July 2019 Newsletter
Mingo County, West Virginia

Mingo County is located in southwest West Virginia. According to the 2010 Census, the estimated population is 26,839. The county seat is Williamson, home to the Coal House Museum , an actual house made entirely of coal. Healthy in the Hills (formerly the Mingo County Diabetes coalition) aimed for 10,000 Healthier Lives by 2020 via fun, affordable and challenging community activities.

Success Story: Community Health Worker
A patient of the Williamson Health & Wellness Center (WHWC) was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and struggled to breathe.   Last year, his breathing became so labored he could have been called ‘Mr. Saturday’ as that was the day he kept returning to the ER for treatment. His visits became more frequent as he was going to the ER two to three times a week.
 
The patient’s primary care physician, Dr. Dino Beckett said, “What we’re trying to do is really just change the mindset and allow patients to understand they have access to us.” By hiring a team of community health workers, including Nurse Samantha Runyon, Dr. Beckett has increased access for his patients. Nurse Samantha’s job as a community health worker includes getting to know patients like ‘Mr. Saturday’ and understand their lives outside the world of healthcare.
 
Five months later… this patient has avoided a couple dozen trips to the ER, and ‘Mr. Saturday’ has gone from 13th most expensive patient to the 30th, on track to spend $16,000 less than last year. “He feels the change, we feel the change. And [CMS] is seeing the change,” Beckett said.
 
For more information about Healthy in the Hill visit their website by clicking here.
Clay County, Tennessee

Clay County is located in north central Tennessee and borders Kentucky. According to the 2010 Census, the estimated population is 7,861. The county seat is Celina.

Success Story : Veggie in a Bag Program
C oalition members, along with the anti-drug coalition, local hospital, senior citizen center, young farmers and ranchers, 4H club and local industry, visited four, local low-income housing projects and distributed vegetable plants. A day was chosen to visit all four housing projects and distribute planting bags, soil and plants. Coalition members helped fill the bags, plant the plants and educate residents on them how to care for them and ways to prepare. The plant recipients were very excited with their plants. 

For more information about how to implement programs highlighted, contact Coalition Co-Coordinators Jane Miller at janem@twlakes.net  or Wendie Spintzyk at wendie.spintzyk@gmail.com.
July is Juvenile Arthritis Month
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month. Juvenile Arthritis "pediatric rheumatic disease" is a generic term to describe a variety of diseases that cause joint point. Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in the United States and impacts over 50 million Americans, and 300,000 of these individuals are children.

For more information click here!

Megis County Ohio implements Walk with Ease Program
The Meigs County Health Department (Ohio) will be offering a program to address arthritis management among the senior population of Meigs County. Ciara Martin, the CHC Project Director, has just finished training to be a leader for the Walk with Ease Program. The Walk with Ease Program is a program supported by the Arthritis Foundation. and has proven to show improvements in reducing the pain and discomfort of arthritis. Source: Martin, Ciara (July, 2019), Meigs County Health Department Newsletter.

For more information about implementing the Walk With Ease program visit their website.
UPCOMING SITE VISITS: WE ARE COMING TO A COUNTY NEAR YOU!

Gentle Yoga & Shopping Matters Leader Training
Lake Cumberland District, KY
September 18 - 19. 2019
Interested in offering Gentle Yoga Leader Training, Chronic Disease Self-Management (CDSMP) or a similar workshop for your coalition members? Contact Shelia Plogger for additional information at splogger@marshall.edu.

Save-the-Date for the
2019 Appalachian Diabetes Coalitions Celebrating Success Conference
October 1- 4, 2019

Registration is NOW OPEN!
Contact Shelia Plogger for more information at splogger@marshall.edu.

UPCOMING REGIONAL HEALTH CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Ohio State Office of Rural Health Conference
The Ohio State Office of Rural Health Conference is free to attend and is for anyone with an interest in rural health care. The conference, which is two full days will be held at the Mohican Lodge and Conference Center in Perrysville, Oh. There will be two full days, including evening activities such as a hike and campfire (weather permitting).
Perrysville, Ohio
August 12 - 13, 2019


Appalachian Strong Summit
Hundreds will gather at  ARC's Annual Summit  to exchange innovative ideas, foster productive partnerships and discuss strategies that are fueling Appalachia's prosperity, progress and growth.
Asheville, North Carolina
September 4–6, 2019

2019 West Virginia Rural Health Conference
This is the 27th year of the West Virginia Rural Health Conference, the only rural health conference in the state. The conference features national and state best practices, speakers, provides continuing education to physicians, attorneys, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, dentists, community health educators and others, and is an unparalleled opportunity to network with others interested in improving rural health care in West Virginia.
Huntington, WV
October 9 - 11, 2019

13th Annual Southern Obesity Summit
The Southern Obesity Summit (SOS) is the largest regional obesity prevention event in the United States, drawing hundreds of participants from 16 Southern States consisting of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Together, these states join forces to fight obesity. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Convention Center and Spa in Oklahoma City, OK.
October 28 - 30, 2019

American Public Health Association
APHA identifies and shares innovative strategies to demonstrate how cooperation between organizations, governments, communities, public health disciplines and the public can improve health outcomes. And we will continue to use evidence-based research to transform a sick care system to one of prevention and wellness. The Annual Meeting gives more than 12,000 public health professionals an opportunity to put science and action to work to achieve a healthier nation.
November 2 - 6, 2019
Philadelphia, PA

Kentucky Rural Health Association Conference
Save-The-Date
November 14 - 15, 2019

Healthy Churches 2020 Conference
Healthy Churches 2020 Conference provides pastors, ministers, congregational health directors, coordinators, nurses, and members with tools and resources in areas of disease state awareness, management and prevention needed to establish and strengthen the capacity of Health Ministries. Conference topics include, but are not limited to: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, hepatitis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, HIV, precision medicine, and clinical studies. Healthy Churches 2020 National Conference is committed to helping congregational-based health ministries to improve the health and healthcare outcomes of individuals and surrounding communities they serve.
Charlotte, NC
November 19 - 22, 2019

Rural Health Association of Tennessee
Save-The-Date
Music Road Resort Hotel & Inn, Pigeon Forge, TN
November 20 - 22, 2019

Handouts and Resources for Coalitions
The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is an on-line resource for research and practice information in the area of health promotion and physical activity for persons with disabilities. The primary focus of the center's approach is to collaborate with the nation's leading health advocacy and disability organizations in linking them to the hundreds of program initiatives ongoing across the nation, and using this framework to build  inclusion  and  integration  into these existing programs.
Do you know of a funding opportunity that you think wo uld be beneficial to other members in the network? Send to knoxr@marshall.edu and we will share it!
 Interactive Reporting Tool to Assist Appalachian Communities in Exploring Community Data

Are you looking for health statistics for your community, county, or state? Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots is an interactive report that includes county-level data on 41 variables, including several measures relevant to diabetes and its risk factors. Users can easily create reports or maps to examine conditions in any county, or compare multiple counties. Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Disparities and Bright Spots is an innovative research initiative sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and administered by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
 National Diabetes Prevention Program Customer Service Center
The purpose of the National DPP Customer Service Center is to provide organizations easy access to information and resources about prediabetes and the National DPP. Organizations can access training materials, toolkits, and videos; ask questions; and receive technical assistance related to all aspects of the program.
Directors Desk Duty Corner
Summer, a great time to be physically active and eat fresh foods. Enjoy it and be healthy!
- Richard Crespo, PhD