OMHHE Newsletter  
September 22, 2015  

In This Issue
Current & Upcoming Events
National Preparedness Month
Visit ready.gov for more information and download a Family Communication Plan 
  
National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 -
October 15
 
ONGOING
Step it Up!
U.S. Surgeon General
Promote Walking and Walkable Communities
 
SOCIAL MEDIA EVENT
Facebook Q&A on Postpartum Depression

HHS/NIH, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

September 24, 2015

12:00pm ET

Learn more!

 
EVENT
Free Dental Care to Low Income Veterans on Veterans Day
Piedmont Regional Dental Clinic
Orange, VA
November 11, 2015
8:00am - 5:00pm
  
EVENT
National Rural Health Day
November 19, 2015
Celebrate the Power of Rural
  
SAVE THE DATE
MATRC 2016 Telehealth Summit
Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
April 10-12, 2016
Early Bird registration begins November 1
Funding Opportunities
HHS/National Institutes of Health (NIH): Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (R01). Deadline for Cycle III is October 5, 2015.
  

HHS/NIH, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): Addressing Health Disparities in Maternal and Child Health through Community-Based Participatory Research (R03). Deadline for letters of intent is October 20, 2015.

 Learn more

 

HHS/NIH, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): Building Population Health Research Capacity in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands (U24).

Deadline for letters of intent is November 9, 2015.

Learn more

 

HHS/NIH, NICHD: Academic-Community Partnership Conference Series (R13).

Deadline is November 17, 2015.

Learn more

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National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
  
"During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and throughout the entire year, let us each commit to reaching toward a healthy lifestyle so we can serve as examples of healthy eating and active living for our Nation's children. Eliminating childhood obesity will require every American to play their part, and together we can work toward building healthy, active communities where all children can realize their dreams and meet their full potential."
  
President Barack Obama
Health Equity 
S tudy Finds Correlation Between Minority Communities, Risk of Environmental Hazards
The Daily Californian, September 20, 2015
  
UC Berkeley researchers and the California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA, found in a study published Thursday that neighborhoods with high populations of racial minorities are disproportionately affected by environmental health hazards.
  
The study, published online in the American Journal of Public Health, suggested that minority communities in California are more likely to live in environments with health hazards. The environmental hazards assessed in the study included pesticides and particulate matter, according to one of the lead authors and UC Berkeley doctoral candidate Lara Cushing.
  
No One Left Behind: Technology can be used to cut health care disparities
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 19, 2015
  
Concerned that food stamp users lacked the opportunity to buy fresh vegetables, the anti-hunger group Just Harvest decided two years ago to take credit card machines to local farmers markets that were operating on a cash basis.
  
Besides credit and debit cards, the machines accept the state-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer cards holding food stamps. "As people find out about it, it's becoming more and more popular," said Just Harvest executive director Ken Regal, noting EBT card purchases are up 40 percent from last year.
  
Analysis: Can Policy Move the Needle in Health Equity?
NBC News, September 18, 2015
  
This year is a big one for health equity and the policy discussion.
  
It is a milestone anniversary year for steps to improve parity and access in communities of color, marked by the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing Medicare and Medicaid into law this summer.
As we enter the first full year of implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of Americans with insurance coverage rose from 8 million in 2013 to 33 million last year. The numbers of African Americans who had health care coverage rose by four percent.
  
Heart Age: Is your heart older than you?
CDC, September 2015
 
Her age is 53. But her heart is 75 years old because she smokes and has uncontrolled high blood pressure. She's not alone because most American adults have a heart that is older than their actual age. One way to understand your risk for a heart attack or stroke is to learn your "heart age."
Cultural Health 
Hispanic Heritage Month: A healthy celebration!
American Diabetes Association, September 15, 2015
 

The American Diabetes Association launches a new Create Your Plate interactive tool to help Latinos/Hispanics balance the meals they love to better manage their diabetes.

 

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the American Diabetes Association (Association) introduces its new interactive nutrition tool in English and Spanish. The Create Your Plate tool allows users to create a balanced meal by prompting them to choose popular ingredients common in the Latino community. The tool also provides preparation tips and portion sizes, utilizing the Association recommended Create Your Plate method.

Read more!

 
'Old ways' of Cooking Mix Health and Culinary History
The Sacramento Bee, September 21, 2015
  
Dishing up paper plates of ginger-spiced quinoa and red-pepper couscous, Toni Colley-Perry is teaching a new spin on old foods.
  
"Switch out, switch over," she urged a handful of cooking-class students on a recent weeknight, holding up a box of whole grain pasta, which she recommended as a healthier replacement for white rice or potatoes. "We really want this to catch on in Sacramento. It's something everybody needs."
  
Rural Health
Painkillers: Opioid Use Higher Among Teens in Rural Areas  
Science World Report, September 18, 2015
  
A study published in the Journal of Rural Health examines how teens in rural areas are abusing painkillers.
  
Researchers found that adolescents between 12 and 17 in rural communities were 35 percent more likely to abuse prescription painkillers in the past than those living in large cities.  Furthermore, those in small cities were also about 21 percent more likely to abuse prescription painkillers than counterparts in urban areas, with females more likely than male counterparts to do so, as well. 
  
50 Critical Access Hospitals to Know
Becker's Hospital Review
  
As of April 15, there were 1,332 critical access hospitals throughout the United States. Becker's Healthcare is pleased to highlight the following subset of 50 critical access hospitals to know.
  
Critical access hospitals are fairly unique as acute care hospitals go. They must have no more than 25 inpatient beds, have an annual average length of stay of no more than 96 hours for acute care, offer 24/7 emergency care and be located at least 35 miles from another hospital, according to HHS.
Tools and Resources
The Health Resources and Services Administration released an online version of the chart book, The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2011-2012. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Health Equity Council released a Regional Blueprint for Action illustrating regional trends on health disparities and the social determinants of health. Child Health USA released their findings related to the health status and service needs of America's infants, children, and adolescents. The White House published My Brother's Keeper Task Force document which provides the one year progress on the initiative to address disparities among young men of color. The Women of Color Health Data Book, Fourth Edition was released by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, which leads the development of this collection and presentation of data on race/ethnicity and disease.  A webinar recording is available for the 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook from Rural Health Research & Policy Centers. The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services recently released the CLAS Academy Training Catalog. Migrant Clinicians Network is offering a free Bilingual Picture Dictionary for Health & Safety in Agriculture along with lesson plans and training materials.