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Bucks County Health Improvement

Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

How to Share Your Advance Health Care Directive

By- bchip

Sep 12, 2023 | No Comments

Your advance health care directive, also known as a living will, tells medical professionals and your family what health care decisions you want to be made for you, should you be unable to speak for yourself. BCHIP offers a free Advance Care Planning Consultation to help you with the process of completing an advance directive or you can use our simple form with reflection guidelines to help you think through and address the most important questions that you will have…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Pregnancy and Smoking

By- bchip

Sep 12, 2023 | No Comments

If you are pregnant and a smoker, it is important to cut back or really stop smoking as soon as possible. If you live in Bucks County, PA, you don’t have to do it alone. We offer a free smoking cessation program that gives you all of the support you need. Why is it dangerous to smoke when you are pregnant? Smoking while pregnant puts both you and your baby at risk of serious health effects. Every puff of a…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for My Child?

By- bchip

Aug 1, 2023 | No Comments

COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children. Vaccine use by children in the US goes back more than a hundred years. This vaccine, and vaccines in general, are effective and safe ways to help keep your child and other children healthy. Vaccines are vital tools that reduce infection and disease rates globally, according to an article in the Patient Safety in Surgery journal. Vaccination use dates back to eleventh-century China. More than 672 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given in…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Health Care Directives for Complex Medical Decisions

By- bchip

Aug 1, 2023 | No Comments

If you have a complicated medical condition or multiple health issues in Bucks County, it is very important that you create thorough advance healthcare directives. These documents spell out possible risks and the medical decisions that you would like to have made on your behalf in the event that you cannot speak for yourself. An Advance Healthcare Directive form usually has several sections, including: Whether or not you will want life-sustaining medical care, what kind, and under what situations Whether…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Side Effects When You Stop Smoking

By- bchip

Jul 13, 2023 | No Comments

If you want to quit smoking, it is best to be prepared for the possible side effects. Trying to break the smoking habit can be difficult because of the physical withdrawal your body goes through. Nicotine is an addictive substance, and as with any physical addiction, the body gets used to having it in the system and must realign itself to not having it anymore. One of the most common reasons why people are unable to quit smoking is because…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Relying on Herd Immunity is Not How You Want to Stay Healthy

By- bchip

Jul 13, 2023 | No Comments

Should you not vaccinate your children and rely on herd immunity? Many animals live in herds because living in a group makes it harder for predators to kill them. Herd immunity can also help communities withstand infectious diseases, but it comes at a cost. Those “free riders” who want the benefits of herd immunity without using a vaccine make the process of establishing herd immunity more difficult and more lengthy. What is Herd Immunity? Herd immunity (or community or population…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Relapsing as You Quit Smoking

By- bchip

Jun 5, 2023 | No Comments

While you’re trying to quit smoking, or even after you’ve successfully quit, you may give in to the craving for a cigarette. When this happens, some people end up feeling like they blew it and just give up and go back to smoking regularly. Try to resist that reaction. It is common to slip up, and you haven’t failed. Here in Bucks County, our Smoking Cessation program will give you the tools to successfully handle a craving. Slip vs. relapse…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Unlike Most Myths, Those About Vaccines Cause Harm

By- bchip

Jun 5, 2023 | No Comments

If you are confused about vaccine safety, please know that what you hear as sound bites are often myths. We grew up with myths. George Washington as a child, chopped down a cherry tree and admitted it to his father. Atlantis was an ancient, advanced civilization that sank into the ocean. Columbus discovered America. These falsehoods may confuse, but no one died because they believed George Washington could not lie. Vaccine myths are another story.Vaccine use can save lives. One…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Updating Healthcare Directives

By- bchip

May 23, 2023 | No Comments

It’s always a good idea to look at your estate planning and advanced healthcare directive documents every year. Things can change over a year: your health or financial situation may change, someone listed in your documents may pass away or move, or your attitudes about a particular procedure or intervention may change. So take a look every year and make sure your documents still align with your wishes. Estate planning usually is understood to refer to your finances and your…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

What Is Nicotine Replacement Therapy?

By- bchip

May 23, 2023 | No Comments

If you are a smoker and you want to stop smoking, we at BCHIP applaud your decision. Smoking and other nicotine use cause a wide variety of serious health problems throughout the body. The statistics are sobering: Cigarette smoking increases risk of death from all causes in both men and women Smoking is a factor in many different types of cancer It increases risk of developing lung cancer 25 times and causes 90% of lung cancer deaths Smokers are 12…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

When Family Members Won’t Get Vaccinated

By- bchip

Apr 6, 2023 | No Comments

During the last two years, we have seen many Bucks County families divided over Covid vaccination status. Suppose you’re immuno-compromised and you feel unsafe around people who have not received a vaccination or who may have any kind of cold or illness. You have the right to advocate for yourself within your family, and you may decide not to see certain family members for the time being. Short of serious health concerns, however, try to handle this difference of opinion…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Whom to Leave in Charge of Your Care: Choosing your Medical Power of Attorney in Bucks County, PA

By- bchip

Apr 6, 2023 | No Comments

An estimated 75% of all Americans will at some point be in a medical situation in which they cannot communicate their wishes. While it isn’t pleasant to think about and the conversation may be awkward, it’s important to take time to develop an advanced medical care plan, including a medical power of attorney, in case an accident or unexpected health condition leaves you suddenly unable to make decisions for your own healthcare. Having someone to advocate for you and your…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Should I Vaccinate My Child? – We Can Help

By- bchip

Mar 16, 2023 | No Comments

Here in Bucks County, PA, and all over the world, childhood vaccinations have saved countless children from suffering and death due to severe childhood diseases. The cases of measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, polio, whooping cough, and other serious childhood infections have practically disappeared, thanks to these childhood vaccines and improved healthcare. However, some people have come to the conclusion that since the diseases are now quite rare, the shots are no longer necessary. Because of this, the illnesses are…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

When a Loved One Won’t Stop Smoking

By- bchip

Mar 16, 2023 | No Comments

If you have a loved one who can’t or won’t stop smoking, you’re both in a difficult position, but it’s not hopeless. Smoking is an addiction, not unlike alcohol or other substance abuse. The addiction makes it very difficult for the addicted person to realize he has a problem in the first place, want to quit, and successfully kick the habit. Just as with other addictions, your loved one has to first admit he has a problem. Once he recognizes…

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Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP)

Why Is It So Hard to Quit Smoking?

By- bchip

Feb 25, 2023 | No Comments

While many people have successfully quit smoking, they will tell you it wasn’t easy. Many other people – perhaps you – have tried to quit more than once but have not yet been successful. But don’t give up. There are reasons why it’s so hard, and when you address those reasons, you can quit. BCHIP has a free online Quit Smoking Program for residents of Bucks County that will help you address the issues and succeed the next time you…

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