January 2015

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

January 30, 2015

Diabetes prevention can reduce long-term medical costs; the US spends 20% of its healthcare dollars to treat people with diabetes.
More of us are getting diabetes, but we’re also living with it longer, so we’ll need more health services and effective interventions.
You can use the Chronic Disease Cost Calculator, along with other cost analysis tools, to estimate the costs of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

January 23, 2015

Influenza (flu) patients at high risk for serious complications can get very sick and die from the flu.
Antiviral drugs for treating the flu, available by prescription, can lessen symptoms and shorten the flu’s duration.
All high-risk patients and all hospitalized patients with suspected flu should be treated with antivirals as soon as possible, without waiting for confirmatory flu testing.

January 16, 2015

Folic acid fortification of foods, like bread and pasta, has helped about 1,300 more US babies to be born each year without a major birth defect of the brain or spine.
These 9 health habits can reduce a baby’s risk for birth defects.
You can share National Birth Defects Prevention Network resources to help prevent birth defects and Make a PACT for Prevention [PDF–1.4MB].

January 9, 2015

An average of 6 people die from alcohol poisoning in the US each day—and 76% of these are middle-aged adults.
Very high levels of alcohol in the body can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, resulting in death.
States and communities can prevent alcohol poisoning deaths by supporting proven programs and policies to reduce binge drinking.

January 2, 2015

It’s open enrollment season through the Health Insurance Marketplace, where nearly 8 out of 10 people can get insurance coverage for $100 or less per month.
You can sign up for a plan at HealthCare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596 through February 15. Once enrolled, you can use the Roadmap (English [PDF-959KB] or Spanish [PDF-621KB]) to learn about benefits.
If you had coverage in 2014, you can take 5 steps [PDF-277KB] to stay covered through 2015.