Buckeye has been serving the Ohio Medicaid population for more than nine years and has developed the know-how to help members improve their health and quality of life. We offer benefits like transportation to and from your health care appointments, a primary care doctor with the understanding of your concerns about your child’s health and a nurse advice phone line, Nursewise® that answers to your health questions 24 hours a day.

If you would like to find out more about how Buckeye can improve your health care experience, please contact our member services department at 1-866-246-4358 or TTY 1-800-750-0750.

Buckeye is dedicated to providing coordinated care for your child with special needs.

*If you do not choose a plan, Medicaid will select one for your child since as of July 1, 2013 all children with special health care needs will receive their health care from a Medicaid managed care plan.

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=854060

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=848343

http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/01/21/Toledo-Hearing-and-Speech-Center-aid-in-relocating-equipment-a-sound-move.html

January 6-13, 2013 is Folic Acid Awareness Week as designated by the National Council on Folic Acid.  Folic acid can help prevent neural tube deficiencies (NTBs). Women of childbearing age need an extra 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day.  Since 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, ALL women of childbearing age should supplement their diet with folic acid.  For details and many links to Web resources, please visit the Council’s website: http://www.folicacidinfo.org/.

1. Limit fatty foods
- Full fat cheese can cause problems! According to the American Dietetic Association, the cheese on your burger can have more saturated fat than the meat itself. You can choose reduced-fat cheese as an alternative – the flavor is still there – without all the calories.
- Watch out for fatty meats. If you can see the fatty streaks in your meat, you should probably eat less of it and poultry skin is an unnecessary source of fat, and should be avoided.
- Processed meats like hot dogs, cold cuts and sausages should also be scrutinized since the saturated fat and sodium in processed meats could affect both blood pressure and general health.

2. Replace that sugar!
Small changes like this can really add up:
- Replace your candy bar with a piece of fruit.
- Ditch the soda and drink water or unsweetened tea instead, and add a splash of lemon juice for more flavor.
- Replace ice cream with sorbet.
- Replace sugar with sugar substitutes (like Splenda® or NutraSweet®)when possible; if you can’t give up soda, replace it with diet soda.
- Instead of a rich dessert, offer your family fruit instead.

3. Put down the salt shaker
Too much salt, or sodium, can aggravate high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association, and a lower sodium diet may help to avoid this.
- Avoid or limit your fast food intake.
- Avoid or limit salty snacks, high sodium meats such as ham, bacon and hot dogs, and commercially prepared or frozen foods with more than 700 (mg) per serving.
- Don’t add salt to your food.

Finally, keep the water handy and figure out what’s on your plate. The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 96 ounces of water daily and even more than that if the climate is warm or if you sweat profusely. It’s true that means 12 eight-ounce glasses of water a day, but with a few simple habits – like keeping a sporty water bottle with you – you can start to increase your water intake gradually until you reach the recommended amount.

And, using the new MyPlate is a great way to see if what you’re eating and if your portion sizes are healthy. It’s a wonderful tool and a graphical representation of what your plate should look like – it replaces the old USDA food pyramid. Just go to www.choosemyplate.gov to help you plan healthy meals that have everything you need. Show it to your kids to plan healthy meals together!

See the article on WNWO-TV’s web site