The Importance of Breastfeeding Health

There are few things more exciting than a newborn baby. But what’s important is a healthy baby. There are many ways to keep babies healthy and breastfeeding plays one of the most important roles. August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month where the goal is to promote the health and well-being of babies by encouraging breastfeeding.

Part of encouraging breastfeeding is offering the mother proper encouragement. Three keys to this are providing time, space, and family support. While breastfeeding comes naturally for some, it may not for others. It takes patience and time to perfect, which is why paid maternity leave becomes very important. It’s essential for mothers to have areas to breastfeed in private, and spaces where they can rest and be free from interruptions, as family and friends are always eager to greet the mother and new baby.

It’s important that a mother feel supported by her decision to breastfeed. Comfortability will lead to more breastfeeding success in the short and long-term, especially during busy times where a mother may feel like it is not an accessible option.

Finally, breast milk supplies the infant with nutrients made especially for their growth and development. It’s natures perfect food for babies. It’s not only beneficial for the child, but for the mother as well. Per WebMD, the following are the benefits for both mother and child:

For Child:

  • Antibodies in breast milk help fight viruses and bacteria
  • Lowers risk of baby having asthma or allergies
  • Fewer ear infections, less diarrhea and respiratory illnesses
  • Linked to higher IQ scores in later childhood
  • Reduced risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

For Mother:

  • Faster weight loss (can burn an extra 500 calories when breastfeeding)
  • Lower risks of cancer (breast and ovarian cancer) by about 20%
  • Lower risks of osteoporosis
  • More bonding through skin to skin contact, which stimulates release of oxytocin (a hormone that facilitates bonding)

As you can see, breastfeeding is important for all involved and there’s a need for its continued support. Not only is it a bonding experience, but it offers an abundance of health benefits. For more tips, such as best positions, additional medical considerations while breastfeeding, or if breastfeeding is a healthy option for you, reach out to your doctor for the best recommendation.

Partnership Announced Between Direct Primary Care Leader and National Insurance Captive

PHILADELPHIAAug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — R-Health and Pareto Captive Services (“Pareto”) announced a partnership to bring enhanced primary care to Pareto’s clients (“captive members”). R-Health and Pareto, both based in the Philadelphia area, recognize the need to provide innovative solutions to tackle ever-rising healthcare costs facing employers and individuals.

R-Health is a national leader in enhanced primary care, supporting or managing over 40 practices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pareto forms and manages employee benefit group captives that allow medium-size employers to mitigate the year to year volatility of self-insuring their health benefits. Nationwide, Pareto has more than 600 captive members, constituting more than 150,000 covered lives.

Through this new partnership, Pareto captive members will have access to R-Health’s growing number of Direct Care practices. In addition, the two companies plan to open four new practices in the Greater Philadelphiaarea in 2019. These innovative Direct Care practices will deliver enhanced primary care to Pareto captive members in the region, as well as other employers.

R-Health and Pareto are also partnering to launch two locations in the Kansas City area in September 2018, serving Pareto captive members in that market. With captive members located nationwide, Pareto and R-Health plan to launch other locations as dictated by need and growing demand.

“At R-Health, we believe that independent, relationship-based primary care is the foundation of transformational healthcare delivery,” said Mason Reiner, R-Health Co-Founder & CEO. “By partnering with Pareto, we can leverage our unique combination of clinical expertise and technology to provide patients with consistent access to their personal doctor, while achieving significant cost savings for employers through clinically integrated care delivery and innovative data analytics.”

“Pareto saw that our captive members needed a better primary care option for their employees, yet for most medium-sized employers, on-site clinics are not financially feasible and, often, can lead to further fragmented care,” said Andrew Cavenagh, Pareto Captive Services’ Managing Director. “By partnering with R-Health to create near-home practices, we can fill that void by offering better access to primary care and more time with their physicians. These offices offer convenient and comprehensive primary care to employees and their family members.”
Enhanced primary care can lower healthcare costs in many ways, including:

  • Reducing unnecessary emergency room and urgent care visits.
  • Better managing and therefore reducing the cost of chronic and high-risk conditions.
  • Offering longer appointments, that allow for more time for the patient and provider to interact.
  • Providing referrals to high-value specialists.
  • Increasing compliance with care plans by making many prescriptions available on-site.
  • Reducing costly complications by identifying and supporting high-risk and at-risk individuals.

About R-Health
R-Health delivers more effective care and a better patient experience – all at a lower cost. We partner with employers, unions, insurance companies and TPAs to offer primary care that’s truly collaborative. This is accomplished through the traditional core values of convenient, personal primary care; our innovative data analytics and patient engagement platforms that streamline care, delivering better outcomes, lower costs and a refreshing patient experience; and the proactive management of chronic conditions. R-Health delivers value-based healthcare two ways: through R-Health Direct Care, our innovative enhanced primary care model, and R-Health Accountable Care, our commercial and Medicare ACOs. For more information, visit https://www.R-Health.md.

About Pareto Captive Services
Pareto Captive Services forms and manages employee benefit group captives. The captives mitigate the year-to-year volatility and risk that is inherent in self-insurance, thereby allowing employers to focus on reducing healthcare costs. Members of Pareto captives gain access to an exclusive suite of risk management and cost-containment initiatives to help them in their quest to provide affordable and effective healthcare to their employees. Pareto continually seeks new and innovative solutions to employers’ healthcare benefit dilemmas and when solutions do not already exist, Pareto creates them. For more information, visit https://www.paretocaptive.com.

Media Contact
Carrie Hartman
carrie.hartman@r-health.md
Cell: 215.704.0917

 

SOURCE Pareto Captive Services

Vaccines Are What You Need

Every August, the health community celebrates National Immunization Month. This period aims to showcase the importance of vaccinations and their role in preventing illness, long-term health issues, and even death. From adolescence to adulthood, vaccinations are always recommended since some can wear off over the years, while others may become available as you get older.

To further highlight the importance of vaccines, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) listed some of the top reasons to be vaccinated.

  • Vaccine-preventable diseases haven’t gone away
    • Illnesses from dangerous viruses and bacteria are still be passed on to those in frequent contact.
  • Vaccines keep you healthy
    • Vaccines are as important as diet and exercise, as they protect you throughout life from many infections.
  • Vaccines can prevent death
    • Approximately 55,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States.
  • Vaccines won’t give you the disease
    • Vaccines contain killed or weakened viruses designed to prevent you from catching the disease.
  • Vaccine-preventable disease can be expensive
    • Illnesses like the flu, or other diseases like hepatitis are not only expensive to treat, but may also keep you out of work for an extended period of time.

If you’re not up to date on all your vaccines, which ones should you consider? The NFID recommends the following:

  • Influenza*
  • Tetanus*
  • Diphtheria*
  • Pertussis*
  • Shingles*
  • Hepatitis B*
  • HPV*

*– available at R-Health practices

There are many preventable diseases that can severely impact your life. Vaccination could prevent you from their effects that could leave you permanently disabled, out of work for significant time, drive up your medical bills, and even spread to your family and friends. Protect yourself and those around you from vaccine-preventable diseases. Visit your doctor’s office to determine which vaccines you need on a schedule that is based on your health, immune status and lifestyle factors.  Please talk to your doctor about any concerns or questions that are preventing you from getting vaccinated.