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Author: MichaelRhein

IPHI and Partners Assume Leadership Roles at Unity National CHW Conference

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CHWs presenting at Unity
IPHI CHWs lead roundtable session at Unity 2014.

In May 2014, IPHI and many organizational partners from the DC, MD and VA region participated in UNITY 2014, the only national CHW conference designed for and about community health workers. Aptly themed “Community Health Workers – Innovative Solution to Addressing the Triple Aim (Access to Care, Reducing Costs, and Promoting Healthy Communities),”  UNITY 2014 provided opportunities for community health workers, policy makers and other public health professionals to share knowledge, information, and expertise about the role of CHWs in transforming the health of the nation.  See this special interview with IPHI’s Dwyan Monroe about the Unity Conference.

Special congratulations go to the following IPHI staff and partners for presenting at this year’s conference:

  • Brian Diaz, CHW, IPHI, Breakout session: Treatment Adherence – There’s an App for That
  • Khadijah Abdullah, Leslie Demus, Reginald Jackson, and Lenora Wright, CHWs with IPHI, Breakout session: CHWs on the Move, Striving to Make a Difference
  • Shari Curtis and Fernanda Azucena, DC Primary Care Association, Roundtable Session: Prevention Empowers Me
  • Vernita Perry, Ronnette Moton, Lonita Sheppard, and Sabrina Heard, CHWs with IPHI and The Women’s Collective, Roundtable Session: Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Back Up
  • Tilli Williams, Healing Our Village, Inc., Roundtable Session: Diabetes Education and Medication Therapy Management Using Community Health Workers
  • Dwyan Monroe, IPHI, Roundtable Session: The Center for the Community Health Workforce: Creating a DC, MD, and VA Regional Workforce Development Center to Support Policy, Practice and Program Technical Assistance for CHWs
  • Rosalind Oden, Elsa Morales, and Fernanda Azucena, DC Primary Care Association, Roundtable Session: Building a CHW Professional Association

Honoring the Life of Zhilphia “Zee” Turner”

On Thursday, May 22, 2014 at the Unity Conference, the life and service of Zhilphia “Zee” Turner was honored, as she was selected for a Esther M. Holderby CHW Special Recognition Award. As a CHW in the DC area for over 15 years, Zee helped people living with HIV/AIDS link to and stay engaged in life-saving medical care by offering education, encouragement, and support. She most recently served as a Positive Pathways CHW with IPHI. Zee’s impact on the DC region was immeasurable and profound. Read more about Zee.

Safe Access to Recreational Opportunities

Posted on by MichaelRhein

Safe Access to Recreational Opportunities

IPHI is working with local governments to create and implement policies to improve health and quality of life

Under Safe Access to Recreational Opportunities (SARO), the Institute for Public Health Innovation is collaborating with the Prince George’s County government to incorporate policies and practices that promote active living to improve health outcomes and quality of life. These include the development of Wellness Zones around community centers, removing barriers hindering students’ use of recreation facilities, and other initiatives to make active living more accessible and convenient. These policy initiatives are informed by Safe Routes to Play and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design activities that assess the needs of community residents, the County, community based organizations, and other local stakeholders.

Prince George’s County Food Equity Council Hosts an Open Showing of the Webinar Community Food Councils: Challenges and Opportunities

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Colmar Manor, Maryland (April 17, 2014) — In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of local food policy councils and provide an opportunity for members and area councils to learn and share best practices, the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council will host a free public showing of the webinar “Community Food Councils: Challenge and Opportunities.”  The webinar is co-hosted by the Center for Enviornmental Farming Systems and the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) School of Government.

WHAT: Webinar Showing – Community Food Councils: Challenges and Opportunities
WHEN: Thursday, April 17th, 2014, 12:30-2:00 pm EDT
WHERE: Colmar Manor Town Hall, 3701 Lawrence St, Colmar Manor, MD 20722
The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council is a local food policy council whose mission is to significantly improve public health, food security, and community well-being of all who live, work, study, worship and play in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The Food Equity Council is one of a growing number of local food policy councils that work collaboratively to identify and propose innovative solutions that advance local food systems in order to spur economic development, improve public health, and ensure environmental sustainability.According to the UNC School of Government, “Community and regional food councils…are emerging as important mechanisms to stimulate the kind of dialogue and concerted action necessary to improve local food systems. These councils are rapidly emerging across the country.”Food Equity Council Coordinator, Sydney Daigle, “Thank(s) UNC’s School of Government for generously awarding the Food Equity Council with a scholarship to host a free public showing of the webinar.  Prince George’s County’s rates of obesity and overweight are the highest in Maryland and food swamps densely populate the inner beltway.  The Food Equity Council plans to use the promising practices shared by experts and participants to enhance the strategies we use to tackle these issues.”The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council is incubated within the Institute for Public Health Innovation and funded by a CDC Community Transformation Grant.  For more information about the Food Equity Council and its three workgroups, Healthy Eating and Nutrition Education, Healthy Food Retail, and Local Food Production, email pgfoodcouncil@gmail.com.

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Prince George’s County Food Equity Council Can Hear the Maryland Crunch!

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Suitland, Maryland (March 25, 2014) — In an effort to raise awareness of how school breakfast can alleviate childhood hunger, the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council has partnered with Maryland Hunger Solutions to participate in a Hear the Maryland Crunch! event at Suitland Elementary School. Hear the Maryland Crunch! is a fun and educational event that includes a state-wide, synchronized bite into an apple. Schools and other partners across the state are participating in this event to spread the word that every child in Maryland should have access to a healthy breakfast.

Food Equity Council members will “crunch” with students at Suitland Elementary School to highlight the school’s successful Maryland Meals for Achievement program, a universal school breakfast program. Suitland Elementary Principal Pamela Preston shares, “Breakfast in the classroom has gone well for us. Teachers and students are receptive. I am pleased because it offers students in need another opportunity to be fed without embarrassment.”

The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council is local food policy council whose mission is to significantly improve public health, food security, and community well-being of all who live, work, study, worship and play in the County. The Council recognizes that nearly 13% of all Maryland households struggle with hunger, and lack access to adequate food to help them live an active and healthy life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Increasing participation in School Breakfast – which reaches 56.5 of low-income students in Maryland for every 100 students that receive school lunch – would help end childhood hunger, as well as boost learning and test scores, improve attendance and student behavior, and improve overall student health.

“School breakfast is a win-win-win for schools, families, and kids. Children who start the day with a healthy meal have improved academic, behavioral, and health outcomes and eating school breakfast helps families stretch tight food budgets and schedules,” says Sydney Daigle, Prince George’s County Food Equity Council Coordinator.

Food Equity Council members will “crunch” at 7:50 am at Suitland Elementary School, 4650 Homer Avenue, Suitland, MD 20746. The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council is incubated within the Institute for Public Health Innovation and funded by a CDC Community Transformation Grant. For more information about the Food Equity Council and its three workgroups, Anti-Hunger and Obesity Prevention, Healthy Food Retail, and Local Food Production, email pgfoodcouncil@gmail.com. For more information about Hear the Maryland Crunch! contact Michael J. Wilson, Director of Maryland Hunger Solutions at 410.528.0021, x27 or mjwilson@mdhungersolutions.org.

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The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council Hosts a TEDxManhattan Viewing Party

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Upper Marlboro, Maryland (March 1, 2014) — In an effort to raise awareness and promote innovation in the County’s food system, the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council and Prince George’s Community College are partnering to host a TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” Viewing Party.  TEDxManhattan is a one-day conference in New York City featuring a dynamic and diverse group of speakers addressing issues in the sustainable food and farming movement.  The viewing party will show all three sessions of “Changing the Way We Eat” including a performance and talk by Parkdale High English teacher and poet, Clint Smith.  Local events will include a youth panel featuring students involved in food systems projects at Parkdale and Fairmont Heights High Schools and a free lunch catered by Chipotle.

“We’re excited to share the inspiring sustainable food systems work being done across the country, and starting a dialogue about how residents can become involved in changing the way Prince George’s County eats,” says Sydney Daigle, event organizer and Prince George’s County Food Equity Council Coordinator.

The event is co-hosted by the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council, a local food policy council funded by a CDC Community Transformation Grant and incubated within the Institute for Public Health Innovation.  The Food Equity Council’s mission is to significantly improve public health, food security, and community well-being of all who live, work, study, worship and play in the County.  The Council will develop and support policies, approaches, procedures, practices and initiatives to create systemic change to the local food system, ensuring health equity and food access especially among communities that have been negatively impacted by the current food system.

The TEDxManhattan Viewing Party will be hosted at the Prince George’s Community College Westphalia Campus located at 9109 Westphalia Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774.  Tickets are limited and those interested in attending should RSVP to www.pgc-tedxmanhattan.eventbrite.com by 11:30 pm on February 28th.  Chipotle will cater a free lunch with vegetarian and vegan options available.  For more information about the Food Equity Council and its three workgroups, Anti-Hunger and Obesity Prevention, Healthy Food Retail, and Local Food Production, emailpgfoodcouncil@gmail.com.

Institute for Public Health Innovation, Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative Pilot Community Discussions on Active Transportation to Recreational Opportunities

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Washington, DC (January 27, 2014) – The Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) is pleased to announce Community Connectivity Forums for residents of Bladensburg, Langley Park, and Suitland to discuss improving access to recreational opportunities for children and families. These are being held in collaboration with the Maryland National Capitol Parks and Planning Commission Department of Parks and Recreation and the Prince George’s County Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative with support from technical experts Wildflower Consulting and GP Red.  This collaboration aims to create safe access to recreational opportunities, concentrating on a ½-1½ mile radius around targeted community centers so that children, youth, and families can confidently walk or bicycle to these locations. This project is based on the Safe Routes to Play concept, which is a child-centered planning process which helps communities assess connectivity between neighborhoods and parks, playgrounds, trails, and natural areas for children and families, focusing on methods of active transportation, such as walking or biking.

Each forum will provide community residents the opportunity to discuss any obstacles they face in walking or biking in their neighborhood. Additionally, participating youth will present their findings from PhotoVoice, a photo-documentation process, and UMAP, a mapping process, to demonstrate the barriers they face. Forums will be held in both English and Spanish, and childcare and refreshments will be provided.

One forum will be held in each community:

Suitland – Tuesday, January 28, 6:30-8:30PM, Suitland Community Center, 5600 Regency Lane

Bladensburg – Wednesday, January 29, 6:30-8:30PM, Bladensburg Community Center, 4500 57th Avenue

Langley Park – Thursday, January 30, 6:30-8:30PM, Langley Park Community Center, 1500 Merrimac Drive

Results from these forums will be incorporated into a Blueprint addressing access to recreational opportunities and pedestrian health and safety. This blueprint will include findings from the three communities and an action plan for each, providing solutions to access issues surrounding recreational opportunities.

Funded by IPHI through a Community Transformation Grant (CTG) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these community forums are one element of a larger program that endeavors to improve health and quality of life for communities Prince George’s County. In addition to improving safety and increasing access to recreational opportunities, IPHI also funds strategies that increase access to and affordability of healthy foods for low-income families and improve delivery of clinical preventive services through the use of community health workers.

To become involved with Safe Access to Recreational Opportunities, please contact Catherine Diamante at cdiamante@institutephi.org.

Teens in Prince George’s County Identify Neighborhood Improvement Priorities Through Photography Project

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Some Prince George’s County, Maryland teenagers say their community centers are fraught with challenges and are hoping a new photography initiative will help community members get the picture. See See Gazette.net for full article published on Oct 22, 2013 that highlights the PhotoVoice project supported by IPHI.