Happy 1st birthday Transforming Health

Transforming Health launched one year ago today, and what a year it’s been!

In this past year, we’ve seen the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplaceand have seenlives transformed by policies that increase access to care and improve quality of care. And, we’ve been inspired by the personal transformations in our community.

The team wants to thank you for being a part of an important conversation about the changing healthcare landscape.

We asked you to add your voice to the conversation, and you weighed in on the health issues that matter most to you. We offer our sincere thanks for informing our coverage, for sharing your personal successes, and for your encouraging words and support.

We’d especially like to thank our partners– WellSpan Health and PinnacleHealth- for making this series possible, and for sharing wisdom that helps improve the health of our communities.

Thanks again for a fantastic first year of learning together! -The Transforming Health Team

Below is a special Birthday Roundup, celebrating the 10 most-read stories on our website. And, we threw in a few of our personal favorites for you to check out as well! Enjoy!

1. Steps to Good Health: After losing 75 pounds in a year, Peg turned to the web to offer support, tips, and encouragement to others on their own journey towards wellness. Lives are changing… one step at a time.

2. Breast pumps now covered under the Affordable Care Act: One of these new requirements under the new law is that health insurers pay the full cost of breast pumps for nursing mothers. For many insurance plans, this new rule went into effect at the beginning of this year. This new rule has created a boom in the breast pump industry.

3. Go local with PA Preferred: The idea of buying and eating locally-produced foods has exploded in recent years. It’s especially gained traction in the commonwealth, where agriculture is one of the top two industries.

4. My story: Living with Lyme disease: Linda Olley, a Registered Nurse, from Harrisburg, has been living with the devastating affects of Lyme disease that went undiagnosed for 20 years. Through her suffering, she’s been able to remain hopeful and help others as well.

5. App of the Week: Instant Heart Rate: The Instant Heart Rate app uses the camera on your smarthone to detect the pulse from your fingertip. The app will beep with your pulse and real-time chart will show you every heart beat, just like in an ER!

6. Heart-healthy black bean & corn salsa recipe:Dr. Chatha recommends this low-cost and easy recipe for Black Bean & Corn Salsa from the American Heart Association, as most Americans fall short on their intake of vegetables and fiber.

7. If you believe it… you will achieve it:Barbara literally walked her way to better health. She lost 56 pounds and enjoys being an active grandmother today! Read about her secrets to success!

8. I believe in me: “I was tired, sick, and sad all the time. I had no energy. I watched my kids play from the sidelines yet I pushed them to be in sports and be active. What kind of mother was I that didn’t walk the walk, so to speak? I was 220 lbs and did not like where I had led myself.”

“It hit me that I was the only person that could get myself on the road to a healthier me. That instant I said out loud: ‘I believe in ME.'”

9.Roller Derby: Building strength & confidence as a team:Roller derby is more than just a sport. It’s about building strength, confidence, better health and friendship together as a team.

10. A Summer Reid: Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central PA has teamed up with the Central PA library systems, as well as WITF to present A Summer Reid. This summer reading program encourage residents to read T.R. Reid’s “The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care,” then start discussing health care in our communities and ideas for making improvements. Join the movement!

Join the conversation by liking our Facebook page.

And, follow us on Twitterfor breaking health stories.

Tell us: What’s your favorite Transforming Health story? Have we opened your eyes to a healthier lifestyle? Have any feedback on our first year? We’d love to hear form you! Please leave us a comment below!

Share your personal success story, and we’ll feature you on our Success Stories Wall! Click on the image below to explore some of the inspirational stories from our community.

Bonus:

Watch: Time for Health: How communities, workplaces and schools are focusing on health.

The Greenhouse: Recover. Preserve. Share. The Greenhouse is a community organization that is dedicated to recovering food that would otherwise be wasted, preserving the food by canning, freezing or dehydrating, and then sharing the food with community groups and charity organizations that serve people in the community that need it most.

Watch: Blue Zones- How to live to 100: How long do you want to live? If you answered 100 years, what’s your game plan for reaching the century mark? Researcher and author Dan Buettner traveled to five corners of the globe to report on so-called “Blue Zones,” home to clusters of centenarians. And, he shares their secrets in this special episode of TV Smart Talk.

Watch: Creating Blue Zones in Central PA: Discover some exciting things happening right now in Central Pennsylvania communities that are helping us move more, eat healthier, be more joyful and live longer.

---