null                       News from the
        Greater Lowell Health Alliance
                  of the Community Health Network Area 10
            Working together to improve the health of our communities    

                                           August 2015
Save The Date!!

Greater Lowell Health Alliance
2015 Annual Meeting Breakfast
Friday September 25, 2015
Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center
219 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA 01886
8-10am
(Registration from 7:30am)
August is:  
Upcoming GLHA Task Force Meetings
 
 
Cultural Competency Task Force
The next meeting will be on
Thursday, August 27, 2015, 10-11:30am
Location: 2nd Floor Board Rm., Lowell General Hospital 

 Saints Campus (One Hospital Drive Lowell)

For more information please contact Mercy Anampiu
    
  Healthy Eating and Living Task Force
The next meeting will be on 

Friday, September 18, 2015, 8:30-10:00am  

Location: Lowell Health Department (341 Pine St., Lowell)
For more information please contact  Marilyn Graham
 
or Heather Hilbert
 
  Maternal Child Health Task Force
The next meeting will be on  Wednesday, August 19, 2015, 9:30-11:00am

Location: Lowell General Hospital - Mansfield Room 

(295 Varnum Ave, Lowell) 
For more information please contact Neysha Wilkinson 

 

Mental Health Task Force
  The next meeting will be on   

Wednesday, August 26, 2015, 9:00am-10:30am

  Location: 2nd Floor Board Rm., Lowell General Hospital 

 Saints Campus (One Hospital Drive Lowell)

For more information please contact Sheila Och 

 Susan Pulido, or Dianne Corbin 

 

Substance Use & Prevention Task Force

The next meeting will be on

 Tuesday, September 1, 2015, 9:00-11:00am, 

There will be a press conference thereafter to discuss September and October Events 

  • September is national recovery month and October is national substance abuse prevention month
  •  
  • Location: First Floor Conference Room, Lowell General Hospital,
  •  Saints Campus (One Hospital Drive Lowell)

      For more information please contact  

    Jennie Welch or   Maria Ruggiero       


     

    GLHA Sub Committee Meetings
     
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    Substance Use and Prevention Task Force Sub Committees:

    Environmental Strategies Working Group (ESWG), led by Lowell Community Health Center, is the primary avenue for youth to engage in substance use and prevention efforts, and it works to inform and educate youth, parents, and adults in the community about how substance abuse is affecting neighborhoods.

    The group meets every Tuesday at Teen Block, 2nd Floor, 

    Lowell Community Health Center, 161 Jackson Street, Lowell, MA

    No meetings in the summer

    For More Information Contact: Sochenda Uch 

     

    Massachusetts Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative (MOAPC), led by the City of Lowell Health Department (LHD), focuses on a regional approach to reducing accidental overdoses from opioids as well as educating community members, including school age youth, on the dangers of substance use leading to abuse. MOAPC focuses on all Opioids including heroin as well as prescription pain killers. While MOAPC began by focusing on the consequences of opioid abuse, which include overdose and death, the group is now incorporating primary opioid prevention into all activities.

    For More Information Contact: Maria Ruggiero 

     

    Medicinal Marijuana Subcommittee focuses on the statewide law that passed in 2013 allowing for the medical use of marijuana. One of the groups' major concerns is the impact of Marijuana on the youth in the community. The next meeting will be a site visit to Patriot Care's Dispensary in Lowell
    on Thursday, August 13, 2015, 10am

    Location: 70 Industrial Avenue East, Lowell, RSVP

    For More Information Contact: Mark Kennard   

     

    School Curriculum Subcommittee focuses on providing age appropriate evidence based education to youth in grades K-12. Currently, members of the SUP Task Force are advising on the selection and adaptation of evidence-based curricula to be implemented in the city and towns. 

    For More Information Contact: Maria Ruggiero 

     

    Maternal Child Health Task Force Subcommittees

    Teen Pregnancy Prevention Sub Committee

    We work to decrease teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease transmission among Greater Lowell youth through information gathering and distribution, integration of services, and supporting effective initiatives.  The next meeting will be on Thursday, August 6, 2015, 12:00pm-1:30pm, 

    Location:  Teen Block, 2nd Floor, Lowell Community Health Center, 

    161 Jackson Street, Lowell, MA

    For More Information Contact:

      

    Delaying The Second Pregnancy in Teen Mothers Project

    The goals of the project are to help teen mothers to delay a second pregnancy, practice contraception correctly and consistently and to remain in and graduate from high school.

        An estimated one in five teenage mothers will get pregnant twice before reaching age 20 (Greer and Levin-Epstein, 1998).  In 2002, 21% of all births to mothers under the age of 20 were births to youth who already had a child (Klerman, 2004).  31% of births to mothers aged 16 or younger are followed by a second pregnancy within 24 months.    The next Meeting will be on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, 10:00am-11:30am

    Location:  Meehan Room (Formerly Mansfield) , Lowell General Hospital, Main Campus,

    295 Varnum Avenue, Lowell, MA
       For More Information Contact:   Ainat Koren  

    Cultural Competency Task Force Sub Committee
    LGBTQ Sub Committee

    The 2013 Greater Lowell Community Health Needs Assessment highlighted that members of the LGBTQ community are at great risk.  The report stated that members who are isolated or without family support are at risk of developing mental health, substance abuse and other issues. There is a lack of sensitivity to this community by many healthcare professionals, a lack of outreach, as well as a lack of awareness of transgender individuals.  Individuals in this community tend to go to Boston to seek care, as there is a better sense of acceptance, expertise and confidentiality.The Sub Committee aims to address these concerns. 

    The next meeting will be on August 27, 2015, 12 - 2pm, 2nd Floor Board Room, Lowell General Hospital, Saints Campus, 1 Hospital Drive, Lowell, MA 

    For More Information Contact:  Heather Hilbert or Isa Woldeguiorguis


    Grant Opportunities
     
    Evidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health
    The AAMC and The Patrick Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation  have partnered to offer Advancing Implementation Science in Community/Academic Partnered Research , an opportunity for academic medical centers to collaboratively engage in research that has the potential for near-term impact to improve population health outcomes. The research should facilitate collaborations among researchers, community organizations, and health system leaders.  For more information, download the RFP. Proposals are due October 16, 2015.
    NIMH Research Education Mentoring Programs for HIV/AIDS Researchers  (R25) 
    Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health

    The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH.  The over-arching goal of this NIMH R25 program is to support educational activities that    complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs and advance the priorities outlined in the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) Annual Strategic Plan and the research program priorities of the NIMH Division of AIDS Research (DAR)


    Multidisciplinary Studies of HIV/AIDS and Aging (R01)

    This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications proposing to study HIV infection, HIV-associated conditions, HIV treatment, and/or biobehavioral or social factors associated with HIV/AIDS in the context of aging and/or in older adults. Research approaches of interest include clinical translational, observational, and intervention studies in domestic and international settings. Click here for more information.

    EIS is a 2-year fellowship program for health professionals interested in the practice of applied epidemiology. EIS officers may be assigned to work in the areas of infectious or non-infectious diseases, global health, chronic disease, injury prevention, environmental, or occupational health. (Application Deadline:  August 17, 2015)

    Click here for more information.

    Evidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health
    Evidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health is a national program of RWJF that supports the Foundation's commitment to building a Culture of Health in the United States. The program aims to provide individuals, organizations, communities, policymakers, and researchers with the empirical evidence needed to address the key determinants of health encompassed in the Culture of Health Action Framework. In addition, Evidence for Action will also support efforts to assess outcomes and set priorities for action.  It will do this by encouraging and supporting creative, rigorous research on the impact of innovative programs, policies and partnerships on health and well-being, and on novel approaches to measuring health determinants and outcomes.

    Total Awards

    Approximately $2.2 million will be awarded annually. RWJF expects to fund between five and 12 grants each year for periods of up to 30 months. It anticipate that this funding opportunity will remain open for at least a period of three years; however, decisions about modifications to the program and the duration of the program will be made by RWJF at its sole discretion.   Click here for more information

    Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity-Round 9

     

    Click here for more information about the grant.  DEADLINE: August 12, 2015, 3:00 p.m. ET

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting applications for the  Million Hearts Cardiovascular Risk Reduction model. "Health care providers who participate in the model will work with Medicare beneficiaries to determine their individual risk for a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years (for example, 25 percent). Then, providers will work with patients to identify the best approach to reduce their individual risk - for example, stopping smoking, reducing blood pressure, or taking cholesterol-lowering drugs or aspirin-and show them the benefits of each approach."  (deadline, September 4th) 

    Upcoming Community Programs and Events 
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    20th Annual Dance 4 Peace XX 

          

            Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

             Lowell Memorial Auditorium

              50 East Merrimack Street

     

             Click here to see the flyer 


     
             

    Breastfeeding Week Celebration

          

            Wednesday, August 5th, 2015, 5-7pm Free

             Clark Auditorium, Lowell General Hospital, 

             Main Campus, 295 Varnum Avenue, Lowell

             Click here to see the flyer  


     
             

    Strike Out Stroke Awareness Night

          

    Wednesday, August 5th, 2015, 6-9pm 

    LeLacheur Park, Lowell

    Lowell Spinners Vs Brooklyn Cyclones

     

    Click here to see the flyer  

    Back to School Bicycle Safety Rodeo - Free

          

            Sunday,September 13, 2015, 10 am-1pm Free

             Target Parking Lot

             181 Plain Street, Lowell

              Click here to see the flyer  

    Neighborhood Educational BBQ on Hepatitis B -  Thursday August 6, 2015,  4 - 6pm

    Neighborhood Educational BBQ on Hepatitis B - Thursday, August 6, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.  CMAA will be hosting an educational community BBQ on hepatitis B in partnership with Lowell Community Health Center. Complimentary gift cards and food will be offered to participants.Click here for more information.
    Neighborhood Educational BBQ on Fair Housing -  Thursday August 13, 2015,  4 - 6pm

    Neighborhood Educational BBQ on Fair Housing - Thursday, August 13, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm . CMAA will be hosting an educational community BBQ on fair housing and equal opportunity in partnership with Department of Housing and Urban Development. Complimentary food and refreshments will be offered to participants. 
    Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival -  Saturday August 15, 2015
    The Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival is an outdoor event celebrating the different Southeast communities with food, local entertainment and boat races. This free event is open to the community and will be held at the Lowell Heritage State Park Esplanade and Sampas Pavilion. www.lowellwaterfestival.com     Click here for the flyer
    The Center  For  Hope and Healing is having a Summer Superslide Event on August 16, 2015, at the Shed Park Pavilion in Lowell.   This will be a fun filled afternoon for the whole family!  Games, Activities, Food, Music... 

     

    Organizations interested in tabling at this event please contact Amrith Fernandes Prabhu .

     

    Tickets can be purchased online here. Click here to see the flyer.

     

    Like CHH Summer Slip and Slide Event on facebook  

    Governor Baker to Speak in Lowell - Save the Date!!!

     

    Lowell House, Inc.

    Presents:  "Celebrating Recovery"

    Thursday, September 10, 2015, 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

     UMASS Lowell Inn and Conference Center

     

    Keynote Speaker: Governor Charlie Baker

     

                                        Click here to purchase tickets

    Mill City Grows 4th Annual Harvest Festival - September 26, 2015, 1-5pm

          

    This year's Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday, September 26th at the newest Community Garden at North Common! Join Mill City Grows in celebrating the bounty of our local farms and gardens this fall!  Click here for more information      

    Northeast Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention

    9th Annual Leadership Breakfast

     

    Holy Family Hospital, 70 East Street, Methuen MA

    7:30 am - 8:30 am

    RSVP here  Click here for the leadership breakfast flyer

     Click here for the Community Forum Flyer

     

    CMAA 31ST Anniversary Saturday October 24, 2015 Save the Date!!

    CMAA will be celebrating 31 years of community health and human services in Lowell, MA. Please mark on your calendars, Saturday, October 24, 6:00 pm - 12:00 am at Sampao Meas Hall. More information will be available soon, click here for photos from the 30th Anniversary Celebration 
    Men's Support Group

    You are not alone. Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm Call to Sign up

     

    Upcoming Webinars
     

    Population Health Investments: Relationships between Governmental Public Health & Hospital Community Benefit Spending

     

    Thursday August 6, 2015, 1 - 2 pm EDT - webinar

     

    To register

     

    Sponsored by the National Coordinating Center for PHSSR & PBRNs

    Population Health Investments:

    Relationships between Governmental Public Health & Hospital Community Benefit Spending

    Thursday August 6, 2015, 
    1-2 pm EDT Webinar

     

    Local and state health departments play an important role in providing public health services in communities across the United States, yet they are not the only ones to do so. Other community stakeholders, including hospitals, employers, and non-profits, also invest in population health.

     

    This study explores the relationship between governmental public health spending and the population health investments of the private sector, focusing specifically on tax-exempt hospitals' provision of community benefit.

     

    Click here to register.

    Walkability: The Health and Wellness Equation

     

    Thursday, August 6, 2015 2- 3pm EDT - webinar

     

    To register


     
    Sponsored by America Walks 

    Community Benefit Strategies and Medical-Legal Partnership: Leveraging Community Legal Resources to Impact Population Health

     

    August 11, 2015 1 - 2 pm (EDT) - webinar

     

    To register 

     

     Sponsored by Community Benefit Connect

    Are Your Benefits Breaking the Law?  Tobacco Cessation, the ACA, 

    and the Mental Health Parity Act 

     

    Thursday, August 20, 2015, 2 - 3pm (EDT) - webinar

     

    To register

     

     Sponsored by Prevention Partners

    Ensuring Access and High-Quality Care for LGBT Patients

    Thursday August 20, 2015, 1-2 pm EDT 

     

    Learning objectives:

    • Understand more about the specific health needs of LGBTI patients that may not be addressed
    • Learn strategies used by hospitals both in the community and with patients to address disparities of care for LGBTI patients
    • Learn about successes that can improve the care you currently provide
    • Discover the importance of assessing your current approach to LGBTI patients and how to improve culturally competent care

    Hospitals In pursuit of excellence live webinars!

    Opening Congregational Doors to Community Clinics

     

    Wednesday October 7, 2015 12:30 - 1:30 pm EDT - webinar

     

    To register


     
    Sponsored by Let's Move Faith and Communities

    Sign-on Opportunities

    Tell lawmakers to keep school meals healthy!

    The American Heart Association has launched  a petition  that urges lawmakers to protect strong school nutrition standards.  "With 95% of schools already meeting the new standards and 72% of parents supporting them, the gains made by the Healthy, Hunger Free-Kids Act must be protected by Members of Congress. 

    Take the #123forEquity Pledge to Eliminate Health Care Disparities

    As our nation makes the demographic shift toward a minority-majority balance, the need to identify, address and eliminate disparities in care is increasing. That's why the American Hospital Association (AHA) is a partner in the National Call to Action to Eliminate Health Care Disparities, along with the American College of Healthcare Executives, America's Essential Hospitals, Association of American Medical Colleges and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Critical to this endeavor's success is the support of hospitals and health care systems dedicated to achieving the three areas of the Call to Action: increasing the collection and use of race, ethnicity and language preference data; increasing cultural competency training; and increasing diversity in governance and leadership. To learn more .

    The American Lung Association Organizational Sign-on Letters

    The American Lung Association is circulating two organizational sign-on letters. To sign on (please indicate which letter(s) you are signing on, and include an organizational logo).  

     

    A letter of support  for the Asthma Management Provision in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  To sign-on  (deadline, Friday August 7, 2015) 

     

    A letter of support to Congressional appropriators in support of the CDC's National Asthma Control Program. To sign-on (deadline, Thursday August 27, 2015 at noon). 
    Materials and Resources
    Temptation at Checkout:  The Food Industry's Sneaky Strategy for Selling More
    The Center for Science in the Public Interest has released a new report,  Temptation at Checkout: The Food Industry's Sneaky Strategy for Selling More,  on the public health effects of the checkout aisle. "The report will mark the launch of a long-term campaign to transform store checkouts so that they do not undermine the public's health.  Two events are scheduled this week (see below), a webinar and a tweet chat.  Both will discuss how checkout prompts impulse buys and affects people's diets and health."  

    Today's Heroin Epidemic 

    According to a report in Vital Signs , from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Heroin use has increased across the United States among men and women {more than doubling between 2011 and 2013}, most age groups, and all income levels."  The report also finds that, "the strongest risk factor for a heroin use disorder is a prescription opioid use disorder."

    Marketing Matters:  A White Paper on Strategies to reduce Unhealthy Food and Beverage Marketing to Young Children

    As part of the First 5 LA funded Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative (ECOPI), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) in partnership with ChangeLab Solutions "has released a comprehensive toolkit called   Marketing Matters: A White Paper on Strategies to Reduce Unhealthy Food and Beverage Marketing to Young Children.  The toolkit highlights strategies for local communities to reduce the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children. 

    Impact of National Summer Nutrition Programs on Children's Lives

    Deloitte Consulting has released Summer Hunger: Too Expensive to Ignore , conducted on behalf of No Kid Hungry, that looks at the impact of national summer nutrition programs on children's lives. "In the short-term, the programs can help mitigate summer weight gain, cognitive decline and summer learning loss for children from low-income families. In the long term, they may help increase high school graduation rates and reduce susceptibility to chronic diseases, which are otherwise each accompanied by large potential costs to the children and their communities."  In addition, Summer Nutrition Program Social Impact Analysis is available. 

    HHS/Office of Minority Health New Resource

    HHS/Indian Health Service (IHS): New report. 
    Trends in Indian Health

    Since 1955, the Indian Health Service (IHS) has had the responsibility for upholding the Federal Government's obligations to promote healthy American Indian and Alaska Native people, communities, and cultures, while honoring and protecting each Tribe's inherent sovereign rights. The IHS mission is to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level. Trends in Indian Health provides narrative, tables, and charts that describe IHS programs and the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Report presents a structural overview of the Agency, along with demographic data on American Indians and Alaska Natives and patient care delivery services. Current and trend information are detailed and comparisons made to the U.S. population at large, where appropriate.

    Federal Partners in Transition

    The Federal Partners in Transition (FPT), a workgroup with representatives of several federal agencies, including the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor, and the Social Security Administration, was formed in 2005 to support all youth, including youth with disabilities, in successfully transitioning from school to adulthood. To realize this work, FPT developed The 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan: A Federal Interagency Strategy, which outlines how the partner agencies will enhance interagency coordination through the identification of a shared vision, compatible outcome goals, and policy priorities, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for youth with disabilities by 2020. - See more here.  

    The Fenway Institute/National LGBT Health Education Center: Online course 

    On September 27, 2013, the National LGBT Health Education Center hosted a summit of 15 experts to discuss the most innovative and evidence-based HIV prevention strategies and how to implement these strategies into clinical practice. The summit brought together leaders in HIV prevention research, education, policy, and community engagement to share interventions, professional experiences, and research findings, and to debate next best steps to ending the epidemic among the vulnerable populations of gay and bisexual men and transgender women.  Based on the findings from this summit, they developed a multi-media educational course that includes the White Paper: Best Practices in HIV Prevention: Translating Innovation into Action , with accompanying videos and slides from the summit. All materials can be viewed for free and can be viewed separately or together.

    HHS/CDC, National Center for Environmental Health: New resource. Working Together: A Training Framework for Public Health and Planning Professionals 

     

    As public health professionals and urban planners begin to work more closely, they need the ability to speak each other's languages in order to work together effectively. This toolkit will help both professions get basic training in concepts that will foster this collaboration.

    Regulatory Comments/Federal Postings
    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an  Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)
    seeking comments, data, research, and/or other information "related to nicotine exposure warnings and child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine, nicotine-containing e-liquid(s), and potentially for other tobacco products including, but not limited to novel tobacco products such as dissolvables, lotions, gels, and drinks."  (deadline, August 31st). 
    In This Issue
    GLHA Annual Meeting
    August is ...
    Networking Luncheon May 22, 2015 Presentation Slides
    Upcoming GLHA Sub Committee Meetings
    Grant Opportunities
    Upcoming Community Programs and Events
    Upcoming Webinars
    Sign on Opportunities
    Materials and Resources
    Regulatory Comments/Federal Postings

    The Greater Lowell Health Alliance of the Community Health Network Area 10 provides resources to raise awareness, knowledge and action in Greater Lowell individuals and businesses as we strive to improve the overall health of our communities!

     

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