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Jennifer Schraag is the mother of three parasitic life forms: the infamous I am only capable of eating with my hands 10-year-old Jordan Dale, the fiery, sass-a-frass whirlwind 2-year-old Brooklyn Rain, and introducing the latest and greatest (and thank heavens, the quietest) Haven Phoenix.

Jen exerts what’s left of her brain cells as a writer and editor for today’s surgicenter and Infection Control Today magazines, produced by Virgo Publishing’s Medical Division. In her spare time (hmmm doesn’t the use of the words “spare time” when speaking of a “mother” make for an oxymoron?), Jen attempts to educate neutropenic patients on how to avoid their archrival bacteria through her volunteer work as communication director for the National Neutropenia Network: thus describing her passion for Germ Stop!

Giving the Gift of … Healthcare?


12/21/2007 14:21

Giving the Gift of … Healthcare?

It’s all the rage this year and probably will continue to be in years to come: a gift card to help cover health-related expenses. From doctor visits to filling prescriptions, the Healthcare Visa® Gift Card from givewell.com is picking up lots of attention — and tabs!

I’ll tell you, as a mother of three, with Nana (my mom) living with us and G-Mo (my mother-in-law) one block away, this would be the perfect gift for our brood. I am often convinced that our family keeps the healthcare sect alive. No joke, here’s an actual account of my healthcare spending over a recent four-week period (Nov. 19-Dec. 17):

-$40 urgent care visit (strep throat)

-$100 co-pay for an ER visit (an asthma attack)

-$110 (total) in prescriptions (regular monthly “maintenance” drugs and one antibiotic)

-$25 doctor visit (just a follow-up)

-$38.40 co-pay for a CT scan (of a child’s sinus cavity)

-$80 ENT visit (for two children)

-$40 hematology appointment (a CBC and regular check-up)

Yep, $433.40, and this is just for the children; no grandma-related expenses are included in this list.

I always like to add that these charges are after the nearly $400/month deduction from my paychecks for health insurance premiums.

How does the average family make it these days?

With generous gifts such as these, I guess!

According to the company Web site, this gift card can be used for, “co-pays at doctor’s and pharmacies; dental care, including braces and teeth whitening; vision care, including eye exams and prescription sunglasses; memberships at health clubs, and elective procedures including Lasik and cosmetic surgery.”

The gift-giver can put anywhere from $25 to $5,000 on the card. Best of all, the card can help its recipient keep track of medical-related spending for tax purposes.

So let me ask, what — short of letting your child wither to near nothingness — do you do to help contain the cost of healthcare for your family? I need some usable ideas!

In the meantime, here’s to a happy and healthy 2008! Happy New Year, everyone …

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Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!

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  • An average of only 1 in 6 people wash their hands after using the restroom.
  • After using the restroom, a single hand can have a population count of more than 200 million bacteria per square inch.
  • When you sneeze, germs can travel at 80 miles per hour across a room.
  • One microbe can grow to become more than 8 million germs in just one day.
  • A kitchen cutting board harbors 50 times more bacteria than your toilet seat.
  • The average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.
  • Viruses can survive on common surfaces like faucet handles for up to 72 hours.
  • The majority of food-poisoning cases are acquired in the home.
  • The average child catches at least 8 colds in a year, and U.S. kids miss as many as 189 million school days each year due to colds.

Do you think it's important to wash your hands in order to prevent the spread of illness and disease?

Absolutely, and I wash constantly!
Whenever I remember to do so!
I'm too busy to wash my hands!

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