Health

Sponsored by the Learn to Live program of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health, educators will answer questions on nutrition and distribute free low-fat recipes at the following supermarkets: •Lauer's Supermarket, 8479 Fort Smallwood Road, Pasadena: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. •Graul's, 1388 Cape St. Claire Road, Annapolis: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 14. •Graul's, 607 Taylor Ave., Annapolis: noon to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 26, 10 a.m to 3 p.m. March 27 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28.

I would like to comment on the article titled "Major health savings forecast" (July 27) by Andrea K. Walker. To report that there will be great savings for Maryland taxpayers because funding for increased numbers of people being placed on Medicaid and other state-funded initiatives is being shifted from the state taxpayer to the federal government is disingenuous and creates a false impression that the Maryland taxpayer is going to save money!...

The Center for the Science in the Public Interest, which has done more good for the health of Americans than its legion of detractors has released its annual Xtreme Eating Awards, the most egregious items on chain menus. Here's what they say about the Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake : Even people accustomed to 1,500-calorie burgers wouldn't expect 2,000-calorie shakes. A 24-oz. “Gotta Have It” size shake of peanut butter, chocolate ice cream and milk has a day's calories (2,010)

I agree with the decision that President Obama made to extend health coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. First of all, this is a good thing for everyone in the U.S.A. no matter who you are. Second of all, this bill will help a lot of poor people in the who are unable to pay for health insurance but need it. Finally, I think President Obama and everyone who voted for this bill made the right decision for the first time in recent years to really help out ordinary Americans. This is a great thing happening to us, and we all will benefit in the long run!

Are you a health role model? We're thinking of starting a new feature of inspirational "models of health" who have achieved a health or fitness goal recently. Did you quit smoking? Lose 20 pounds? Complete your first marathon, walkathon, bike race, etc.? Lower your cholesterol? Learn to swim? Finally able to do that difficult yoga pose? Share your story with us for publication on this blog and maybe even The Baltimore Sun newspaper. Fill out the questions below and include a jpeg of yourself and contact information.

Republican Scott Brown, above, defeats Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in the race for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward M. Kennedy. Brown's upset victory leaves President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders with fallback options to salvage a health care overhaul providing insurance to all Americans. And most of those fallbacks are fraught with political peril. Article, PG 10

Donna Bethea, a health care analyst and longtime Northwest Baltimore resident, died of leukemia Tuesday at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. She was 44. Ms. Bethea was born in Baltimore and raised on Brighton Avenue. She was a 1985 graduate of Polytechnic Institute. She earned a bachelor's degree in 2009 in information technology from the University of Phoenix, and two weeks ago had completed the course work for a master's degree in health administration, also from the University of Phoenix, family members said.

Unless I completely misinterpret this story ("Fatter folks, sicker bay," April 20), which is easy to do any time a "lefty" talks, it is a complete load of garbage! When the writer suggests that the health of the Chesapeake Bay is affected by the obesity of those who live near it, I have to respond that this is just another desperate attempt to lay blame on people, which usually is a precursor to another invasive law and a further erosion of freedom and liberty. He writes about a book he is reading by medical researchers and associates their findings with meanderings of his own mental deficiency and says, "It's intriguing to compare graphs these [Bay health]

Maryland has received $2.4 million in federal funds to help primary care physicians provide better coordinated care to patients. The state was one of 25 that federal officials said on Thursday would receive grants. The hope is that by better coordinating care of patients, health problems will be caught before they become emergency situations. Primary care providers will lead a team of health professionals that will work together to treat a patient.  The award will also be used to identify areas with poor health outcomes so that health departments can better target patients in need.  This new program, which state health officials hope will drive down costs, will be further designed and developed over the next six months.

Regarding your editorial "Expanding access to care" (Aug. 16), I will be anxiously watching for your future editorials giving us some of the details of how 350,000 Maryland residents will be added to the roles of the medically insured, at apparently little or no cost to them, while the state realizes cost savings of $850 million. A. J. Colyer, Bel Air