A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that smoking rates among American adults and teens is holding steady at 21%, which means 46 million Americans are still lighting up. The CDC attributes the stall out to tobacco company discounts and lack of funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Read the full article to learn more. If you’re a smoker looking to quit in Louisiana, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit www.QuitWithUsLa.org for 24-hour assistance.

As part of a new program to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, health care providers in Massachusetts and Maine are now offering vouchers worth $1 per day to members of low income families.  Read more.

Thanks to a $2 million grant from the GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GE, school-based health centers in New Orleans will be able to continue providing valuable healthcare services. Grant funds awarded to School Health Connection, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, will help provide comprehensive preventive, primary care and primary mental health services for enrolled school students. Read the full article.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) is developing a proposal to request a waiver that seeks to secure new funding to sustain and build upon the existing primary care and outpatient mental health services in community-based health clinics that are supported in part by the federal Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant (PCASG) ending in September 2010. A public meeting to engage the community in the proposal process will be held Tuesday, August 3, 2010 from 6:00pm-7:00pm at the ASHE Cultural Arts Center at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New Orleans. Click here to view the Concept Paper and other waiver related documents. A hard copy of the Concept Paper is available for viewing at the New Orleans Health Department in New Orleans City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street, room 8E18. To find a quality community health clinic in the New Orleans metro area, visit www.GNOcommunity.org or call (504) 872-0750.

Recent studies of school based health centers (SBHCs) show that school-based clinics positively impact different aspects of student health and life. SBHCs provide access to primary and preventative care for uninsured and under-insured students. A Michigan State University study surrounding SBHCs found that students attending schools with a clinic were more physically active, ate healthier, and were more satisfied with their health than students withoug access to a SBHC. Here in Louisiana, research on SBHCs shows that access to a SBHC helps make students less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug use, unsafe sexual activity, violence, and smoking. Click here to read more about the Michigan findings and click here to read more about the impact of SHBCs in Louisiana.

In June 2009, Louisiana passed a law allowing children to carry their own asthma medication at school and administer it to themselves in the event of an asthma attack. A year later, the Louisiana Association of Student Councils wants to keep spreading this information across the state to make sure parents and children are aware of the law. The law gives an asthmatic child the ability to carry his/her own inhaler and use it when needed instead of leaving it with a nurse, saving precious minutes between the onset of attack and treatment. However, parents must provide written authorization for their child to carry an inhaler and certification is also needed from a pediatrician. Read more.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LOTD) has officially adopted a Complete Streets policy, promising that all new and reconstruction road projects will include space for pedestrians and bicyclists. These Complete Streets will have sidewalks, bike lanes, and safe crosswalks. The aim of the policy is to ensure safety and access for those choosing to use non-automobile forms of transportation, encouraging physical activity and improved safety for everyone on the road. LPHI served as a member of the DOTD advisory committee.  Click here to read the offical DOTD Complete Streets Policy.

At 2:00pm on Thursday, July 22, the New Orleans City Council Transportation Committee will hold a special meeting to discuss the possible approval of officially licensed pedicab services throughout the city. Pedicabs are taxis operated by bicycle that will be used to transport people short distances. They have already been successfully implemented in cities such as New York, NY, Austin, TX, and Charleston, SC. Pedicabs bring health benefits not only for their drivers - who will get substantial exercise pulling the three person carriages - but for the whole city, as pedicabs are an environmentally friendly form of transportation that will not contribute to air pollution. Thursday’s meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 1300 Perdido St.

UPDATE: The Transportation Committee voted 2-0 to approve pedicabs. The ordinance will now go before the whole New Orleans City Council for a vote, possibly on August 26th.

Urban farming is starting to catch on in neighborhoods across the Greater New Orleans area. These farms, located in the middle of city neighborhoods, are a valubale source of fresh and healthy produce, an important role because many vegetables and other healthy foods can be difficult to find in some neighborhoods. Click here to read more about some of New Orleans’ urban farmers. Click here for tips and resources on starting your own urban farm. For more information on urban farms in New Orleans, visit the New Orleans Food and Farm Network at www.noffn.org

Elsewhere in New Orleans, Liberty’s Kitchen was selected to be the provider of school lunch for New Orleans College Prep in Central City. Liberty’s Kitchen is an organization that trains at-risk teenagers for careers in the food-service industry and provides them with educational and job placement services. Liberty’s Kitchen will focus on providing New Orleans College Prep students with nutritious meals with a local flavor that will be freshly cooked daily in the school’s cafeteria, focusing on using whole grains, low fat dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables. Read more.

Beginning September 23, a new national law will require health insurance companies to cover many forms of preventive care free of charge. Under the new rules, co-payments, deductibles, and all other charges will be eliminated for health interventions designed to catch diseases before they develop into serious conditions. Some of the services that the law will cover include medical tests for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol, screenings for cancer, HIV, obesity, and depression, routine vaccinations, prenatal care, regular wellness visits for infants and children, and counseling to help people stop smoking. One of the main motivations for the law is that people currently use only half as much preventive care as experts recommend. Read more.