April 5, 2021

Minority Health Month The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. As such, this year's theme for National Minority Health Month is #VaccineReady. Learn More

National Public Health Week National Public Health Week is April 5-11th. We may be physically distant from each other, but now it’s more important than ever to come together. That’s why the 2021 theme is “Building Bridges to Better Health.” The American Public Health Association invites you to find out how you can virtually be a part of the celebration. Learn More

Reflections on Women’s History Month: Why I Participated in the COVID-19 Vaccine Trial "As a Black woman, a wife, and a mom of two young children, deciding to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial during the pandemic did not come lightly. Still, despite everything that was going on in our world last year, it was necessary." Valerie Fitzhugh, MD, excerpt from Rutgers Today. Learn More

On the Pandemic: Ep.6 - Trust: How it affects Testing and Vaccinations Host Mary Marchetta O’Dowd discusses the issues of trust and how it affects testing and vaccinations for COVID-19 with Shawn Hudson, Henry Rutgers Chair of Family Medicine & Community Health, Professor & Research Division Chief, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Robert Atkins, Director, New Jersey Health Initiatives, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Associate Professor of Nursing and Childhood Studies, Rutgers University-Camden. Listen to the podcast here.

Upcoming Events

PFCC.Connect Continuing Conversation on COVID-19: Where Do We Go From Here? April 6, 12pm ET As you look back on living with COVID-19 for over a year, what insights have you gained? The Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care invites you to join this discussion, guided by what participants want to learn and through sharing our collective experiences.

Register Here

Getting a Good Night's Sleep April 6, 1pm ET A good night's sleep is important! Join Dr. Emmanuel Martinez, in affiliation with Dr. Karen Lin, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to discuss the possible causes of sleeplessness and poor sleep, and how to achieve the rest you need.

To register for this free event, please email kathleen.johnson@rwjbh.org.

PROUDLY Me! April 8, 6pm ET PROUDLY Me! is a free education and support program to help transgender and non-binary confirming community members by creating a safe space of learning through peer support and resources.

To register for this free event, please email jackie.baras@rwjbh.org.

The Impact of Allergies on Sleep April 8, 6:30pm ET Allergies can disrupt sleep and cause problems like snoring and sleep apnea. RWJ University Hospital Hamilton invites you to join this webinar to discuss common CPAP problems, as well as review devices and masks.

Register Here

Healthy Cooking on a Budget April 10, 11:30am ET Newark Beth Israel Medical Center invites you to learn how to stretch your dollar and make a healthy meal for a family of 4 for $10 or less!

Register Here

Funding Opportunities

Foundation for Women’s Wellness FWW Research Awards target small, short-term studies with promise for improving medical care in leading women’s health concerns including cardiovascular disease, female cancers, the role of hormones in disease, stage-of-life health issues like pregnancy and menopause, and diseases disproportionately affecting women. FWW also funds studies on sex differences where gender or sex has been under examined. The application deadline is April 26, 2021. Learn more here.

Community Resources

April is National Minority Health Month. Learn what you, your family, and community can do to get active and stay healthy. The CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity has put together Healthy Easting Tips in English and Spanish. Learn more here. Watch the video recording from the recent briefing hosted by the National Academy of Medicine and Health Affairs, which featured special remarks and an expert panel discussion on the key health policy recommendations across Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2021.  The New Jersey Department of Health has launched "Vax Matters" with important information on the COVID-19 Vaccine. Learn more here. Does the Difference Between COVID-19 Vaccines Matter? The difference between the efficacy and effectiveness of available COVID-19 vaccines is explained and why the best shot is the one that you get. Watch recorded COVID-19 webinars hosted by the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care. New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub: The State of New Jersey has put together a list of resources about the COVID-19 virus including testing sites, signs and symptoms and FAQs about social services.  You can find community-based and local COVID-19 testing site locations and hours here. Middlesex County residents can register for a free COVID-19 test at sites throughout the county. Appointments required. The sites provide saliva-based test kits developed at Rutgers University. Visit New Jersey’s COVID-19 Vaccine Registration site to pre-register for the vaccine. New Jersey's Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment Call Center can be reached at 855-568-0545.

New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/community/ This newsletter is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number, UL1TR003017 to Rutgers University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the NIH. You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member of NJ ACTS or have signed up to receive our emails. To add a subscriber, please click here. Send story ideas to njactscommunity@rwjms.rutgers.edu Copyright 2021 New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science, all rights reserved.