May 2020
Rural Matters
Table of Contents
In this issue

Food & Health Network Welcomes New FVRx Vendors
Northern Broome CARES Thanks Interns
Assisting with Community Food Distributions
Whole Health Action Management
may
Celebrating May Day
The National Institute on Aging reports that research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even death.

Social isolation and feelings of loneliness and separation are very real concerns for all of us during this time. Seniors living alone in rural areas may be at increased risk. In addition to our telephone reassurance calls and cards, we are being supported through multi-generational efforts. We are working with students in the Binghamton University MSW program as they write uplifting and encouraging letters and cards for us to distribute to seniors!
We also sent an invitation to families in the Whitney Point School District to make May Day baskets and donate them for distribution through Northern Broome CARES. The seniors loved receiving the baskets! 

May Baskets ready for delivery

Audrina, daughter of Community Health Worker Mindy Alexander, helped make some of the May baskets.



A Northern Broome resident was all smiles receiving an unexpected May Day Basket

Card made by a student

jackLeadership During a Pandemic: 
How Much Has Changed?
Jack Salo, Executive Director

Those of us in non-profit, government service and healthcare have been inundated with opportunities to participate in virtual trainings on leadership during times of crisis and variations thereof. While the scale of the pandemic's impact on health, healthcare providers, other service providers, and the economy is unprecedented in our lifetimes, the challenges of effective leadership have not changed significantly from my perspective. The trainings have been helpful reminders of principles and practices that pre-date the current crisis.

At Rural Health Network, we were caught off guard like many organizations and businesses and had to quickly transition from on-site to remote work. Nothing like a pandemic to get you moving on business continuity, real time planning and action! While that transition consumed our leadership team and staff for several weeks, we have somewhat seamlessly transitioned to the current state which includes three primary activities:

* Continuing to address COVID-19 related needs, including the needs of partner organizations by providing Rural Health Network staff and national service support.
* Continuing to deliver on our core services and contracts
* Considering the strategic issues and actions that will be required over the next several years.

Leadership responsibility does not afford the luxury of singular focus. I find the scale and impact of the pandemic disorienting and unsettling, but much like traveling off-trail and orienteering (I still prefer a compass over GPS), you find yourself veering a bit too far off course, check the compass and get back on track. As human beings we are challenged to juggle multiple responsibilities and realities simultaneously. As leaders of our own lives, families, and businesses we strive for some degree of balance between what needs to done and addressed immediately and what we need to be doing to ensure a positive future. While the pandemic requires us to up our game, I don't find the challenges much different than what they have always been, with the exception that more is at stake.

As Rural Health Network considers the strategic issues and actions that will be required in a post pandemic environment, we will be engaging those we serve, our partners and supporters and the rural communities that will be increasingly vulnerable to the economic and other impacts of the pandemic. Rural places that have been challenged to remain viable before COVID-19 will need major investments of capital, innovation and enlightened policy changes to survive in the post pandemic world. With a broad base of partners, support and input, we will persevere in our mission to advance the health and well-being of rural people and communities.

Jack Salo
Executive Director


We will continue to  publish updates to additional impacts on our service delivery via our website at https://rhnscny.org/ and our Facebook page .

thankThanks to Binghamton University Intern
Inda Gillett

Inda Gillett, a full-time first year MSW student, created an alternative learning plan in order to complete her last semester interning at Rural Health Network. She served as a member of our Community Health Services program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inda packed meals and assisted the local food bank by reorganizing pallets of dry foods at Delaware Opportunities in Hamden, NY. Over 380 people benefited from this effort. She also created documents for Broome, Delaware, Otsego and Tioga counties to track school and community meals, food pantries, and COVID-19 specific resources available to children, older adults, and other vulnerable populations. Inda shared these real time documents with staff and partner organizations to assist rural residents and mitigate stress in accessing changing services due to the public health crisis.

Meal packages being prepared for distribution at Delaware Opportunities, Inc. 

In addition to finishing all college course work online, completing 300 AmeriCorps service hours, and 302 internship hours, Inda also donated blood resulting in saving three lives!

In Inda's virtual goodbye to Rural Health Network, she said, "You've all made my first year internship unforgettable in your own unique ways, and I cannot thank you enough. This began as a wide-open opportunity for me to learn more about the rural elderly, but with the help and guidance from you all, I learned so much more than that. It's been a pleasure to walk alongside such brilliant and motivating colleagues for the past 30 weeks."

The Community Health Workers and Rural Health Network staff send Inda off onto her next clinical journey in Chenango County into a palliative and hospice care setting. She is an example of how rural roots grow deeply and resiliency affects a region. Thank you!

Inda is featured along with other students and alumni in this brief video shared by the Binghamton University College of Community and Public Affairs. 
get

To see the latest news from Getthere, read the April issue of The Milepost or 
 
FaHN

Welcome, New Fruit and Vegetable Rx Program Vendors! 

The Food and Health Network is excited to welcome four new vendors into our Fruit and Vegetable Rx Program (FVRx) for the upcoming 2020 season! The local groceries, markets, and farm stores that accept the FVRx vouchers are integral to the success of the program. We are so pleased to be able to offer more shopping locations and access to a greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to our program participants this season. Coming on board with us this year are Stoughton Farm Store, Spencer ShurFine Foodmart, Old Barn Market, and Russell Farms.

Russell Farms is now a Fruit & Vegetable Prescription Program vendor

We are so grateful for all of the incredible farmers' markets, farm stands, grocery stores, and farm share programs who have partnered with us over the last few years. You can find detailed information on all vendors hours and options for delivery and pre-orders here. To learn more about each new vendor, visit our Food for Thought Blog. See more news from Food & Health Network. 

 Please connect with the FaHN team by email.

Erin Summerlee, Food & Health Network Director
Tom Lewis, Community Food Coordinator
Jess Barbini, Farm to School Coordinator

Follow Food and Health Network on Instagram and Facebook

Northern Broome CARES Thanks Interns
care
Kendall Hanrahan and Ginny Smith are MSW students at Binghamton University who served as interns for the Northern Broome CARES Program from August 2019-May 2020. Kendall and Ginny were tremendous assets to the team developing this new program! They came into Rural Health Network at the inception of the NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities) program. They were able to see and assist in the planning and implementation of a new project!  COVID-19 certainly had an impact on the last six weeks of the internship. Kendall and Ginny worked remotely and experienced how flexibility and adaptability are key factors to the success of Rural Health Network's programs! While the internship did not end the in the way any of us expected, Kendall and Ginny's contributions to the Northern Broome CARES program are very much part of the program's success. We appreciate and celebrate Kendall and Ginny and wish them the very best in their future endeavors! 
 
Virginia (Ginny) Smith and Kendall Hanrahan, Northern Broome CARES Interns

Kendall and Ginny each provided some thoughts on their internship experiences.

Ginny Smith:  
First, I would like to thank the Rural Health Network for the opportunity to intern as part of the organization. It was extremely beneficial for me to learn about the meaning of social determinants of health and the impact they have on communities. I also appreciated the opportunity to work with Sandy Atwood to implement the Naturally Occurring Retirement program, known as Northern Broome CARES. I am extremely grateful to have been involved in building a new program, which taught me the importance of collaboration with other community organizations, good communication, and teamwork. This experience led me to pursue a field placement next year with a non-profit organization within Susquehanna County, PA where I will again work as part of a team implementing a new grant. The knowledge I have gained will be a great resource in my skill set as I embark on my new adventure. This year was thrown a curveball with COVID 19; however, Rural Health Network did not stop their mission of advancing the health and well-being of rural communities, they quickly adapted and moved forward in new ways. My placement with Northern Broome CARES looked drastically different than was planned but I was able to work remotely on projects, such as a client survey and a manual for future interns. I was also able to reach out to our clients by sending encouraging note cards. Thank you for all the knowledge, support, and encouragement I received which made me reach outside of my comfort zone.

Kendall Hanrahan:
I had the honor of being one of two Binghamton University Master of Social Work interns for the Northern Broome CARES program during the 2019-2020 academic year. During my year at the Rural Health Network I was able to learn a wide array of information. The biggest take away for me was having the opportunity to be a part of a new initiative and see the groundwork that is set to bring a new program to life. Knowing I was even a minuscule part of this process was beyond rewarding. Throughout my experience I found myself being drawn to the rural community of Whitney Point and rural communities generally. A passion I didn't know I would ever have. For many interns and professionals across our county, and across the world, this pandemic has really changed the work we once did. Although it was beyond upsetting to not finish my placement in person, Northern Broome CARES was one of the best experiences I ever had and I am grateful that I had this internship to jumpstart my career as a social worker. I will always be grateful for the information I learned from Northern Broome CARES, as it will be an experience I hold near and dear to my heart for the rest of my days. I am excited to apply my rural knowledge in my next internship in a school district in another rural community.

Northern Broome CARES services are available to anyone age 60+ who resides in the towns of Lisle or Triangle (including the Village of Whitney Point). Please feel free to contact us at (607) 352-4681 or by email:

Sandy Atwood, Program Coordinator
Mindy Alexander - Community Health Worker
food
Assisting with Community Food Distributions
Rural Health Network and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier have long partnered on projects related to healthy food access and Covid-19 response to continuously evolving food-related needs has been no exception.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier acted quickly in March to begin coordinating Community Food Distribution events in communities across their six county region. The events create an opportunity for families to obtain food with minimal contact by allowing them to stay in their vehicle while a volunteer loads it up. Each event can serve a maximum of 500 families, and they have all come close to or met that maximum. The Food Bank has reported that more than 60% of registrants are new to their system, meaning that the need for food is great among people who have never felt the need to access it before.



To date, seven RHN staff and Americorps VISTA members have assisted with four Broome and Tioga County distribution events in a variety of ways, including fielding pe-registration calls, working at the distribution events, delivering food boxes to registrants who were not able to attend the events in person, and participating in planning meetings. Susan Boldman, a Community Health Worker with our Community Health Services division states that, " all in all, response from community members has been positive. Many acknowledge that it can be a slow process to get through the line, but they appreciate how well organized and efficient it is". 

Hannah Taggert, a Program Assistant and AmeriCorps VISTA member serving within RHN's Food and Health Network, shared: " Through interactions over the phone lines and at drive-up distributions, what really sticks out to me is that while there is the immense presence of shared grief and fear, there is also the overwhelming presence of shared persistence, resilience, and hope." 

RHN will continue to assist the Food Bank of the Southern Tier with the initiative as long as capacity allows. For the schedule of upcoming Community Food Distribution events and to learn how to register for one in your county, visit the Food Bank's Food Finder page.
wham
Whole Health Action Management
Scheduling Telephone Workshops Soon
Let us know if you or someone you know is interested in a Whole Health Action Management workshop series. Workshops will be scheduled based on interest and participant availability. Contact Mary Maruscak to learn more. 



needsResponding to Community Needs
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an increased demand for emergency food resources and personal protective equipment. Rural Health's Food & Health Network program, along with partnering organizations in Broome, Chenango, Otsego, and Tioga Counties, identified an ongoing need to provide personal protective equipment to staff and volunteers providing emergency food resourcesMasks and gloves will be distributed to partners serving rural communities who have identified an increased need for protective equipment to be used by staff and volunteers when assembling and distributing emergency food boxes and preparing meals. 

Unloading the hand sanitizer order
 
Masks and hand sanitizer are also being purchased for use by staff, volunteers and clients of Rural Health Network. Kits are being assembled for 300 individuals in Broome, Delaware, and Tioga Counties who have chronic health conditions and are receiving direct services through our Community Health Services program. The kits will be delivered to client homes by Community Health Workers within the next few weeks. 

This project was made possible by grants from the COVID-19 Community Response Fund and the Community Foundation for South Central New York COVID-19 Fund.
measureMeasuring Direct Service Impact 
During COVID-19  
Like many community organizations, Rural Health Network of SCNY has rapidly assessed and adapted our services to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. While providing direct service to rural clients in need is our most urgent priority, it is also important to measure these services along the way. When the pandemic ends, the data we collect now will be critical in describing our response and building resilience against future crises. 

Listed below are some examples of RHN's direct service during the pandemic, along with the plan for measurement:
  • Delivery of food, medication, and other essential goods. 
    • Measuring the amount and types of goods as well as locations of delivery
  • Redirecting staff and AmeriCorps capacity to support local initiatives and temporarily relieve older volunteers from high-risk activity (e.g. Meals on Wheels delivery in Northern Broome County)
    • Measuring types of activities and number of hours spent on external projects
  • Expansion of Connection to Care transportation program eligibility
    • Measuring the number of Connection to Care cases for the expanded list of eligible reasons
  • Targeted mail outreach to vulnerable rural populations
    • Measuring the number of postcards sent, location, and any increase in call volume from those locations

If you have other examples of measuring impact during the pandemic or would like to share thoughts on this topic, please contact Emma Nalin, Project Coordinator. A summary of Rural Health Network's service updates during the pandemic is available here

 

rhsc
Rural Health Service Corps 
As a long-time provider of National Service opportunities, this opinion piece by David Brooks in the May 7th NY Times caught our attention. 

If you or someone you know is interested in serving as an AmeriCorps member, view open positions at our website. For questions, contact us by email: 

Julie Pitts, Director
Haley Desilet, Assistant Director    


AmeriCorps logo

news 
News You Can Use
Webinar - Health Inequities in Rural Finger Lakes
Join the New York State Association for Rural Health and the New England Rural Health Association for this informative webinar on Thursday, May 21. 

May is National High Blood Pressure Awareness Month

May is also Mental Health Month
"While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health." Read more and download Tools 2 Thrive at Mental Health America


To support our work at Rural Health Network,  please visit our donation page.   

Please take a moment to learn more  about our work and the impact we're making in south central New York. 
Advancing the health and well-being of rural people and communities.