It's National Public Health Week- Becoming the healthiest nation starts with understanding the challenge

For the first time since 1993, U.S. life expectancy has declined, while other countries are still improving. We know that social, environmental and individuals factors influence our health and our opportunity to make healthy choices. Yet, the U.S. continues to spend more on treating health issues vs. social issues. Go  here to learn more about how you can take action and support the APHA's movement to bring together people, organizations and communities to create the healthiest nation in one generation.   

County Health Rankings - How Healthy is Your County

The annual County Health  Rankings  provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play. The Rankings are just one of the data indicators listed on our NJHealthMatters website that help to inform the work of the NJHC.  Updates are underway for the 2017 County Health Rankings data indicators on our site.  In the meantime, you can find the key findings report  here. This year's Rankings include a new measure, Disconnected Youth, youth and young adults ages 16-24 who are not in school and not working, and represent untapped potential to strengthen the social and economic vibrancy of local communities. 
NJHC Community Health Improvement Plan Update

Workgroups will report progress on the performance metrics at the upcoming April Quarterly County Committee meetings

At the upcoming county committee meetings (see dates below), each workgroup will be asked to give a verbal report on their performance measures to help us to track our progress.  Go  to our website to access the county specific community health improvement plans;  Morris County ,  Passaic County ,  Sussex County , and  Union County . I f you have any questions about your workgroup's performance measures or how to report/track them, email   data@njhealthmatters.org.

Come to the next county meeting to provide your support and feedback to the workgroups!
 April County County Meetings 

Morris County:  April 13th (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Passaic County: April 26th (9:00 AM - 11:00 AM)    
Sussex County:  April 13th (12:00 - 2:00 PM)
Union County: April 12th (2:00 - 4:00 PM)
Warren County: April 28th (9:00 - 10:30AM) 



If you are a NJHC Partner and would like to post or share information about an upcoming event, please forward information to  Catherine Connelly .

NJHC to present at the NACCHO Annual Conference in July

If you are planning to attend the National Association of County and City Health Officials Annual Conference this year on July 11-13th in Pittsburg, PA, make sure to stop in for the NJHC presentation titled  Embracing the Messiness A Case Study of Multi-Sector Collective Impact.  For more information about the conference go here.


NJHC Hosts Roundtable Discussion at the 21st Annual NJ Conservation Land Rally

For the first time, NJHC attended and hosted a roundtable discussion at the Annual NJ Conservation Land Rally. Highlights from our discussion titled, Evidence Connecting Land Conservation, Recreation & Health can be found here.  Special thanks to Laura Swzack for inviting the NJHC to participate in the Land Rally this year and introducing new partners to our work. 
Warm Weather Fun at NJ 2-1-1

With spring upon us, it is hard not to yearn for warm weather, bright sunshine and the great outdoors.  NJ 2-1-1, a statewide information and referral service that is free, confidential, multilingual and always open, highlights low-cost/no-cost summer activities and summer related topics.
 
A listing of park and recreation sites that has been organized by county is available and offers readers convenient hyperlinks to county websites and park systems that provide lots of opportunities for daytime leisure. For added adventure, there is a link to a website that provides details about overnight campgrounds.
 
Fun opportunities for school-age children may be just around the corner (literally, as well as figuratively speaking) too. With a focus on low-cost recreational programs, NJ 2-1-1 has created a summer camp page that provides information about YMCA programs, boy scout and girl scout camps, county camping programs and other fun options coordinated by youth organizations. Although spring has just begun, many of these camping programs are now open for enrollment and often fill up fast.
 
Remember, whatever you do, you'll need to play it safe. Topics about summer heat, summer safety, smart food practices and more can be found here.  

Step Into Spring Safely! April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

The additional daylight hours and warmer temperatures encourage more of us to spend time walking, biking and jogging outdoors.  We should be extra vigilant to ensure the streets are safe for everyone especially as we walk or bike to our destinations. To ensure better safety for all re main alert to your surroundings by avoiding distractions, be visible to those around you, and follow the rules of the road.    It is very easy in the day-to-day of life to forget about or, rather, not acknowledge the risks involved in being on the road. 

Did you know?
  • 9 people die every day in the United States from driving distracted.
  • 11% of car accidents leading to fatalities are related to distracted driving.
  • When texting, your eyes are off the road for 5 seconds. That's the length of a football field when driving at 55 MPH.
  • You are 3 times more likely to crash when performing a visual or manual activity-such as reaching for a phone or the radio.
  • Eating, smoking, adjusting music or rubbernecking while driving can be just as dangerous as texting, emailing or talking on a cell phone.
  • Passengers are one of the most frequently reported causes of distraction, with young children being four times more distracting than adults and infants being eight times more distracting.
Make this the month that you give up being a distracted driver...your life depends on it! For more information about driving safety or to book a presentation at your business or in your community, please contact us at info@transoptions.org or 973-276-7600. 

Have you visited our Resource Library?        

New resources have been added to our library, to access go here. We are also continually adding Partners to our Partner Resource Directory.  If you have a resource you would like to share with our partners or want to include your organization in our directory send an email to  Catherine Connelly.
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