The Latest News from MCD Public Health

The Latest News From MCDPH

November 2020

Dear Colleagues,

Coronavirus is surging across the country. To date, more than 11 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections, and more than 245,000 have died from COVID-19.

As the pandemic spreads, disadvantaged communities and minority populations continue to experience the most devastating impact. Health care and public health must engage all community members in the battle against this disease, and our country's deep-rooted health inequities.

A recent New England Journal of Medicine article “Community Health Workers and Covid-19 — Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Times of Crisis and Beyond,” refers to the critical role of community health workers (CHWs).

Community health workers are often the frontline workers who witness firsthand the severe health and social impacts of the disease. CHWs have long-standing, trustworthy relationships in some of the hardest-hit communities and have the knowledge and skills to communicate, educate, support, and protect individuals and groups.

MCD Public Health is committed to providing CHWs with the tools and resources needed to work in all communities. With support from the Maine Health Access Foundation and our state and national partners, MCD Public Health now offers CHW COVID-19 training in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Arabic. We are honored to work alongside our partners and share this resource that has been designed by and for CHWs.

In this newsletter edition, we also provide COVID-19 information to keep everyone safe during the holidays and share resources on topics relevant to the month of November.

As always, remember to check out our open positions in both our domestic and international divisions. Please see the "Join Our Team" section for links to both division's employment opportunities.

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday, and don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or opportunities for collaboration.

Best Regards,

Danielle Louder & Elizabeth Foley

Co-Directors, MCD Public Health

Community Health Workers:

Playing an Essential Role in the COVID-19 Response

New Languages Launched for CHW COVID-19 Online Training

MCD Public Health partners with local and national organizations to develop high quality solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of all people. We are pleased to announce that the CHW COVID-19 eTraining module is now available FREE in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Arabic, with other language versions in development.

The team at MCDPH is thankful for all of our partners who we have the pleasure of collaborating with on projects that benefit our communities and improve the health of individual members.

CHW COVID-19 eTraining website

Maine Access Immigrant Network

The Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN) played a critical role in the launch of the Arabic version of the CHW COVID-19 eTraining module. Sana Osman, pictured here, is a Community Health Outreach Worker from MAIN. Sana worked with MCDPH's eLearning team to translate and record the voiceover for the Arabic version of the COVID-19 module. MAIN is currently working with MCDPH on a Lingala version. To learn more about the Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN) and the innovative work they do, click here.

Visit the MAIN website

National Rural Health Day

Join MCD in celebrating National Rural Health Day!

As many folks may know, MCD’s history is rooted in developing and implementing innovative solutions to improve rural health access and outcomes. From our first efforts with partners and stakeholders to establish a rural health system for Maine in 1966, our passion and expertise have been focused on working with and for rural communities across Maine, the U.S. and around the globe. Many thanks to all who work to ensure the health and well-being of our rural communities!

National Rural Health Day is a nationwide campaign held every year on the third Thursday of November to recognize the innovation, quality of care, and dedication of rural health professionals and volunteers in our community. Learn more by visiting their website: www.powerofrural.org. To learn about the impact of National Rural Health Day, check out the 2019 Impact Report.

Health Considerations this Fall & Winter

Holiday Celebrations

This year's holiday celebrations may look a bit different due to COVID-19. The CDC recommends assessing virus spread risk and taking several other factors, such as location, duration and number of attendees, into consideration while planning holiday celebrations. For more guidance and tips to stay safe this holiday season, please visit the CDC's website.

Flu Season

Key Facts:

This year, all flu shots are quadrivalent, meaning they protect against 4 different types of the influenza (flu) virus.

After receiving a flu shot, it takes about 2 weeks for antibodies to develop in the body enough to provide adequate protection.

Although health professionals recommend getting the flu shot in September or October to protect yourself before the virus spreads in your community, it's not too late to get one! Use the VaccineFinder tool to locate a site offering flu shots near you.

Click here, to visit the CDC's website and learn more about the flu vaccine.

Prevention & Awareness

According to the 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes and 1 in 3 have prediabetes. During the pandemic, healthcare providers have used telehealth to connect with patients and manage their diabetes care remotely. Visit the CDC's website for more diabetes information and resources.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and lung cancer is the most common type of cancer globally, with 2.1 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths in 2018. Recent research shows that COVID-19 presents very severely in patients with lung cancer. To read the research article, click here.

MCD Global Work

The MCD International division recently published an article in the BMJ Global Health: "Malaria vector control in sub-Saharan Africa in the time of COVID-19: no room for complacency". The article discusses that sub-Saharan Africa is vulnerable to major disruptions in the delivery of malaria vector control interventions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors recommend several strategies that governments, organizations, and individuals can utilize to sustain vector control for malaria prevention in this specific target population. To read the full article, click here. MCDI's work spans across several health areas, providing practical and innovative interventions to improve health outcomes.

Visit the MCDI website

Meet Our Team

Lynn Berry

Lynn Berry recently rejoined Medical Care Development as the Project Coordinator for the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Lynn is from Waterville, Maine and has almost 20 years’ experience working in state government and public health and 17 years’ experience specifically working with the Ryan White Part B Program and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. During her time at the Maine CDC in her various roles, Lynn became well versed with working with clinical providers and consumers. As being both a Maine CDC and embedded MCDPH employee, she also knows the ins and outs of managing different programs within the Maine State Government structure. Lynn is passionate about public health and is excited for the opportunity to rekindle a program that was previously part of Maine’s public health landscape.

Join Our Team