencia médica es aprender a realizar reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) con las manos únicamente y a utilizar un desfibrilador externo automático hasta que llegue la ayuda. Si se realiza correctamente, la RCP puede duplicar o triplicar las posibilidades de supervivencia de una persona.

Visite Heart.org para obtener lo último sobre la salud del corazón y la página de recursos para desastres para obtener una amplia gama de información útil.

Foto cortesía de Shutterstock

SOURCE:
American Heart Association

WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. /PRNewswire/ –The Bob Woodruff Foundation is thrilled to announce the third annual Veterans Classic will take place at the Westhampton Country Club on Monday, May 20 beginning at 10:30 am. In addition to the golf tournament, guests will have the opportunity to participate in a pickleball clinic as part of the afternoon’s events. The Veterans Classic also includes brunch, dinner, cocktails, and an awards ceremony. The Patriot Parachute Team will jump in at 11:30 a.m., kicking off the day’s events. Proceeds from the event benefit Bob Woodruff Foundation’s work in mental health for the military and veteran community and their families. Additional information, including registration details, can be found at bobwoodrufffoundation.org/event/veterans-golf-classic.

“We’re kicking off the summer in the best possible way, by gathering on the greens to play golf with some of our favorite people and veterans,” said Anne Marie Dougherty, CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “The Bob Woodruff Foundation Veterans Golf Classic will raise awareness that helps strengthen communities and support the health and well-being of veterans and military families. We look forward to this event as we remember and honor those who served while working to ensure that our service members and vets—of today and tomorrow—have everything they need to thrive.”

The Patriot Parachute Team, a veteran-owned and operated company, will return for an exciting skydiving performance. This year, the pros will be joined by two guests that won the opportunity to join the team at last year’s event. The Patriot Parachute Team performs around the nation to inspire the next generation of patriots and raise awareness for veteran causes to include transitioning from active duty to civilian.

“They say golf is a good walk spoiled,” said Bob Woodruff, ABC correspondent and Foundation co-founder. “I say our Veterans Golf Classic is a good time to talk about one of the most important issues facing military families: kids’ mental health. In 2023, we committed $1 million in support of military children’s mental health. We met that goal and are continuing to support our grant partners who bring clinical and therapeutic expertise to this area.”

Proceeds from this year’s Veterans Classic will support mental health initiatives for veterans, with a focus on military children’s mental health. Approximately 20% of veterans experience mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe depression, and anxiety. While the Veterans Association (VA) provides quality care for veterans, only 60% of veterans were eligible for VA care, with roughly half using their benefits, as of 2016. The Bob Woodruff Foundation helps to bridge the gap by funding programs that increase availability and access to high-quality mental healthcare.

For military children, mental health is at a crisis point. Blue Star Families’ Military Family Lifestyle Survey found that 43% of active-duty families rated at least one of their children’s mental health as “fair,” “poor,” or “very poor.” To increase access to quality care, the Bob Woodruff Foundation makes investments in initiatives that provide mentorship opportunities to bolster military-connected children’s social support and emotional wellbeing, train clinicians so they are better equipped to serve children, and cover treatment costs that are ineligible for or not fully covered by insurance.

Golf has also proven to be beneficial for mental health. This physical activity can be effective in improving mild-moderate depression, reducing anxiety, improving confidence, and boosting self-esteem. Golf also offers an opportunity for socialization and building community, something veterans can experience a major loss of when transitioning out of the military.

Last year’s Veterans Classic more than $400,000 to support the Foundation’s mission to ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families have stable and successful futures. Since 2006, the Foundation has invested more than $159 million to help make sure they have successful futures. The event takes place ahead of Memorial Day, the federal holiday mourning the US military service members who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

For the Veterans Classic, foursomes are $10,000. Hole sponsorships are available and include signage recognition and two dinner tickets for $1,000 per hole. Individual playing spots are available for $2,500, and those players will be paired with a group. Caddies are included. For more information, including registration, please contact Dave Woodruff at dave.woodruff@bobwoodrufffoundation.org.

ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION 
The Bob Woodruff Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has raised awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $159 million to ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures. Visit the Bob Woodruff Foundation for more information.

SOURCE Bob Woodruff Foundation

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WOONSOCKET, R.I. /PRNewswire/ — A recent CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS)/Morning Consult survey found that a majority of adults have significant concerns about their mental health and rates across the country continue to rise.

• Two-thirds (65%) of adults have experienced concerns about their own mental health or the mental health of their friends and family, which is up six percentage points from 2022 and 15 percentage points from 2020.
• About eight in 10 adults (77%) are concerned about mental health in the country, viewing it as a top concern in line with issues such as the economy (81%).
• Seventy percent of parents are concerned about their children’s mental health, which is higher than their concerns about their children’s physical health (66%).
• Respondents are likely to turn to both mental well-being apps (48%) and therapists (55%) for care.

“Mental health became a top concern in 2020 and it has only risen since,” said Taft Parsons III, M.D., Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer, CVS Health. “Uncertainty around the future, current events and social media continue to drive anxiety among adults. Our priority, across CVS Health, remains improving access to quality virtual and in-person mental health care and ensuring we have resources in place to address the unique needs of individuals.”

Americans are concerned about social media’s implications on their mental health

The survey also found that nearly four in 10 adults (37%) believe social media has hurt society at-large.

• As a result, a third of adults have started to turn off notifications for social media apps and are attempting to spend less time on social media.
• About half of parents feel that social media is impacting their children’s perceptions of the world and their children’s development.
• On the other hand, more than one in three adults (36%) report that social media has taught them about mental health issues.

“Our increasing use of technology has helped increase access to mental health care – CVS Health has had over 43 million mental health virtual visits since 2020 – and created a way for people to talk openly about the topic, reducing stigma,” added Parsons III. “But as we navigate the impacts social media has on mental health, it has become increasingly important that we highlight its limitations and set guardrails for ourselves and our children.”

CVS Health’s commitment to mental health care

As the leading health solutions company with resources that expand nationally and in communities across the country, CVS Health continues to increase accessibility to both in-person and virtual mental health services:

• In select states, consumers have access to in-person and virtual mental health services at MinuteClinic®. Approximately 78% of patients report a reduction in their depression symptoms¹.
• MinuteClinic offers depression screenings virtually and in all MinuteClinic locations.
• CVS Health launched Be Seen Be Heard to increase depression screenings among underserved communities.
• In April, as part of its Centering Youth Mental Health program, the CVS Health Foundation awarded grants to the Greater Flint Health Coalition, Kentucky Youth Advocates and Reinvent South Stockton Coalition to support their work to provide accessible adolescent and young adult mental health services.
• Project Health includes depression screenings at all their events.
• Resources for Living (RFL) takes a comprehensive, preventive approach to members’ mental health, improving patient access and driving cost savings, including total medical costs, prescription costs, hospital services and in-network care utilization.
• As part of its focus on reducing suicide attempts among Aetna members, CVS Health has seen a 16% reduction in suicide attempts among Aetna adult Commercial members when compared with a 2019 baseline.
• CVS Healthspire™:
  • Signify Health® screens individuals for depression in every In-Home Health Evaluation visit.
  • At Oak Street Health®, patients are able to schedule both behavioral and physical health appointments.
• CVS Health offers a number of mental health resources and guides on CVSHealth.com, including a resource center focused on the unique mental health needs of different populations – from the LGBTQ+ community to young adults to parents and caregivers.
• As part of the Beauty Mark initiative, CVS Health promotes healthier self-image and positive mental well-being by not materially altering the beauty imagery created for stores, marketing materials, websites, apps or social media.

For more information on how CVS Health is making mental well-being services more accessible, less complicated and more convenient, visit CVSHealth.com.

Methodology  

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult between March 19-21, 2024, among a national sample of 2,202 adults. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus two percentage points. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, educational attainment, race, and region.

1. Measured via PHQ-9 scores for patients who have completed more than one visit and reported having at least mild depression symptoms in their initial visit. Percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding.

About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues – including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health – whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system – and their personal health care – by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.