Community Health Connections

November 2022 - Vol.3, Issue 11

The Community Care HUB recently reached its 1,000 referral! Special thanks to the Community Health Workers, Community Health Worker Supervisors, and Care Coordination Agencies who make the HUB so successful and continue to help participants every day.

Meet 1889 JCPH's new data analyst Leann

Leann is a native of Johnstown and developed a passion for charitable work through volunteer efforts. This resolve remained with her through college, leading her to obtain her MPH from The George Washington University, with a concentration in Epidemiology.

For the last decade, Leann has worked in the local nonprofit community. Prior to this role, she was a Research Associate, with a focus on Translational Breast Cancer, dedicated to utilizing data to combat health disparities.

In her current position as a Data Analyst, Leann provides analytic support to identify key drivers and new opportunities to impact and improve the quality of life within Cambria and Somerset counties. She is excited to help bridge the gaps within her own neighborhood to bring residents the resources they need to transform their overall health and well-being.

Neighborhood and Built Environment play a role in a person's overall health

Communities that endure health and safety risks like high rates of violence or unsafe air and water have a major impact on health and quality of life. Knowing that unsafe communities produce unhealthy residents is what made neighborhood and built environment a social determinant of health.

According to Healthy People 2030, “Racial/ethical minorities and people with low incomes are more likely to live in places with these risks.”

In an area like the City of Johnstown, which has a poverty rate of about 38%, the neighborhood and built environment play a large role for residents’ health.

Learn more about Neighborhood and Built Environment

Evidence of Community Health Workers' effectiveness continues to grow

Read more about Education and Health

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a critical piece of healthcare workforce.

When the Community Care HUB, an initiative of the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health, was launched in 2020 the group knew just how critical CHWs would be to Cambria and Somerset counties.

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) released a brief summary of CHW effectiveness. The summary showed a major increase in studies completed:

1964-1973: 14 studies
1994-2003: 252 studies
2014-2016: 574 studies

As evidence mounts pertaining to CHW effectiveness, we can advocate for more funding for this critical workforce by talking with local, state, and federal officials and sharing the correlation between the work of CHWs and positive health outcomes.

Seasonal Affective Disorder impacts millions

**If you have noticed significant changes in your mood or behavior since the seasons have changed, you could be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder and should contact your health care provider or a mental health specialist.

When the days start to get shorter in the fall and winter, many people start to experience short periods when they feel “down.”

The “Winter Blues” or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects about 5% of the population, according a UPMC Health Beat article. If left untreated, SAD can recur every year.

Find out more about SAD

News Bites

HUB staff and partner speak at IMI webinar

Last month, CPH Executive Director Jeannine McMillan, Certified Community Health Worker (CHW) Shealeigh Wallace, and Greater Johnstown School District Guidance Counselor Don Trotz, were invited to speak during an Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) webinar to discuss the work of the Community Care HUB.

IMI hosted the webinar to explore the critical role of community partnerships in Medicaid to improve access to behavioral health services for children and adolescents.

The CHWs work with families at the Greater Johnstown Elementary School to address their health and human service needs and connect them to much needed resources.

Watch the webinar at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9T3ORqxsqw.

Food Summit held to discuss food insecurity

On October 26, 1889 JCPH held a Local Food Summit, in collaboration with the Conemaugh Health System and United Way of the Laurel Highlands. Michael Laroche, Food Systems Coordinator, led the discussion with many people from different organizations across the region attended to learn more about issues ranging from food insecurity, nutrition and health, and physical activity. They also learned about the work being done to address these issues.

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