Advancing the health and well-being of rural people and communities | |
Rural Matters September 2024 | |
A Message from our Executive Director | |
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I am excited to announce the recipients of our annual Rural Health awards. This is the fifth year we have presented the awards and the first time we will be able to honor the recipients at our fall event.
Rural Health Champion, Dr. Nicole Rouhana
Emerging Rural Health Leader, Tonya Mitschele
Rural Health Leader, Shawn L. Yetter
Rural Health Partner, Catskills Agrarian Alliance
Rural Health Practitioner, Dr. Lazarus B. Gehring
Learn more about each of our recipients in an article below and join us on October 21st as we recognize each of them for their commitment to health and well-being in our region.
Tickets are now available.
I have been with Rural Health Network for 3 1/2 months now and I am amazed everyday by the work our team does. I look forward to seeing many of you at our event, especially those I have not yet met in person.
Demetra Alberti
Executive Director
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You're Invited to our Rural Health Showcase | |
Thank you to the sponsors who have already committed support for the event: Community Foundation for South Central New York, Davidson Fox, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Mirabito Energy Products, NBT Bank, NBT Insurance, NYSEG, Russell Farms, S.E.E.D. Planning Group, Tioga County Public Health Department and Visions CARES. We are still accepting sponsors. Details available here. | |
Rural Health Award Recipients | Please join us on October 21st to honor this years recipients of our Rural Health Awards. Learn more about our previous recipients here. | |
Rural Health Champion -
Nicole Rouhana, PhD, DNM, FNP-C
Nicole Rouhana has had a sustained impact on improving the rural healthcare and nursing workforce in rural counties in upstate NY. She is the Director of Graduate Programs at the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Binghamton University and is nationally certified as a family nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife. Dr. Rouhana has demonstrated her commitment to women's and children's health by providing interprofessional evidence-based care to her patients, working with rural and vulnerable populations to improve maternal outcomes.
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Emerging Rural Health Leader - Tonya Mitschele
Originally from New Jersey, Tonya moved to the Southern Tier three years ago and has since established herself as an advocate for healthcare and community well-being. Currently, Tonya is a Community Health Worker employed by Gerould’s Pharmacy Community Cares Health Solutions, and has supported patients in both the Guthrie Lourdes Primary Care office at Riverside Medical and Guthrie Lourdes Endocrinology. Over the past two years, Tonya has played a vital role in the Social Impact Pilot Program, building connections between local organizations and patients to address social determinants of health and improve healthcare access and outcomes in rural communities. She has embraced leadership roles, focusing on promoting health literacy and providing support through various health initiatives.
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Rural Health Leader -
Shawn L. Yetter
Shawn currently serves as Commissioner of Social Services for Tioga County, having been appointed to that position in 2003. Shawn has served on multiple Boards including Rural Health Network (Founding Board Member and former Board President), Tioga United Way, Tioga County Rural Ministry, Tioga Opportunities Inc., and United Health Services. In 2018, he served as President of the New York Public Welfare Association, a Statewide organization supporting the work of Local Departments of Social Services.
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Rural Health Partner -
Catskills Agrarian Alliance
For several years, our Food and Health Network team has collaborated with Catskills Agrarian Alliance to lay the groundwork for expanding our reach in underserved, rural communities in Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego counties through the Produce Prescription Program, Farm to School, and most recently Farm to Early Care and Education. Catskills Agrarian Alliance (CAA) is a comprehensive food sovereignty project built from the ground up by farmers. Our partnership with CAA strengthens our ability to serve rural communities, fostering resilience, equity, and health.
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Rural Health Practitioner - Dr. Lazarus B. Gehring
Dr. Lazarus B. Gehring has been practicing medicine in the Southern Tier for 25 years. He was educated at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA and received his medical degree from Tel Aviv University in Israel. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at Upstate Medical University and the site director for Family Medicine for their Binghamton campus as well as a member of the senate-appointed New York State Rural Health Council. This summer he became the Medical Director of the Broome County Health Department. He maintains a robust outpatient practice while doing home visits all over Broome and Tioga counties. Dr. Gehring lives in Tioga County on a farm in which he has raised pasture fed pigs, donkeys, horses, sheep, goats, cattle, chickens, turkeys and geese.
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Walk with Ease at Port Dickinson Park | Join Health Educator Julianne Lee for Walk with Ease, an Arthritis Foundation program that can help participants reduce pain and improve overall health. | |
Welcome Deacon Hogan
Deacon Hogan has lived in Endwell his entire life, contributing to his decision to join AmeriCorps VISTA to help serve the nearby rural community. He graduated in December 2023 with a BA in Political Science from the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Mansfield Campus where he served on the Student Government Association every semester he was enrolled.
Deacon is passionate about serving the public and has previous experience in the public sector at parks and public schools. His hobbies include creative writing, watching movies, and playing video games.
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Seeking Focus Group Members for a Survey Project | |
AmeriCorps VISTA member Deacon Hogan is working on a survey project with Guthrie Lourdes. Focus group participants will be asked to share their experiences and ideas for solving rural healthcare challenges.
We plan to hold one or more focus groups in Berkshire, Candor, Town of Maine, or Newark Valley. Please respond to help us choose location(s) and time.
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AmeriCorps VISTA member Natalie Lowin has completed the second in a series of videos focused on Getthere services. Natalie said, "This video will help the public understand how the Transportation to Employment program works and why the program is vital in the area. In the beginning of this video, Stan Varghese, Transportation to Employment Coordinator, shares helpful knowledge about the program and why it exists. I also enjoyed working with Cassondra and Jason at Express Employment as they spoke about how collaborating with our program has helped some of their clients." | |
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School is back in session, and our Farm to School Program is off to a fantastic start! We kicked off the new school year with our first NY Thursday celebration - perfectly aligned with the first day of school for the Broome-Tioga BOCES school districts. The lunch featured NY products like hot dogs, potato chips, steamed corn, fresh apples, grape apple juice, and milk. We’re excited for the year ahead, with 35 NY Thursdays planned across the Broome-Tioga BOCES and Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego (DCMO) BOCES districts.
Throughout the school year, our Farm to School team will host 24 taste testing events, offering students a chance to influence their lunch options, broaden their palates, and learn about the origins of their food.
Our school garden champions have been busy all summer, thanks to engaging enrichment programs, community volunteers, and supportive families. Many recipients of the SCNY School Garden Grant have already started integrating their gardens into the fall curriculum.
We’re also thrilled to announce that Channel 34 News will be featuring our Farm to School Program over the coming year. Expect coverage on taste tests, school gardens, NY Thursdays, training opportunities, and more. Stay tuned for these exciting segments in the months ahead!
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Enjoying Local Foods All Season Long | |
Harvest season is well underway and it's the perfect time to eat local. Turnips are in season now through September. We encourage you to try the recipe for Maple Roasted Turnips. If you're not a turnip fan, substitute carrots, parsnips, celeriac, winter squash or sweet potatoes.
Other produce in season this month includes grapes, watermelon, artichokes, brussels sprouts, apples, and pears.
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Food is Medicine Day was September 14th | |
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In celebration of National Food is Medicine day, which fell on September 14th, we invite you to read this article from TIME, "Prescriptions for Healthy Food? What to Know About the ‘Food Is Medicine’ Movement" featuring Dr. Hilary Seligman, an expert in food insecurity and its health implications across the life course, and on the forefront of the Food is Medicine movement. “From the perspective of the patient, it makes a difference when your doctor prescribes something,” she states in the article, "People take it more seriously. In this case, instead of 'take this antibiotic for your ear infection,' it’s 'take this healthy food to prevent your diabetes."
| From Farm to Future - Changing Seasons with Farm to ECE | |
September marked the end of a busy season with the conclusion of our summer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) distributions at the Early Head Start Family Center in Norwich. As we prepare for a new round of CSAs with new parents, we’re excited to reflect on the positive impact of our Farm to Early Care and Education program.
Our children are our future, and the parents and educators caring for them shape that future. That’s why we take a holistic approach, engaging children, parents, and childcare staff in every step of the program. We paired our CSAs with taste tests for kids and cooking demonstrations for their parents, ensuring that families not only have access to nutritious foods but also feel comfortable cooking and enjoying them together. The cooking demonstrations not only provided practical skills but also fostered a sense of community as families shared recipes and ideas.
We’re excited to continue expanding this program and advocating for the early childhood community’s needs. It takes all of us. We’re grateful for our ongoing partnerships with Greater Opportunities for Broome and Chenango, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County, and Catskills Agrarian Alliance, made possible by funding from the New York Health Foundation. We can’t wait to see where this collaboration takes us next. Stay tuned!
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Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network Seeks
AmeriCorps Member
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Our partners at Mothers & Babies Perinatal Network’s Youth Services department are seeking a talented and inspiring individual to join their team as a Youth Education Specialist. Under the direction of the Youth Services Director, the YE
Specialist will be involved with all aspects of the Youth Services department and will
work alongside the educators to facilitate programs, create and/or edit program
content, promote program information, and analyze data. Youth Services primarily
works with middle and high school students in classroom settings, parents and
caregivers, and local school districts to promote comprehensive sexuality education
and life skills with the goal of providing young people with the information they
need to protect their health and future.
This is a year-long, 1200 hour position at 30 hours a week. It offers a living
allowance of $15,500.00 and an education of award of $5,176.50. College loan
forbearance is also available during the term of service. A personal vehicle, driver’s
license and four year college degree are requirements of this position.
For more information about this and other AmeriCorps positions available with Rural Health Service Corps, please visit our website or reach out to Haley Desilet or Alexis Sankofa to find out more.
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Our team spent the day at Nathaniel Cole Park on September 6th. We enjoyed each other's company, engaged in a lively team music trivia competition based on AmeriCorps history, and had a delicious lunch catered by Sinful Indulgence. | |
Thank You Upstate NY Freethinkers
The Upstate New York Freethinkers, a new chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, provided a $1,000 donation to Rural Health Network earlier this month. In presenting the donation, Chapter Treasurer Tim Heywood said, "Upstate New York Freethinkers provides our donation to Rural Health Network of South Central New York to improve the health and well-being of rural people and communities. Our
chapter’s contribution furthers their work in healthcare access, chronic disease management,
and programs addressing social determinants of health, including transportation barriers and
food security.”
Thank you WIVT for covering this story.
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Wear Our Logo
Call it Gear, Swag, or Merch - we have a variety of products with the Rural Health Network logo available for purchase. Show off your current or former affiliation with Rural Health Network by purchasing a t-shirt, hoodie, polo, jacket, hat, or tote bag. Orders are due no later than October 6th.
Order Here
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Ageism Awareness Day is October 9th | | |
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Save the date! Oct. 9 is Ageism Awareness Day! Join with us and others across the country to draw attention to the existence and impact of ageism in our society and how we can reframe aging in our communities.
https://asaging.org/ageism-awareness
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News, Articles of Interest, and Resources | |
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Webinar: Opportunities to Expand the Good Food Purchasing Program
Please join NYHealth for a webinar to learn about ways to provide healthier foods to millions of New Yorkers and create additional opportunities for small farms and suppliers to compete for institutional contracts. The webinar will be held on September 26th at 1 PM. Learn More
The Next Chapter: Understanding New York's Newest Veterans
Explore the results of a new report from the RAND Corporation, commissioned by the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth), on the health and wellbeing of New York State’s newest veterans. Based on a survey of New Yorkers who recently separated from military service, the report offers the first comprehensive look at New York veterans’ health and social service needs since RAND’s landmark needs assessment nearly 14 years ago. Learn More and RSVP today to join the livestream scheduled for October 8th from 9:15 AM - 12:15 PM.
Delaware County Chamber of Commerce offers Candidate Training
Participants in the Delaware County Chamber’s Candidate Training Institute, beginning on October 23, will receive exposure to critical issues facing Delaware County through lectures, small group conversations, personal introspection, and panel discussions. CTI curriculum includes leadership styles, strategic planning, community development models, media relations, and building partnerships. It also includes mechanics of running for office such as how to get on the ballot, campaign finances, honing a message, and more. Learn More.
Delaware County Planning Board invites input to Strategic Plan
The Delaware County Planning Board is pleased to announce the kickoff of the process to develop a Strategic Comprehensive Plan, a vital document that will guide the future growth, development, and preservation of the community. The Delaware County Strategic Comprehensive Plan will serve as a guide to promoting the success, safety, and general welfare of Delaware County, providing a basis to guide the development of both the natural and built environment while working to sustain and improve quality of life for residents. They invite all residents, landowners, business owners, and other stakeholders to take the online survey available at the project website.
Updated RHIhub Topic Guide - Social Determinants of Health
The Rural Health Information Hub has updated their topic guide on Social Determinants of Health for Rural People. The guide provides information and resources on the social determinants of health for rural populations and the related impacts on their health outcomes and living conditions. It includes a new question on the Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being Framework.
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