October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a worldwide annual campaign involving thousands of organizations, to highlight the importance of breast awareness, education, and research. Breast cancer is now the number one killer of Chinese women. A lack of awareness about breast cancer and low screening rates leave many women discovering it at late stages, yet with early detection many lives can be saved. Although we’re nearing the end of October, continued awareness of all cancers must continue if we hope to improve survival rates.

Green-T House recently hosted a wonderful event called “Diva Day”. Their beautiful space in Shunyi saw vendors selling unique items, ranging from clothing to jewelry, with Green-T serving up some of their finest cuisine. The day wasn’t all about shopping as it also saw the launch of the new Wheels for Life mobile health bus. Wheels for Life is part of the United Family Charity Fund, which provides free medical care, services and treatment to over 50 partner organizations.

With the launch of Wheels for Life, women and children living and working in orphanages and migrant schools will receive onsite medical visits to provide preventative healthcare, immunizations, and physical examinations. It’s also one of the first mobile health buses in the world to provide breast cancer screening to underserved women, using GE Healthcare Automated Breast Ultrasound Screening (ABUS).

The mobile unit will begin by "caring for the carers" those women already devoted to foster homes and migrant schools around Beijing. Over the coming months the women will receive screenings and support, providing them with access to preventative services they simply do not have. In addition, the charity fund will provide a financial contribution towards the medical expenses of those women that may be diagnosed with breast cancer.

During the soft launch period the bus will be operating four times per month. Each time they go out to offer breast cancer screenings, they hope to be able to screen 10-15 women. The goal is 500 women per year. The cost to run the bus depends on how often it goes out. One day per week or four times per month and the cost is around RMB 50,000. This covers gas, driver, consumables, doctors, nurses, program manager, IT, and utilities. The doctors and nurses time is subsidized by UFH so their costs are at a reduced rate.

The Wheels for Life program needs funding and volunteers. One volunteer is needed each time the bus goes out, to help register the patients and keep the flow of patients going. They also need volunteers other days of the week to help with preparations, planning, paper work, newsletter stories, and website updates. If you would like to show your support for the work and the mission of this invaluable program, you can donate online at www.unitedfoundation.org. If you would like to volunteer with the team, please contact 5927 7285, WFL@unitedfoundation.org.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: North Charleston (Flickr) and courtesy of Wheels for Life

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Dulwich College Beijing Hosts ISCMS Festival
The International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) was founded in 2008 by Shane O’Shea, then head of music at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB). The first gala concert was held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, where students and teachers performed Faure’s Requiem.

Now, DCB is once again getting ready to host over 300 students from international schools around Asia and the Middle East. They will visit Beijing for a week of workshops and master classes with six international music practitioners.

The festival will culminate in a gala concert featuring double Grammy Award winner Christopher Tin, who will conduct his new piece, Temen Oblak, with the student choir and Beijing Youth Orchestra. The concert will take place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on Saturday, February 22 at 7.30 pm. For previous coverage of ISCMS on beijingkids, click here, here, and here.

For more information about the festival, visit the ISCMS website. Tickets can be ordered via yoopay. For further inquiries, contact Joanne Ross at joanne.ross@dulwich-beijing.cn.

United Family Healthcare Shunyi Expansion
The United Family Shunyi Clinic has been expanding its services for years, but the latest renovation creates even more space for new facilities and services.To celebrate the expansion, the clinic is planning to hold special community events every season. Mark your calendars for:

• Free eye checkups: The United Family Shunyi Clinic will offer free eye screenings from January 20-22.To make an appointment, call 8046 1102.
• Pediatric dental talk: Pediatric Dentist Dr. Irene Lau will give a talk on Wednesday, January 22 at 10am on the factors that influence oral health and introduce simple tips for your little ones. There will be a Q&A. To RSVP, contact jenifer.sullivan@ufh.com.cn.

By the end of the month, the clinic also expects to have ENT and gynecology services. There will also eventually be a fully operational laboratory and radiology department; for now, there are limited schedules for both services. In March, the clinic will offer free hearing tests and dermatology consultations.

Mom-Approved: Dr. Christian Lemm
While we’re on the subject, I want to put in a personal recommendation for United Family Shunyi’s new family medicine doctor, Dr. Christian Lemm. Dr. Lemm is from Germany and speaks English, German and conversational Italian.

The fact that he moved to Beijing with his family in the middle of winter and worked the clinic the day after Christmas is enough to get a thumbs-up from me. But more than that, we liked his bedside manner and his very thorough approach to treating the respiratory conditions that brought us running to the clinic. Before prescribing any medication, Dr. Lemm took the time to explain the condition and how medicine would help to treat the symptoms.

He was also the first doctor I encountered who could give us a clear picture of my son’s asthma problem. He explained the effects of different medications so well that my son was able to repeat the entire explanation – complete with diagrams – at home to his father and older brother. This is a great skill.

DCB Opens Ice Rink to the Public
Also at Dulwich College Beijing, the ice rink is now open to the public at the following times:

• Monday, 3.45-6pm
• Tuesday, 5.15-7pm
• Wednesday, 5.45-7pm
• Thursday, 3.45-6.30pm
• Friday, 3.45-5.15pm
• Saturday, 10am-noon

A section will be cordoned off for public skating since part of the rink will be used for classes. The price of admission is RMB 50 and includes unlimited skating for the duration of the public skating time slot; ice skates and helmets are included. Dulwich has a limited supply of elbow and knee pads for rent, so the school encourages families to bring their own. Payment can be made at the Dulwich Sports Dome Reception. For inquiries, call 6454 9127.   

Photo by Benson Kua via Flickr

We’d like to hear from you! What are your Shunyi favorites? Any recommendations or bits of news you’d like to see here on Shunyi Happenings, please feel free to send it on to us via email to: danamercado@beijing-kids.com.

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.

There’s a new kid on the block in the Beijing design scene – and it was started by three teens. Studio Accord is the brainchild of Vivian Zhang, Emily Chung, and Rikki Liu, three soon-to-be juniors at the International School of Beijing. Rikki and Vivian are originally from the US, while Emily is from Canada. Studio Accord is a "non-profit design studio" whose mission is to provide pro bono work to non-profit organizations and commercial work for socially-conscious businesses, with profits to be donated to worthy causes. beijingkids recently spoke to Vivian to find out more about Studio Accord.

How did Studio Accord come about?
This is actually a really long story. Studio Accord is a joint project between all three co-founders. We are all proficient at design, but split roles within the organization to keep things efficient. Emily is the art director; she makes the calls about our own brand identity, color schemes, and graphics. For example, she did the gorgeous splash image on our website. Rikki is the communications director and manages emails with clients, but she’s away at the moment. I manage the website and the business aspect of the organization.

Originally, all three of us were all executives of ISB’ss internal design organization, Draxonic Design Studio (DDS). Gradually with the growth of DDS, outside organizations began approaching us and we were given the option to either focus on school projects or to branch out professionally.

Because it was impossible for DDS to dabble in both options, the three of us were inspired to create an entirely new entity to give us the opportunity to work with real clients and impact the community in a more lasting and profound way.  

We all have different goals in creating this organization. I wanted to go through the experience of starting a "business." Emily wanted to create a group that could achieve a higher level of design in terms of communication and impact. Rikki wanted to positively impact the community through art. So we entered the business with trepidation, but also with a certain level of experience.

What’s the process of coming up with a design for a non-profit?
Well, so far we’ve only worked with Bethel China, and it’s been a great pleasure. The first project we received from them was the sponsorship flyer; they provided a few photos and text, and gave us some rough requirements.

You have to understand that design is a visual means of solving a problem. The first thing we did was go on their website and familiarize ourselves with their work and history.

We then asked Chloe Banks (their development manager) numerous questions about the flyer’s purpose and target audience. From this, we tailored the entire design around the needs of the organization. And of course, there were many back-and-forth email exchanges along the way until we achieved a final, satisfactory product.

You also did a design for United Family Healthcare, right?
UFH is starting a new residency and family medicine program, and the logo we created for them is meant to be used as a decorative header for their official documents. We were contacted by Dr. Setsuko Hosoda to create a simple graphic and typography logo to brighten up their documents, and the final concept is very simple: a medical cross that doubles as a stylized "U" and "F" (United Family), featuring two little human figures in the center to represent family and health.

Bethel China is still an ongoing project, and the only graphic that’s been finalized is the sponsorship flyer. However, we’ve recently met with Chloe Banks and we’re working on numerous other projects, including a web infographic, a vision collage, visitor cards, and more. We’re really glad to help out with their rapidly evolving organization, and it’s been really fun so far. 

What do you hope to accomplish with Studio Accord?
Our mission is to promote visual design as an important means of communication; we’ve noticed that there is very little emphasis on this in China, especially in non-profits. We’d also like to make a nice contribution to the community and gain some valuable experience in return. 

Right now, we’re still in that hectic process of setting up all the infrastructure to operate correctly. Ultimately we’d like to have two aspects of the organization: doing pro bono work for non-profits and doing commissioned work for socially-minded business owners.

However, we’re still trying to navigate various options for the second part of that plan; we’re also trying to gain serious credibility before taking that plunge, so services will likely be "free" (or, in other words, priceless!) until we figure that out. 

Do you see this project carrying on past your school years?
Definitely. This really isn’t something meant to just last us through high school- but then, we don’t have any concrete plans as to what we’ll do with it after we graduate yet. We have some pretty lofty visions for it, but let’s just see where this takes us in the next two years. 

Studio Accord is currently looking to expand its portfolio by providing free work to non-profits, businesses, and community organizations. To contact the founders or find out more, visit their website.

Visuals courtesy of Studio Accord

Whether it is preventing H7N9 avian flu, other viruses, or just the common cold, frequent handwashing is often your best defense against any number of potentially dangerous infections.

Please wash your hands!! How many times a day to you have to remind your kids?   And how about you? Do you wash your hands as often as you should? And how often is that, anyway?

Handwashing is the act of cleansing the hands, with or without water. Handwashing removes visible dirt and substances as well as things that you can’t see – namely, pathogens such as bacteria and viruses that can spread disease. Many respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illnesses and skin infections are acquired when hands that are contaminated by pathogens touch your nose, mouth and eyes.

When should I wash my hands?
Handwashing should always be done before:

• Food preparation and eating
• Handling contact lenses
• Touching/caring for a person who is ill or has open wounds

Handwashing should always be done after:

• Food preparation (especially raw meat and poultry)
• Using the bathroom
• Changing diapers
• Touching animals/animal waste/animal toys
• Blowing one’s nose or coughing, sneezing into one’s hands
• Treating wounds
• Touching an ill person
• Handling trash or other soiled items

What constitutes correct and adequate handwashing?
Do I need to use soap? Do I need to use antibacterial soap? What about liquid vs. bar soaps? Should the water be hot? What if I don’t have access to a sink, running water and soap?

These are all very good questions. Water alone is not sufficient to cleanse hands because water does not effectively remove the fats, oils, and proteins that harbor pathogens that spread infection. To remove pathogens with water alone, you would need two gallons of running water per minute. Thus, the addition of soap to running water helps to lift the fats/oils/proteins from the hands so that pathogens can be washed away in the lather produced.

Correct handwashing includes wetting the hands with running water, applying soap, lathering well, rubbing hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds, rinsing well, and drying with a clean or disposable towel. If you really want to do it right, use the towel to turn off the tap.

Contrary to popular belief, hot water that you could wash your hands in is not hot enough to kill bacteria. However, warm, soapy water, is more effective at removing the fats and oils that harbor microorganisms than cold water is.

Also contrary to popular belief, antibacterial soaps are NOT more effective than regular soaps at removing pathogens. In fact, the antibacterial agent in many of these products is Triclosan, to which many organisms have already developed resistance. Furthermore, there is growing concern that the widespread use of these antibacterials may help to select out increasingly resistant organisms, thus adding to the global problem of drug-resistant infections. Bottom line, regular soap is just fine.

In regard to bar soaps, aside from being messy and gunking up the side of the sink, they are perfectly fine to use. Although bacteria may persist on bar soaps, these organisms would be washed away with the lather, so there is virtually no risk of transferring bacteria from one person to another.

Hand drying: There’s ongoing debate about whether hand dryers actually spread bacteria and infection. The jury is still out on this. However, it is true that the filters under most hand dryers do not get cleaned regularly, and they look pretty filthy. Therefore, when you have a choice, go for the paper towels, or consider air drying!

Hand sanitizers: These are waterless agents, mostly with either an isopropyl alcohol or an ethanol base. They contain a thickening agent to form a gel or glycerin to form a liquid or foam. To be effective in killing germs, they must have at least 60-95% alcohol content. These products may also contain emollients (skin softening agent) to minimize the drying effect of the alcohol. Hand sanitizers are an excellent option when you are out and about. However, they are not appropriate for use when your hands are visibly soiled.

Hope you keep those hands clean and yourself healthy this spring!

For more information about handwashing or pathogen transfer through skin-to-skin contact, contact Dr. Jane Eason at jane.eason@ufh.com.cn, or make an appointment with Dr. Eason at 5927 7500. She speaks English and Spanish.

This article was reposted with permission from BJU’s website. It originally appeared on May 1 and was written by Dr. Jane Eason, an internal medicine physician and infectious disease specialist at BJU. She is originally from the US and lives in Beijing with her husband, two kids, two cats, and a dog.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Last week, United Family Health Care launched United Family Home Health (UFHH) for elderly patients, new mothers and newborns, and patients with chronic illnesses who are confined to the home.

Currently, UFH provides three types of service:

• Continuing Care: For the elderly, chronically ill, post-stroke patients, homebound patients (e.g. Blood pressure tests, chest exams, diabetes management, dressing change, etc.)
• Post-Partum Services: For newborns and post-partum mothers (e.g. Newborn health screening, breastfeeding and emotional support, blood tests according to need, etc.)
• Concierge Services: For patients who want privacy and convenience, such as hotel guests, tourists, and busy professionals (services tailored to individual needs)

To access UFHH, patients must first sign up for the service by calling 5927 7333 or emailing homehealth@ufh.com.cn. They must then go to a UFH hospital for an initial evaluation, after which UFH nurses will visit their home to provide care.

To find out more, consult UFHH’s website.

Photo by Matthew J. via Flickr