Horizon Foundation measures Howard County health status

    Recently the Baltimore Sun had an article that surprisingly showed that only 5% of Baltimore City retirees were in good health.  77% of retirees had a chronic condition or in need of critical care.  The poor state of health of these older residents of Baltimore made me think about the health status of residents of Howard County.
    Recently the Horizon Foundation has been in the news promoting an effort to reduce the level of sugar that young people in our County consume.  The increasing use of sugar in our foods is thought to play a role in the growing obesity problem in our country.  This effort is part of the Foundation's Healthy Howard County program. As part of this effort the Foundation has developed a "Health Status Dashboard" that shows our status in these areas as either being better than the rest of Maryland with the arrow pointed to green or below the rest of Maryland and the arrow pointing to red.
     Not surprisingly Howard County residents come out well in most areas of health as would be expected in a community with a high median income and a high educational level.  Health status and income are usually  correlated.   What the Horizon Foundation has done is to look at how Howard County compares to the rest of Maryland in a wide range of health indicators.  
    So where does Howard County come in below average?  Surprisingly in the incidence of tuberculosis  and Lymes Disease.  While the rate of being overweight is low in our general population the rate is high with the population of low income preschool children.  We also have an above average rate of fast food places in the County and a low rate of grocery stores accepting food stamps or as it is now called SNAP.  

P.S.

     Tonight! The Curiosity Concept: Creating Conversations That Change Children's Lives. Dr. Brad Sachs, nationally-renowned psychologist, educator, and the bestselling author of The Good Enough Teen, describes an innovative form of communication. Speaking with children in ways that promote their curiosity about themselves enables them to solve problems, find meaning, and mature in healthy ways.
7:00 PM Miller Branch
*Registration is required. Register online or by calling 410.313.1950.http://bit.ly/WWIEpA

 




















     On May 5th the Howard County Library is hosting Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Isabel Wilkerson presents the award-winning The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. Registration is now online. 

P.S.1
The Columbia Patch had a recent article about some of the parking changes and addition of a red light with the develop of the Whole Foods in the old Rouse Building.

P.S. 2
  The County Exec will hold his first budget hearing tonight for the public.

P.S. 3
From the Howard County chapter of the American Association of University Women:

Take a full-length practice SAT under actual testing conditions and find out.  It’s a great way to try your hand at the type of questions you’ll face on the SAT exam, build confidence and get comfortable with the exams’ formats. Then attend a Scores Back Strategy Session where you receive your personal scores report and learn more about the results. Cost: $15 for SAT practice test and Scores Back Session.  $15 is donated to AAUW scholarship fund.

SAT Practice Test

Date: March 23, 2013

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Vantage House Auditorium

5400 Vantage Point Rd., Columbia, MD 21044

Scores Back Session

Date: April 20, 2013

Time: 2:30PM - 4:00PM

Location: Vantage House Auditorium

5400 Vantage Point Rd., Columbia, MD 21044

Preregistration is required for the SAT and Scores Back Session

Register by going to Princetonreview.com

For questions about the test, call 800-2Review (800-273-8439)

Test names are the trademarks of their respective owners who are not affiliated with The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.

Remit $15 cash or check made out to AAUW Howard County and send to: Amy Robinson, 5563 Nettlebed Ct., Columbia, MD 21045 Questions about donations, email aauwhocomembers@gmail.com