Community Health Connections
February 2022 - Vol.3, Issue 2
We've launched a new website!
Meet Sophie Sprankle: New Community Health Worker at Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy
Sophie Sprankle is the newest addition to the Community Care HUB team! She works as a CHW at Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy.

"I would have to say that the most rewarding part of being a Community Health Worker is seeing the progress that participants make. Seeing people achieve their goals is one of my favorite things. I love getting to be peoples’ cheerleader no matter the size of their accomplishments." 
What are Social Determinants of Health?
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the conditions under which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Though SDOHs are non-medical, they still have a major impact on health, well-being, and quality of life. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Healthy People 2030 initiative, there are five domains of SDOHs: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
PA Senator Bob Casey champions proposed Bill
Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have introduced bipartisan legislation to build up the CHW workforce. The Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act (S.3479), if passed, will reauthorize a competitive grant program to support state and local governments, tribal organizations, and community-based organizations in expanding community health worker programs.
Black History Month tackles Health and Wellness
Since 1976, every United States president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. 2022’s theme “Black Health and Wellness” means not only celebrating contributions from African Americans, but also calling attention to the major disparities faced in health care and social services.
Black History's Notable People in Medicine
  • Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open heart surgery in 1893. In 1891, he founded the Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses, which was the first Black-owned hospital in America. Dr. Williams founded the National Medical Association in 1895 because, at the time, African Americans could not be members of the American Medical Association.
  • Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first Black professional nurse in the United States. She was the first Black woman to be admitted to the nurse training program at the New England Hospital for Women and Children.
  • Dr. Charles DeWitt Watts spent over 50 years advocating for civil and human rights. He was passionate about quality medical care for all residents of Durham, North Carolina, especially for the poor and underserved. Dr. Watts was the first African American certified by a surgical specialty board in North Carolina.
  • Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree. She earned her degree in 1864 from the New England Female Medical College in Boston.

*For more notable African Americans in medicine and other facts, visit https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/blackhistorymonth/people
News Bites
ACRP Beds for Kids
1889 JCPH visited Alternative Community Resources Program's (ACRP) Woodshop and learned about the great work being done with their Beds for Kids Program. They make sturdy beds for children who need them. Blankets, comforters, sheets, and sometimes pajamas and slippers are also donated. ACRP will even install smoke detectors when needed.

Students from Divine Mercy donated hand-tied blankets to the program.
Cambria-Somerset Covid Task Force helps facilitate testing sites
For three weeks in January and three weeks in February, COVID-19 drive-up testing sites took place in Johnstown at the Galleria Mall and Friedens Lutheran Church in Friedens, PA. The Cambria-Somerset Covid Task Force facilitated the sites with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
1889 JCPH visits Moxham Food Pantry
In an effort to learn more about food insecurity and how local organizations are helping those in need, 1889 JCPH visited the Moxham Food Pantry. Rich Lobb, who runs the organization, gave a tour of the facility and explained that he obtained his ServSafe certification so he can slice deli meat in-house.

The food pantry follows the "Choice Food Pantry" model.

We hope that you will continue to follow 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health updates in the future. To unsubscribe, please email us or click 'unsubscribe' below.

Make sure to check out our new Linkedin Page!