Posts in Health
Navigating the Health Insurance Maze

Obtaining health insurance and using the coverage once insured is complicated even for English speakers who were born in the United States. It gets more confusing for non-English speakers, and still more puzzling for those new to the country. Most U.S. citizens, and legal immigrants working for U.S. companies, have health insurance through their employers. These plans differ significantly in what services are covered and how much the patient has to pay.

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Reflections from a Transformative Iraq Mission Trip

“The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” Mother Teresa’s words echoed in our hearts as we embarked on a remarkable medical mission to Iraq in June 2023. With a team of nine dedicated healthcare professionals and two aspiring medical students, we traveled to a land that held both ancestral roots and a need for medical assistance. What unfolded was an emotional and impactful experience that left a lasting impression on us.

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Creating Healthier Communities

On May 6, the Chaldean Community Foundation hosted a Community Health Fair in partnership with the Chaldean American Association for Health Professionals.

Those in attendance experienced live demonstrations, interactive displays, and had the opportunity to receive free health screenings for blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol.

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Stress Awareness

April is Stress Awareness Month, an ideal time to check in on how we are doing and to set some healthful goals as we ‘spring forward.’ Stress is a term that people often use to describe a feeling of pressure, strain, or tension. People often say that they are “under stress” or feel “stressed out” when they are dealing with challenging situations or events. Everyone encounters stressful situations.

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Hopeless to Heroic: The Johnny Shamou story

It is hard to hide a secret when one is randomly babbling, chaotically removing everything from the freezer, or suddenly talking to an imaginary cat on the top of the fridge. These were Johnny Shamou’s odd behaviors in front of his family while he was addicted to heroin. His addiction began with illegally prescribed drugs as a teenager, and before that he had smoked cigarettes and dabbled in marijuana and alcohol once in a while if it was around. This was because of his need to “fit in” with the crowd.

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Suicide Prevention

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), suicide is currently the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. There is an average of 130 deaths by suicide every day. In 2020, 45,979 Americans died by suicide and there were an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts. The suicide rate in 2020 was 13.48 per 100,000 individuals.

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March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Colorectal screening saves lives. Part of raising awareness is helping people understand the value and importance of getting regular cancer screenings for early detection. As a primary care doctor, a large part of my role is preventive medicine. The goal of preventive medicine is to ultimately prevent disease, disability, and death. Colorectal cancer screening is one way of implementing this.

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