JA Nursing In Toronto Streets

Welcome! I am Michelle Smith your Health and Social Advocate, The Voice Of the community, I am here to change the face of knowledge by giving you an Urban Platform with a Urban twist. Thank you in advance for letting me be your voice! My goal is to increase the health and social literacy for all! Follow my journey as I share my stories of Nursing in Toronto. I will keep you informed with expert information. Lack of Knowledge is a disease, Stay Connected!

Friday, April 15, 2016

Get Your BIG Idea Funded AT 1ST FRIDAYS MAY 6 2016 FUSE Restaurant

Hi it's your Girl JA Nursing here, The purpose of JA Nursing is to increase the Health and Social literacy of the community. Giving the opportunity for

individuals to make changes while increasing knowledge. They say sharing is caring. Let us welcome in another month, with my favourite phrase, in order to increase your NET WORTH you need to increase your NETWORK.

As a former presenter at 1st Fridays lets take a minute to thank the Founder Warren Salmon for his continued dedication. First Fridays is a community activity club whose purpose is to organize a monthly activity(s) and/or event(s) that are focused on building and improving upon awareness, networking and information sharing for youth, adults, minority and mainstream communities in education, employment, self-employment, health and wellness, the arts and other areas of interest. As An Entrepreneur the road can be quite lonely and difficult. With that in mind, the organizers of First Fridays Have done it again.

Get Your BIG Idea Funded' Venture Forum Edition:::

You are cordially invited to the 1st Fridays

'Get Your BIG Idea Funded' Venture Forum

Friday May 6th, 2016 @

FUSE Restaurant
Toronto's Newest Community Owned Hotspot!
Featuring Live Music, Chefs Jerome Bishop & Amanda Hamer
366 Queen St. E., east of Parliament
(Free parking on Queen St & surrounding streets after 6pm)

From 6:30pm - 11pm

About the event:

Inspired by television shows such as Dragon's Den and Shark Tank, this event will feature potential investors who determine if a few entrepreneurs have ideas that they would like to invest in. It will also focus on different sources of capital, such as traditional and non-traditional Financial Institutions, and Angel Networks, for a promising venture in need of financial support. Do you have what investors are looking for? Find out as this panel talks about investment opportunities they’d like to see—what works and what doesn't. Learn what steps you can take to tap into various sources of capital that’s potentially available, and if you’re lucky, pitch your idea to the potential investors.

If you have a big idea that you'd like to get funded or if you are a potential investor interested looking for investment opportunities, please email gybif@firstfridays.ca.

followed by the Mix N Mingler, featuring the Soulful R&B Sounds of Wade O Brown & his Band...

1st Fridays Sponsors:

Platinum:
Black Board International

Silver:
URBANOLOGY Magazine
ByBlacks.com

Bronze Sponsors:
Afrotoronto.com

Pride Newsmagazine
Kazembe Law

Iron:
Jamaica National Building Society
TorontoCaribbean Newspaper

Community:
Caribbean Vibrations TV
Planet Africa Network
Excelovate
DSI Fun Photos
Lawrence Kerr Photography
Toronto Black Film Festival

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities Available - contact Warren Salmon at
wsalmon@firstfridays.ca or 416-441-0792

For more information, visit:

http://www.firstfridays.ca/

or Find us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/32442645953/?fref=ts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/First-Fridays-Toronto-3738275?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FirstFridaysTO

Instagram: http://instagram.com/firstfridaysto

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities available - contact info@firstfridays.ca or
416-441-0792

click here to Join Our email list for event notification

https://1stfridayscfs2016.eventbrite.ca/

This has been your Social Literacy buzz with Michelle Smith your Health and Social Advocate

Stay Connected www.janrsingservices.com Both the Dragons Den and Shark Tank are my favourite shows. Take a look and learn. Good Luck On Your Pitch.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER EATING EGGS

Originally published OCT 25-2015

Hey, It's your Girl JA Nursing here, February is also known as heart month and I wanted to clear up some concerns regarding the BIG C, No Not Cancer but Cholesterol. As your Health Care Advocate, it is only right for me to help you make better choices.

With my health care shield membership, I keep My clients on a Health care plan. By asking 3 main questions in the initial consultation, that will give me a better idea of what your health care challenges are and what options are available help you or someone in your family be at their best

Let the truth be told, Omega-3 is a type of polyunsaturated fat, or healthy fat, known to help protect your heart. They are essential for good health, but our bodies don’t naturally produce it, which is why we have to get it from foods such as salmon, certain types of oils and nuts, and omega-3 eggs. But what is cholesterol used for? People often think that all cholesterol is bad for you, cholesterol plays an important role in keeping your body healthy. It is used to build cell walls and to produce vitamin D, digestive juices, and many hormones. Your body simply cannot function properly without a certain amount of cholesterol. Surprise !

The majority of your blood cholesterol is naturally produced by your liver and the remaining is absorbed into your body from foods that contain dietary cholesterol. So what does that mean for you if it’s produced in your liver? If your liver is fatty it means it will produce more fat which will be absorbed into your bloodstream overweight people are at greater risk.

Dietary cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood types of cholesterol. Some people limit eggs and other foods that contain dietary cholesterol because they are concerned about increasing their blood cholesterol levels. But major studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has very little effect on blood cholesterol in healthy adults.

There are actually several different types of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream and most of them are produced by your liver. Understanding the different types of cholesterol and the role they play in your body will help you make the right decisions about managing your cholesterol levels.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

The terms “good” and “bad” cholesterol refers to the cholesterol found in your blood. Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream attached to certain proteins. This combination of cholesterol and protein is called a lipoprotein.

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat found in the blood. They are produced in the body – your liver changes excess calories from fat, carbohydrates and proteins into triglycerides. People who are very overweight, eat a lot of fatty and sugary foods or drink too much alcohol are more likely to have high triglyceride levels. The connection between triglycerides and heart disease is not clear but people with high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes often have elevated triglyceride levels.

some steps that you can take to change your health care outcomes will include

Losing weight. If you’re overweight, losing 5 to 10 pounds can help lower your triglycerides.
Cut back on calories. Remember that extra calories are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. Reducing your calories will reduce triglycerides.
Avoid sugary and refined foods. Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and foods made with white flour, can increase triglycerides. Try to cut out soda first.
Limit the cholesterol in your diet. Aim for no more than 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day — or less than 200 mg if you have heart disease. Avoid the most concentrated sources of cholesterol, including meats high in saturated fat, egg yolks, and whole milk products.

It’s more important to maintain a healthy body weight and waist circumference, be physically active, smoke-free, and choose foods low in saturated fat

Choose healthier fats. Trade saturated fat found in meats for healthier monounsaturated fat found in plants, such as olive, peanut, and canola oils. Substitute fish high in omega-3 fatty acids — such as mackerel and salmon — for red meat.

Eliminate trans fat. Trans fat can be found in fried foods and commercially baked products, such as cookies, crackers, and snack cakes. But don’t rely on packages that label their foods as free of trans fat.

Limit how much alcohol you drink. Alcohol is high in calories and sugar and has a particularly potent effect on triglycerides. Even small amounts of alcohol can raise triglyceride levels. But mostly remember Alcohol affects the way your liver performs

DID YOU KNOW ? That Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein because they contain all 9 essential amino acids. Amino acids are considered the "building blocks for the body" because they help form protein.

In addition to giving you energy, your body uses the protein found in eggs to:

build and repair body tissue and cells
grow strong hair and nails
build and maintain healthy muscles
help fight infections
help keep your body fluids in balance

To maintain a healthy, balanced diet, Canada's Food Guide recommends eating 1 to 3 servings of meat and meat alternatives every day, depending on age and gender. This includes a variety of protein sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, beans and eggs.

The response to egg consumption varies between individuals. People with genetic disorders like familial hypercholesterolemia or a gene type called ApoE4 may want to minimize or avoid eggs. Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder. The defect makes the body unable to remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol from the blood.

As cited by the Heart and Stroke Foundation Research from the 1970s reported that high-cholesterol foods, especially eggs, raise blood cholesterol levels. These early studies included foods that were rich in both cholesterol and saturated fat (such as butter), so scientists incorrectly believed that cholesterol was the main culprit. When researchers recently re-evaluated the data, they learned that diets high in saturated or trans fat − not dietary cholesterol − are mostly responsible for increases in blood cholesterol levels. Saturated and trans fats are found in foods such as fatty meat, whole-fat dairy products and packaged and processed foods made with hydrogenated oils such as cookies, french fries and doughnuts. Because one large boiled egg contains just 1.6 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat, scientists have recently concluded that the earlier link between eggs and blood cholesterol was largely exaggerated.

What's the Bottom Line? Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not have adverse effects on cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people. So get cracking and enjoy your Eggs. Continue to have routine visits with your physician and if in doubt consult your health care advocate. Remember you are the most important part of your health care team

This has been watching out for your health with Michelle Smith. Looking forward to hearing from you this week Special Health Care Shield Promotion. We have discounted membership for spring with our ASK The EXPERT Membership

ARCHIVE BLOG ON TRANS FATS CATCH UP

http://janursing.blogspot.ca/2014/03/trans-fats-i-going-to-miss-you.html

References

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/08/27-egg-cooking-tricks-that-will-transform-your-mornings/

http://www.eggs.ca/nutrition/view/1/egg-nutrition

http://www.aneggadayisok.ca/eggs-cholesterol/

http://cholesterol.about.com/od/exercise/f/exercise3.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000392.htm

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Diseases-and-Different-Ethnic-Groups.htm

Friday, April 1, 2016

IS TORONTO'S FREE DENTAL SERVICES REALLY FREE FOR ALL ?

originally published 08/25/14

Hello again, it's your girl JA Nursing. Hope all is well this blog is about dental care.

On August 22 2014, I had the opportunity to take part in a program that is funded and run by our beautiful taxes, Oops did I say that? I should have said beautiful city of Toronto.

Launched by The City of Toronto in 2012 is our very own Mobile dental clinic.

Services offered on the Mobile dental clinic include:

examinations

x-rays

fillings

cleaning

some root canal treatments

extractions

emergency and urgent dental care to treat issues like dental pain or cavities.

This is a great idea, because it offers a bus that brings care directly to the people within the city of Toronto. The impact that Dental health has on our overall health can take a tool on our nutrition, speech, learning, employment and self-esteem. Is very important, and of course I was glad to have my son participate in having his teeth cleaned and X-rayed.

The mobile bus was set up at my church, I went inside with my son (age14) and it was truly an elaborate setup, very clean and spacious with all the fixings of a regular dental office.

On board The Mobile Dental Clinic is a 40-foot customized coach that is fully accessible and is equipped with two dental stations, a sterilization centre and a reception area. The clinic is staffed by a dentist, registered dental hygienist and a certified dental assistant. Way to go City of Toronto.

"By bringing the clinic directly to the client we are hoping to reach our most vulnerable residents, reduce health inequities and improve the health of our whole population." This is the mission of the Mobile Bus.

The bus will travel throughout Toronto visiting neighbourhoods and community agencies Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide free dental care to those who meet eligibility requirements.

The mobile dental clinic will travel to select partnering community agency sites, across the city to provide free dental care for eligible clients who have difficulty accessing dental services in the customary manner.

Let's take a look at the

Eligibility Criteria's

To be eligible clients must meet all eligibility criteria listed below

*Live in Toronto

*Meet TPH financial eligibility criteria

*Must not have dental insurance

*Meet the following age criteria: children and youth (0-17 years),

*adults enrolled in selected Toronto Public Health programs, seniors (65 years and older)

*Adults 18 years of age and older who are on a government dental sponsored dental plan such as Ontario Works (OW), Ontario Disability Support Program(ODSP), Non-insured Health Benefits (NIHB) are eligible

Luckily my son met eligibility due to his age, but as his Mom I did not qualify. Now, I know people may be thinking why would I need dental services, Because I am "Nurse" I work in a well known hospital so I must have benefits? Well the answer is NO; but this is the reality for a lot of health professionals. The fact is that once you are employed on a part-time basis you are not automatically entitled to health and dental benefits. Irony of this is that we work countless hours making sure the general public is taking care of once they arrive to hospital, and our City doesn't feel that we deserve to have those benefits regardless of full time or part time or even casual position. Well, let me not take away from the fact that you can be eligible but at what cost you might as well pay for your prescriptions and dental care as needed, because the cost to join will take a significant chunk out of your pay check as a part time worker.

What's the solution? Well I think by now our trusty politicians are aware that we have a category of people in our city that do not or still can not afford dental care especially with the cost of living and other factors. My issue with that is we should be eligible to participate in programs such as the mobile dental clinic. The goal should be to make it accessible to all. I frown on the fact that my taxes fund such programs to which my children are eligible due to age and residency, but I do not qualify because I don't fit into any of the other Criteria's. Of course they have other dental programs and clinics but of course you have to slotted into the "low income" bracket. My thoughts on this why should it be a matter of low income being the issue? An equally single mother paying standard rent and addressing the same issues of living like anyone else, may still face affordability issues.

My debate is that we have thousands of nurses who do not have benefits due to being in part time status who takes care of Us. What about all persons working endlessly to make ends meet and having there taxes equally taken without great returns at tax time.

The answer provided by the city is that they offer dental clinics throughout the city. The criteria again depends on you being in the financial hardship category. It funny who decides what is categorized as being in financial hardship. Thank you once again my trusty politicians or should I say our Minister of Health and Long Term Care who says As of October this year, 32,900 children have received dental care thanks to the Healthy Smiles Ontario program, fulfilling another commitment under the Poverty Reduction Strategy,” said Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “The mobile dental clinic will help increase accessibility to dental care for eligible children 17 years of age and under. These services will not only provide treatment and preventative care - they also reinforce the importance of maintaining good oral health.”

Great work on that aspect, we also have

Dental Clinics conveniently located in the City of Toronto. You can find out more information by using dialing 311. A resource for finding services around the city.

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=29574485d1210410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

As back to school fastly approaches I urge you to to help your children start of the new year with a fresh smile by using theses services that have been provided by our city.

If you require help with navigating the sites and or finding out where you should go. Don't hesitate to contact Michelle Smith your Health Care advocate. 416-567-7556.

Our mission is to provide information and help change healthcare outcomes by helping you navigate our healthcare system