Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce
HEALTH SUMMIT University Center, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24
NEW NAME, NEW LOCATION Focus on child obesity, plus health screenings, advice on diet, exercise
SPECIAL SECTION Wednesday, January 21, 2015
2 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Sponsors and vendors at the Missoula Health Summit Missoulian Staff
The following sponsors and vendors will be at the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce’s Missoula Health Summit in the University of Montana’s University Center on Saturday, Jan. 24. The list is not final and may change. Sponsors: Advanced Imaging at Community Medical Center Providence St. Patrick Hospital Community Medical Center KECI-TV
Mountain Broadcasting Western Montana Clinic Vibrant Hearing Additional vendors: Costco Wholesale Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (UM College of Health Professions) Athletic Injury Management Curves Missoula Partners In Home Care doTerra (Nancy Serba) St. Peter’s Hospital See VENDORS, Page 10
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT PRESENTATIONS The following are presentations scheduled at the Missoula Health Summit: Dr. Jeff Engel, “Healthy Living in Missoula” Super Skippers performance “Intuitive Eating” Let’s Move! Missoula, “Active Play” Eat Smart Missoula, “Smart Snacks iIn Schools and Beyond” Missoula College health programs University of Montana health professions programs
MORE INFORMATION The 2015 Missoula Health Summit, put on by the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held January 24 at the University Center at the University of Montana from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free to attend, although some screening have an additional cost. For more about the health summit, including announcements of speakers and other participating organizations, see the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce’s website, www.missoulachamber.com, or its Facebook page.
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
BIG CHANGES Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce health fair moves, rebrands DILLON KATO dillon.kato@missoulian.com
The new year is a good time to make changes and live a healthier life, and a local organization is helping out by bringing a variety of health care groups together in one place. The Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 18th annual health fair from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, and for the first time since the event began it’s being restructured. In previous years, it was held at Southgate Mall. It has outgrown the space at the mall, however, necessitating a change of venue to the University of Montana’s University Center. “The main focus is putting on an educational, informational health event to promote a healthier Missoula,” said Megan Redmond, the Chamber’s director of programs and events. “UM is a great community partner, and it gives us a lot more space.” Other benefits of the new location include being able to set up a day early and having ample parking since the event takes place the weekend before UM MICHAEL GALLACHER, Missoulian The Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce’s 18th annual Missoula Health Summit resumes classes. will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. The summit moved to the The traditional booths University of Montana’s University Center this year after outgrowing the space at will be in the ballroom Southgate Mall. on the third floor of the University Center, but the Last year, Redmond said The first floor of the UC Redmond said, with Chamber is also adding about 600 people screenings such as the will be geared primarily new features to what it blood draw and for varitoward information for now calls the Missoula cose veins. the aging population, Health Summit. See CHANGES, Page 11
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 — 3
Screenings and tests are primary draw at Missoula Health Summit Offerings include lipid panel, hearing, more DILLON KATO dillon.kato@missoulian.com
In addition to a wide variety of health-related informational booths, one of the primary draws of the Missoula Health Summit is a variety of free and low-cost tests and screenings. The Western Montana Clinic will have a free blood draw for a lipid panel test at the summit on Saturday, Jan. 24. The test will provide a patients HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers, which will be sent to the recipient after the summit is over. “It will show if it is too high, then it will be up to them to visit with their physician,” said Joyce Stevens, director of ancillary and satellite services. Cholesterol numbers that are above recommended guidelines increase the risk of heart disease. Stevens said people should start having the test done in their 20s – the earlier that abnormal cholesterol numbers are found, the more that can be done to reverse the problem. There is no signup for the lipid panel blood draw, but participants must fast for eight to 10 hours before it is taken. Missoula’s two hospitals will also hold screenings at the summit. Providence
FREE
MICHAEL GALLACHER, Missoulian
Free and low-cost tests and screenings are one of the primary draws of the Missoula Health Summit. St. Patrick Hospital will have blood pressure screens, flexibility and posture exams, and hand strength tests. Community Medical Center will have a $10 blood draw for a cholesterol lipid panel and glucose test, and a $15 prostate screening. Free varicose vein screenings will be performed by Dr. Timothy Richards of Rocky Mountain Surgical Solutions. Suzi Ritter, a certified medical assistant, said the exams largely consist of the doctor talking with people about varicose vein problems and any symptoms that are bothering them. “Then he can usually set them up for an ultrasound,” Ritter said. Varicose veins sometimes require a heat treatment called ablation to repair. Once treated, Ritter said, the recurrence rate is very small. Vibrant Hearing will again set up in a private
room to provide free hearing screenings. Outreach manager Brad Mayoras said the pure-tone test is very straightforward. “It’s the one you remember from school where you raise your hand if you hear the tone,” he said. The test is conducted at different frequencies and volumes, and gives Vibrant an idea if a person should be coming in for a more thorough evaluation. “Sometimes you’ll test somebody and they will be surprised,” Mayoras said. While hearing problems are more common in the older population, Vibrant sees people of all ages. “Sometimes it’s a genetic issue, but there are many different causes. In Montana, there are folks who grew up shooting without hearing protection,” Mayoras said. There is no signup, but Mayoras said they have traditionally been less busy early in the day.
Cholesterol Lipid Screenings & Blood Pressure Monitoring A Western Montana Clinic Human Resources rep will also be present to answer employment questions.
Saturday, January 24, 2015 • 7 am - 1 pm • UC Center
Test includes:
• total cholesterol • LDL or “bad” cholesterol • HDL or “good” cholesterol • trigylcerides
A lipid blood panel measures the different types of cholesterol in your blood. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends all adults get their cholesterol checked at least every 5 years starting at age 20. The results can help determine your risk of having a heart attack. The test requires an 8-10 hour fast. You may drink water and take any medicines prescribed by your doctor but please do not drink other liquids during the fast. After the blood sample is drawn, results will be sent to you and not to your provider. Your total cholesterol level should be less than 200 and not above 240 with your LDL level less than 100 but not more than 190. If you have high levels, please contact your medical provider so they can help you set up a plan to lower your cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.
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4 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Healthy goal Health Department focuses on diet, activity of kids DILLON KATO dillon.kato@missoulian.com
Overall healthy living is a goal that should start early, and the Missoula City-County Health Department is using the Missoula Health Summit to push back against childhood obesity. A good diet is an essential part of growing up healthy, said Rebecca Morley, program director of the Eat Smart project of the Health Department. Eat Smart will have a booth at the summit Saturday, Jan. 24, as part of its mission of helping Missoula residents make better eating choices and improving access to healthy food. “We want to make the better choice an easy choice,” Morley said. There are many different perspectives on what constitutes healthy eating, Morley said, but the current public health message is to decrease consumption of overly processed foods and eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Morley is also on the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce’s health committee. Chief among Eat Smart’s goals is reducing childhood obesity through simple steps like decreasing the amount of sugary drinks kids consume.
MICHAEL GALLACHER, Missoulian
The Missoula City-County Health Department will focus on helping families improve eating choices and physical activity for children at the Missoula Health Summit.
Morley said part of the problem might not be enough focus on making healthy choices. “I feel like people need to make their own choices about food. It’s a very sensitive issue, but having the science and the truth behind it helps people,” she said. The older we get, the
harder it is to change ingrained habits about food, Morley said, which is why it’s important to focus on setting the right habits early on. As part of Eat Smart’s appearance at the summit, Morley will give a talk in the University Center Theater about Smart Snacks in Schools, a U.S.
Department of Agriculture rule that went into effect last year to reduce the amount of sugar, fat and sodium in snacks sold on school campuses. “Don’t rely just on children themselves, but the people who care for them. The parents, day care providers and teachers,” Morley said.
One effective method she has found for getting children to eat better is for parents to offer a variety of healthy choices, but still let the children decide which food to eat. Another part of the issue is that parents also have to set a good example with the food choices they make. “It’s a really very
difficult because kids see us as role models. The old adage of do what I say not what I do, does that really work that well?” Morley said. Eating healthy is just one half of the childhood obesity issue, said Lisa See GOAL, Page 10
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 — 5
ACA enrollment efforts heat up as deadline nears TONY PUGH McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – With only weeks left to sign up for online marketplace health insurance this year, the Obama administration and support groups are ramping up their outreach efforts as the Feb. 15 deadline nears. Federal officials expect fewer than 10 million people to enroll in coverage on the state and federal marketplaces this year. That’s far below the 13 million the Congressional Budget Office had projected. Figures released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services show nearly 6.8 million people have either selected a health plan or re-enrolled into coverage in the 37 states that use the federal HealthCare. gov website. Florida leads those states, with nearly 1.2 million people having selected plans. More than 859,000 have done so in Texas, HHS reported. In Montana, 45,278 people have selected plans. Among the 13 states that operate their own marketplaces, Kentucky has enrolled 12,500 new plan members into coverage,
while 75,000 have renewed their coverage, said Carrie Banahan, executive director of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange. With 35,000 new coverage applications already submitted, “We, like many of the other states, are expecting a very large (enrollment) spike leading into Feb. 15,” Banahan said Tuesday during a telephone briefing with marketplace officials conducted by Families USA, a liberal health advocacy group. California, which also runs its own marketplace, reported 217,000 plan selections. “This is strong enrollment and, we think, puts us on the path for meeting our goal of enrolling 500,000 new people,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state’s online insurance marketplace. The open enrollment period began Nov. 15. If consumers enroll in insurance plans by the Feb. 15 deadline, their health coverage could begin as early as March 1. Coverage for consumers who enroll by Jan. 15 will begin Feb. 1. Under terms of the Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate,” most
Americans who didn’t have health coverage in 2014 will either pay a penalty of 1 percent of their annual household income or $95 per person and $47.50 per child. These penalties will be assessed in the coming months when people file their 2014 income tax returns. (See related story.) Federal outreach efforts will focus on Hispanics as the enrollment period draws to a close. Some 2.6 million Latinos have gained health insurance since October 2013, leading to a 7.7 percent drop in the Hispanic uninsured rate, HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said in a telephone briefing sponsored by Enroll America, a national Affordable Care Act support group. “As one of the fastestgrowing communities in our nation, Latinos’ health is vital to the overall well-being of our country,” Burwell said. Last year, HHS spent about 10 percent of its outreach budget on efforts to reach Hispanics. This year, it’ll be about 33 percent, Burwell said. Enrollment volunteers have to work “harder and smarter” to enroll Latinos into coverage because
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their language and cultural differences can present unique barriers, according to Anne Filipic, president of Enroll America, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that helps people obtain health care. “Recognizing this, we have made every effort to
double down on the most effective tactics to reach the Latino community,” she said. This includes providing more enrollment assistance from language-sensitive, culturally competent people, holding more Twitter chats and hosting
more than 600 enrollment events nationally with bilingual volunteers. “While we’ve been engaging Latinos from day one of the open enrollment period, we will be kicking it into overdrive during the next few weeks leading up to Feb. 15,” Filipic said.
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6 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
New tax forms to fill out on health insurance coverage CAROLE FELDMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Be prepared for the tax man to get even more personal this year – with questions about your health insurance. For the first time, you’ll have to state whether you had health insurance, through an employer, one of the exchanges or purchased privately. And if you didn’t, you could face a penalty. Also, if you got advance payments of the premium tax credit under the Affordable Care Act, even for only part of the year, there’s a new form to file. You’ll have to file it even if you only got tax credits for part of the year. And tax filers accustomed to using a 1040EZ will no longer be able to do that if they got a tax credit. There’s more. If you had life changes – a new job with a higher salary, for example – from the time those tax credits were approved, you could end up having to pay some or all of the money back. Conversely, if you lost your job and faced a long period of unemployment, you might now be eligible for the credit. “I see deer-in-theheadlights looks,” said Dave Duval, TaxAudit.com’s vice president of consumer advocacy. “These are new items. ACA has been on the books since 2010. We’ve ignored it, not looked at it, not paid attention to it. It’s on the tax return that we’re going to be doing for 2014.” The law requires individuals to have what the government calls minimum essential coverage unless they qualify for one of more than 30 exemptions.
John Koskinen, as well It is kind of complicated,” financial assistance,” Lew as a number of new said Barbara Weltman, said. “A smaller fraction publications that provide contributing editor to the of taxpayers will pay a fee information about health tax guide “J.K. Lasser’s if they made a choice to care and taxes. Your Income Tax 2015.” not obtain coverage they Because of the complexThe good news, she said, could afford.” ity of the requirements, is most people use a paid If you received a preKoskinen told Congress preparer or software to mium tax credit or might last fall that he expects do their taxes, and they’ll be entitled one, file Form an increase in calls to 8962. That will determine be walked through the IRS toll-free help lines whether you got too much questions that have to be about ACA and taxes. answered for the health of an advance credit pay“Our ability to meet this insurance section of the ment and have to repay demand may be strained some of it, or if you didn’t tax return. CAROLYN KASTER, Associated Press due to ongoing budget “In the tax preparation apply and might be eligible Health care tax forms 8962, 1095-A and 8965 are seen. constraints and the posfor the premium tax credit process, they’re not really This year, all taxpayers have to report to the Internal sibility of an additional exposed to forms until the on your return. Revenue Service for the first time whether or not they increase in call volume very last moment, ” Adam For those who didn’t had health insurance in 2014. related to the impact of tax said. “At TurboTax, we’ll have health insurance, figure out what forms need extender legislation that there’s yet another form may be passed later this – Form 8965 – which lists to be provided.” on line 61 of Form 1040. For those without insuryear,” he said. “For the vast majority of the possible exemptions ance – or an exemption – TurboTax and H&R The IRS has a page there’s a penalty stemming Americans, tax filing under and lets you claim the one Block are among the comon its website devoted that might apply. It’s also the Affordable Care Act from the law’s premise panies that provide guides to the Affordable Care will be as simple as check- where you figure out your that health care coverage to taxes and ACA on their Act, irs.gov/Affordableing a box to show they had penalty if you didn’t have is a shared responsibility websites, and the Tax Care-Act. There, you can coverage for all or part health coverage all year,” among federal and state Policy Center can help you access videos featuring of 2014. Treasury Secretary Jacob governments, insurers, estimate your penalty. “There’s a lot to look for. the IRS Commissioner, employers and individuals. Lew said in a statement. The Department of For 2014, the penalty is Health and Human Serthe greater of 1 percent of vices estimated that more your household income than three-quarters of above the threshold for taxpayers will need to do filing taxes or what the no more that. Internal Revenue Service “If you have it and you calls “your family’s flat have the ability to demdollar amount” – $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, onstrate you had it, that with a family maximum of should be it and you’re not going to be subject to hav$285 in 2014. ing the additional penalty However, the average assessed,” said Greg Rosica, penalty for the 2014 tax a tax partner at Ernst year is expected to be & Young. higher – $301, according People insured through to Sacha Adam, health the exchanges will get Form care team leader at Intuit, You may be eligible for a free asbestos health screening, if you can provide maker of TurboTax. Under 1095-A in the mail attestthe law, those fines will go ing to their coverage and documentation of having lived, worked or played in the Libby, MT area for at how much of an advance up for people who remain least 6 months prior to 2005. (Does not have to be consecutive.) uninsured in 2015, to about premium tax credit they Testing is available both locally and from a distance. For more information, received. Employers are not $590 on average. please email our Long Distance Coordinator LDS@libbyasbestos.org. If you need required to provide proof of “Getting health insurassistance with finding documented “proof of presence” that you were in the coverage for 2014. ance is a big decision for Libby area, please contact CARD. Screening provided through CDC grant. some folks,” Adam said. “A fraction of taxpay“When it comes to reporters will take different ing your health insurance Center for Asbestos Related Disease steps, like claiming an on your taxes, it’s going to Screening/Healthcare/Education/Research/Outreach exemption if they could be very straightforward.” Free Libby Asbestos Health Screening Available not afford insurance or 406-293-9274 or toll-free 855-891-CARD www.libbyasbestos.org Reporting your health ensuring they received the correct amount of insurance coverage begins
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MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 — 7
Study: Fewer struggle with medical costs Survey sees 1st decline in financial distress RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Not only do more Americans have health insurance, but the number struggling with medical costs has dropped since President Barack Obama’s health care law expanded coverage, according to a study released last week. The Commonwealth Fund’s biennial health insurance survey found that the share of U.S. adults who did not get needed care because of cost dropped from 43 percent in 2012 to 36 percent last year, as the health care law’s main coverage expansion went into full swing. The proportion of people who got treatment but had problems paying their bills also dropped, from 41 percent in 2012 to 35 percent last year. It was the first time that either measure of financial distress declined since the survey began asking the questions, in 2003 and 2005, respectively. “Expanded insurance coverage is helping people get the care they need by reducing financial barriers to care,” the study said. The health care law offers subsidized private insurance to people who don’t have coverage on the job, combined with expanded Medicaid in states that agree to broaden eligibility for that
safety-net program. Soon after the coverage expansion launched last year, a large ongoing survey by Gallup started documenting a sustained drop in the number of uninsured people. The Commonwealth Fund survey fills out that picture by adding details about the affordability of care. The New York-based Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation dedicated to expanding coverage and improving the quality and costeffectiveness of the health care system. While those goals generally align with Obama’s health care law, the group is nonpartisan. The findings come at a crucial juncture for Obama’s law, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear another challenge from opponents committed to rolling it back. Republicans newly in charge of Congress are also planning more repeal votes. Plaintiffs in the court case argue that the law as written only allows the federal government to subsidize coverage in states that have set up their own insurance markets. Supporters of the law say that while its wording may be confusing, Congress intended for subsidies to be available across the country, regardless of state actions. Since Washington is currently running the insurance markets in 37 states, a ruling favoring of the plaintiffs would unravel coverage gains in many states. Among the survey’s other highlights:
• The improvements in affordability are tempered. Many insured people still have problems paying medical bills, partly due to skimpy coverage that shifts costs to patients. That puts even many low-income workers with health insurance in a predicament. Thirtythree percent of insured adults with incomes under 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($47,100 for a family of four) said they did not get needed care in the past year because of costs. • While nationally the share of Americans without health insurance declined from 20 percent in 2010 to 16 percent by the second half of 2014, a divide has opened between states that agreed to expand Medicaid and states choosing not to. Thirty-five percent of adults below the poverty line remained uninsured in states that did not expand eligibility, compared with 19 percent in states that did. • Hispanics continued to lag other ethnic groups in coverage, despite the health care law. In 2014, 34 percent of Latinos were still uninsured, compared to 18 percent of African Americans and 10 percent of whites. The Commonwealth Fund survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from July 22 to Dec. 14, 2014. The report’s analysis was based on interviews with 4,251 adults age 19-64. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
“Expanded insurance coverage is helping people get the care they need by reducing financial barriers to care.” – Commonwealth Fund biennial health insurance survey
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MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
8 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
FDA approves implant for weight loss for an influx of food. “We think it will be a very important tool in the In a bid to increase treat- toolbag of surgeons and physicians treating obesity ments for the nation’s 79 and its co-morbidities,” million obese adults, the said Gregory S. Lea, senior Food and Drug Adminisvice president and chief tration has approved U.S. financial officer of Enteromarketing of an implantable device that stimulates Medics. “When patients weight loss by manipulat- leave the diet, counseling and drug world and have ing key appetite signals nothing more, they turn to passing between the brain surgical procedures, and and the gut. only 1 percent to 2 percent The new device is the of patients who might Maestro Rechargeable be eligible for bariatric System, manufactured by surgery are getting it.” EnteroMedics of St. Paul, The FDA approved the Minnesota. While the use of the device in adult FDA has approved four medications for weight loss patients with a body mass index, or BMI, between 35 in the past 2 1/2 years, the Maestro system is the first and 45, who have at least one other obesity-related weight loss device to be condition, such as type approved since 2007. 2 diabetes. Using electrical leads Delivered by the Maestro implanted just above the device, vagal blocking stomach and a regulator carried under the skin near therapy, or VBLOC, offers obese patients a weightthe ribcage, the device loss therapy that does suppresses signals carried not permanently alter the by the vagus nerve. digestive system in the way The device adopts a that gastric bypass surgery variant of a “neuromodudoes, and which may be lation” technique long less expensive, said Lea. used in the treatment of epilepsy: by applying inter- He added it poses no risk mittent bursts of electrical of the “malabsorption” current to the vagus nerve, problems that often come it disrupts the signals that with such surgery. In a 12-month clinical prompt the stomach to trial considered by the relax, expand and prepare MELISSA HEALY Los Angeles Times
FDA, 38.3 percent of subjects who received the active Maestro device lost at least a quarter of their excess weight, and 52.5 percent of subjects lost at least 20 percent of their excess weight. On average, weight loss in those subjects with an active device was about 8.5 percent greater than that seen in subjects who received a Maestro electrical pulse generator that was not activated. The human body’s longest cranial nerve, the vagus – or “wandering” – nerve stretches from the lower abdomen up to the brain stem, passing through the heart, esophagus and lungs. A key node in the body’s involuntary nervous system, it carries signals between body and EnteroMedics’ Maestro Rechargeable System. brain that control heart rate, digestive processes and respiration. In a 60- to 90-minute “My life is better.” laparoscopic procedure, physicians trained to implant the new device will attach its electrical leads to the anterior and posterior trunks of the vagus nerve, right at the gastric junction. During a patient’s waking hours, the device See implant, Page 11
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MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 — 9
Fitness sensors now make data useful BRANDON BAILEY Associated Press
LAS VEGAS – It’s not just about how many steps you’ve taken or how many calories you’ve burned in a day. Wearable fitness trackers and health monitors are becoming more commonplace and diverse, but just what do you do with all of that data? “We have a lot of people buy wearables and then stop using them,” said Paul Landau, president of Fitbug, a British maker of fitness trackers. Landau attended the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas last week, promoting a series of 12-week fitness coaching programs that offer detailed and custom recommendations for getting in shape. “If you want to help people,” said Landau, “they’ve got to have more than just selftracking.” Health monitors aren’t just for fitness buffs. Startups and big tech companies at the gadget show promoted all kinds of uses for the data generated by wearable sensors – from mindfulness exercises to figuring out the best time to get pregnant. Other companies aim to offer value by aggregating data from different sources, so it can be viewed and interpreted together. That could be useful, but it also raises a host of privacy concerns.
ABOVE: JAE C. HONG, Associated Press
Garmin’s Vivofit 2 fitness tracker is displayed at the Garmin booth at the International CES in Las Vegas. The Gartner research firm estimates more than 70 million fitness activity trackers were sold worldwide last year.
Zepp has been selling sensors for a year, Fass said in an interview at CES, but he’s hoping weekend athletes will see more value in Zepp’s new smartphone app. It shows users an animated analysis of their swing, and lets them compare their moves with videos of pro athletes. The trend goes beyond sports. A Canadian startup called InteraXon displayed a headset that can measure brain activity, by tracking “A lot of wearables electrical impulses. It today are just throwing connects to an app that numbers at people. We’re provides mental exercises looking to synthesize that to relax or focus the mind, data and turn it into an but founder Ariel Garten experience,” says Jason Fass of Zepp Labs, a Silicon predicts the technology Valley startup that makes a might be integrated with tiny, wearable motion sen- other services in the future sor for tennis, baseball and – to automatically adjust a wearer’s iTunes playlist, golf enthusiasts.
heart rate, breathing and movement, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the annual show. The Gartner research firm estimates more than 70 million such devices were sold worldwide last year. And that doesn’t count more sophisticated wearables that can measure body temperature, glucose levels or other health indicators. But as the novelty of these devices wears off, said CES chief economist Shawn DuBravac, consumers will become less interested in “what technologically can be done” and more focused on “what’s technologically meaningful.” Apple and Google have developed mobile device software that can gather health and fitness data from wearables and other sources, displaying it in ways that are easy for consumers and their doctors to interpret. Samsung and Blackberry are also working on software to collect medical data. Silicon Valley startup JOHN LOCHER, Associated Press Bellabeat makes several The Zepp Labs sensor and application displayed at a devices aimed at women, media preview event for the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas. including a wearable activity tracker that looks like jewelry, a weight scale and a fetal heartbeat an electronic sensor for example. monitor for pregnancy. that’s designed to track Other exhibitors Instead of showing a woman’s internal body showed wearable motion readings on each device, temperature. It can send sensors designed for the a smartphone alert to the they’re designed to send elderly person who lives woman – and her partner information to a single alone, keeping a record smartphone app, “where – when it’s her optimum of daily activity and you can see how your data sending an alert to family time to conceive a child. is connected,” said coTiny sensors that can members if, for example, founder Urska Srsen. track activity and health the wearer falls, or isn’t “The future is going following his or her usual data have been a fixture at to be one where all your pattern of moving around CES in recent years. One information is going to be in 10 Americans owns a the house. in one place,” said WebMD fitness activity tracker Colorado-based CEO David Schlanger. – typically a wristband Prima-Temp introduced Scientists from a South a cervical ring containing that measures things like
African company, LifeQ, were making the rounds at CES to promote their notion of using sophisticated algorithms to analyze data from a variety of wearable devices. LifeQ founder Riaan Conradie says his company can use “bio-mathematical modeling” to make meaningful health predictions, such as whether a person is at risk for a heart attack. The prospect of collecting and anawlyzing so much personal data – especially sensitive medical records – raises a host of privacy concerns. Consumer advocates worry the information could be used by insurance companies to deny coverage or raise rates. Speaking at CES last week, Federal Trade Commission chief Edith Ramirez warned tech companies against selling health information to data brokers, and urged them to guard against hackers. Prima-Temp’s Costantini said the information her company gathers on body temperatures and fertility might someday be analyzed for broader medical insights. But she said identities will always be shielded and all data is stored in compliance with federal confidentiality rules for health records. Companies that collect health information can’t operate in the same way as, say, online retailers who tell advertisers what kind of shoes you like to buy, said Samsung Electronics president Young Sohn. “We can’t just share that information like the marketing data you might get out of some e-commerce application,” said Sohn.
10 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Goal Continued from 4
Beczkiewicz, the coordinator for Let’s Move!, also a part of the Health Department. The organization is dedicated to reducing obesity by creating and supporting projects that promote physical activity. “If you want them to have a healthy, active lifestyle, you need to teach them what a healthy, active lifestyle is,” Beczkiewicz said.
Vendors Continued from 2
Behavioral Health Unit Missoula Bone & Joint Let’s Move! Missoula AARP Eat Smart Program Young Living Essential Oils
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
A key component of Let’s Move! is working with schools, where Beczkiewicz said children spend most of their time, to learn how much activity they get and increase that time to the recommended 50 to 60 a day. “That can be through active transportation, access to physical activity, active recess and inclass physical activity.” Beczkiewicz said. She said younger kids are easier to motivate to get active, but as they get older it becomes
more difficult. Part of the Let’s Move! goal is to reinforce making physical activity a priority throughout the community, not just in schools. “Research shows that the more active kids are the better they do in school, period,” Beczkiewicz said. Physical activity has also been linked to better brain development and helping with depression and some behavioral problems, she said. In addition to schools,
Let’s Move! also works with after-school programs like the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and Flagship to ensure they are providing active options for kids. The Let’s Move! booth at the summit will focus on interactive activities, in particular highlighting affordable options for families to get out and move together. “I think it’s about making it fun, I think every parent wants what’s best for their kids,” Beczkiewicz said. “They can build
The Health Department will also have a booth at the summit beyond those for Eat Smart and Let’s Move! Whitney Murphy, who runs the department’s cancer control programs, said the primary topic for
the booth will be raising community awareness for environmental health hazards like radon. “It is a problem in Missoula and a big factor for lung cancer. We’ll have test kits available for purchase,” she said. The Health Department will also be handing out information about breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, and informing people about the right times to start getting preventive screenings, many of which are free with insurance.
Missoula Aging Services The Village Senior Residence Rocky Mountain Surgical Solutions (CMC) Monida Center for Asbestos Related Disease Clark Fork Riverside & Rising Mountains
Learning Center at Red Willow Active Life Chiropractic Matz Family Chiropractic Rocky Mountain Hospice Harrington Surgical Supply Humana
MarketPoint Inc. Montana Health Insurance Experts Missoula Family YMCA Missoula City-County Health Department Alpine Foot & Ankle Clinic PayneWest Insurance Hestia
In-Home Support Fit to Fight Missoula College UM College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences Super Skippers Dr. Newton B. Coutinho, cardiology Missoula Senior Center
Safe Kids Missoula (c/o Community Medical Center Foundation) Optimum Health & Wellness (Jeff Engel) Sapphire Physical Therapy Home Instead Senior Care Go Figure Missoula Envision Eyecare
in a pledge that this week we’re going to do one physical activity.” She will also give a short talk in the UC Theater about the importance of physical activity and how to incorporate it into children’s lives.
MISSOULA HEALTH SUMMIT
Changes Continued from 2
took advantage of the blood draw. “We have people come from as far away as Drummond and Deer Lodge who come to find out about all the different services available every year,” she said. The second floor of the UC will be dedicated to
Implant Continued from 8
is designed to alternate between delivering fiveminute bursts of highfrequency energy and five minutes of inactivity. During sleep, the device powers down. By suppressing the exchange of messages that cue hunger and ready the stomach for food, the intermittent electrical
Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 — 11
children and families, with kids’ activities and organizations like Let’s Move!, Eat Smart and the YMCA. “We’re really broadening it to all sectors of Missoula,” Redmond said. The third-floor ballroom will also have live shows throughout the day, and Redmond said the Chamber will give a series of short presentations on health issues and how they relate to Missoula in
the UC Theater. The point of the summit, Redmond said, is to make it easier for people to get information on a variety of topics and services in one place. “I can come in and look at information about doctors, chiropractors, healthy living, essential oils and information about the new health care law,” she said. Other topics include
diet, smoking, exercise, stress management and home care services. Redmond said with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, in particular, people are seeking out more information about services they can take advantage of now that they couldn’t before. One new component the Chamber is trying this year is a booth about
health care careers. Redmond said people who want to get a job in the health care industry will be able to pick up information and ask questions of agencies that are hiring. Kids and families are one area in which the Chamber sees a lot of potential for growing the summit, Redmond said. One of the issues she continually sees coming up is childhood obesity.
In addition to information about nutrition, the summit will offer advice to parents about integrating being active in their everyday lives. “In Missoula, you have working parents. They want to know what programs are out there, what can you go out there and do. You’re told you need to make your kids eat healthy – well, how do I do that?” she said.
currents make most feel less hungry, feel full sooner and to feel full for longer. Most eat less and lose weight. Researchers testing the device also observed that, like bariatric surgery, it might have beneficial effects that go beyond weight loss. Suppressing signals between gut and brain on the vagus nerve appeared to improve the metabolic function of obese patients who got
the device. “You actually see the effect before patients actually have had that much weight loss,” said Dr. Ken Fujioka, a Scripps Institute endocrinologist and weight management expert who conducted some of the studies that led to the EnteroMedics device. That suggests that the device may be especially beneficial for those who have developed obesity-related type 2
diabetes, he said. The on-again, off-again nature of the Maestro device’s stimulation serves another purpose: it prevents the vagus nerve’s gut signals from going silent – a communication loss that would likely prompt the central nervous system to find a compensatory workaround. As a result, said Lea, the Maestro device appears to be safe and effective for long-term
use, and unlike surgical alterations to the digestive system, reversible. Women who have had the device implanted and became pregnant were able to have it inactivated during their pregnancy, and then reactivated afterward, he said. While the cost of the device has not yet been set, Lea said that getting the device implanted and activated will likely cost “somewhere between $20,000 and
$30,000” – an amount that is more than gastric banding but less some of the most complex gastric bypass surgery. The company has begun negotiations with private insurers, and the device has been recognized as “exploratory” by the board that sets policy for Medicare reimbursements, and Lea expressed hope that some might agree to cover the procedure as early as later this year.
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12 — Missoulian, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Your health – our commitment to you, from day one.
Mom’s ‘3 a.m. fever’ wasn’t exactly in the day planner. Thank you Community for being there for us. Community Medical Center’s free 24-7 Nurse on Call will give you the answers you need to help cool the situation. Our registered nurses will help determine if your symptoms require emergency care, or if they can be handled by your primary care provider tomorrow. We’re your local, trusted resource to check symptoms fast. Call us at 406-327-4770. For the care you need, when you need it, of course it’s Community.
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