The following resources are provided for your information to help you better manage your own health and understand health insurance options. Click on the links to learn more about each resource.

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Uninsured Patients: Links to health insurance resources

Click on the links below to be redirected to the these resources. Each has its own requirements and only they can determine whether you qualify. We will add potential resources as we find them.

If you do not have health insurance or have questions about your health insurance coverage:

• North Carolina Department of Insurance — With so many changes in health insurance over the past few years, it can be hard to know which program is best for you. If you are currently uninsured or want to explore your health insurance options, start with the NC Department of Insurance website. You can also call toll-free at 855-408-1212.

Other health insurance and care payment resources:

• Need Help Paying Bills
• Cancer Treatment: Understanding Health Insurance
• LiveStrong: Health Care Assistance for the Uninsured

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General Health and Wellness

We recommend the following resources to patients who want to learn more about health and health-related issues. There are many helpful resources online, but there are also some internet resources that are not medically accurate.

Please schedule an appointment with your provider to discuss your healthcare plan if you have questions after reading articles online. You can request an appointment through the patient portal or by calling us.

• Johnston Health’s Health Matters Blog, shares articles on Diseases & Treatments, Fitness & Nutrition, Health & Wellness, and more to educate patients and the community on relevant issues and topics in healthcare. Use the search feature to find articles related to your concerns.
• Healthy Eating Resources, provides easy to understand information for better food choices. Learn what it means to eat healthy, how to make better choices, and how to choose better at restaurants. The more you know about healthy eating, the easier it is to make healthy choices while still enjoying what you eat.
• Parenting Resources: We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition). This website offers a number of resources to help families develop healthy eating patterns, an active lifestyle and reasonable limits on “screen time.” The family resources page is found here, but there are many other great resources on the site.
• Women’s Health Topics, a resource developed by the FDA, provides articles related to a variety of women’s health issues, including birth control, healthy aging, heart health, mammograms, cosmetics, nutrition and more.

Managing chronic illness and disease:

• Diabetes information and Resources from the National Institutes of Health. This site includes a variety of resources including healthy recipes for people with diabetes, how to increase your physical activity, how to engage the whole family in diabetes management (make it a family affair), information specific to complications of diabetes (such as how to care for your feet), how to navigate a restaurant buffet and more.
  

Smoking cessation resources:

• Johnston Health offers support to those who want to quit smoking, including how to develop a plan to quit smoking, links to other resources, a 24/7 phone support line and more.
• American Heart Association resources are available to help smokers develop a plan to quit smoking, how to manage cravings, and substitute relaxation techniques for cigarettes for better health.

Weight loss information and resources:

• The American Heart Association has resources available to help you lose weight and/or improve the nutrition in the food you eat.
• About 90% of Americans consume excessive amounts of sodium which leads to heart disease, obesity and other serious health risks. This 21 Day Plan to reduce the sodium in your diet is an excellent resource to improve your family’s health in just three weeks.
• One of the greatest challenges to weight loss is making healthy choices when dining out. This resource can help you make a plan to eat healthy, even in restaurants.
• Physical exercise is essential to good health, but that doesn’t mean you need an expensive gym membership or hefty workout routine. Exercise is anything you do that moves your body. This resource from the American Heart Association has everything you need to move toward improved health through movement.

Respiratory health resources:

• American Lung Association, Support and Community provides resources and support for those living with respiratory health problems and for their caregivers. Links are also available to find local support groups.
• Smoking and Health — A CDC Fact Sheet on the Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking

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Advance Care Planning

No Code/DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) North Carolina’s Right to a Natural Death Act protects a patient’s right to a natural death without “extraordinary means of life support.” A No Code/DNR order allows the patient to provide guidance to doctors for end of life issues. It also takes the burden off of family members.

• To learn more about No Code/DNR Orders, click here.

Living Will A living will is similar to a No Code/DNR Order as it provides directives to medical care providers for your care in specific situations. A living will expresses your desires regarding health care decisions should you be unable to express your desires yourself. When you prepare a living will, you can think through how you want your healthcare to be handled. There is no legal requirement to create a living will.

• Sample Living Will (you can download and print)

Health Care Power of Attorney A health care power of attorney is a legal document in which you name another person, called a “health care agent,” to make health care decisions for you when you are not able to make those decisions for yourself. You must be 18 years of age to assign a health care power of attorney. The form that follows explains the factors to consider when assigning a health care power of attorney as well as more information on living wills.

• Health Care Power of Attorney (you can download and print)

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Online Healthy Eating Plans

There are many, free online resources to help patients develop better eating habits for healthy living. Two resources we recommend are:

• The Mayo Clinic Diet — This easy-to-use resource is customized based on your personal health goals. It includes access to recipes, meal planning, portion control guides and healthy lifestyle tips. You can track your progress online with apps, journals and trackers and add exercise for even greater health benefits. (Free for the first seven days, then a small weekly fee for continued participation in the program).
• Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople — This program works with most fitness trackers and online food log apps. Use it for calorie counting, to develop a personalized exercise plan, and to get tips and suggestions from experts and other members of the community. Online exercise videos, articles on healthy meal planning and recipes make this a great “all-in-one” resource for people who are ready to make healthy lifestyle changes.