Vermont Business Magazine The Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center received a $520,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Health to advance health equity in Vermont by expanding and supporting the profession of community health worker as an integral part of the health workforce. The grant was awarded in conjunction with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to support local efforts to address health disparities related to COVID-19 and the disparities that persist in low-income communities. income and communities of color.

This 18-month grant is the largest ever received by AHEC Southern Vermont, which said the grant funding will provide the opportunity to establish appropriate training and credentials to create a career pipeline for expand the workforce of community health workers (CHWs) both clinical and community. settings.

Focusing on the communities most disproportionately affected by adverse health effects, the initiative is designed to support and recognize community health workers as uniquely skilled and essential members of the public and community health workforce.

“Investing in a statewide network with strong community partnerships is a key part of building this vital and essential workforce to reduce health disparities and advance health equity. health in Vermont,” said Jennifer Woolard, chronic disease program specialist at the Vermont Department of Health. “We are excited to work with the Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center to support training, creating career paths, and strengthening a peer-to-peer network for community health workers.”

AHEC of Southern Vermont tapped Katina Cummings to manage the Community Health Worker Project, to spearhead this initiative across the state. Formerly the Health Workforce Program Manager for AHEC Northern Vermont, Katina brings an incredible skill set to this position, having extensive experience in organizational management, leadership, policy and planning projects in the public health, behavioral health and social services sectors. , and strive to provide health equity-focused interventions for people living in rural and underserved areas. Katina is also active on the state refugee health committee and sits on the board of the Vermont Public Health Association.

“Community health workers, as essential workers, will serve as navigators between health, social services and the community to ensure the delivery of services aimed at improving the health and well-being of our most vulnerable populations”, said Jennifer Scott, director of AHEC Southern Vermont. director. “Our team is thrilled to lead this statewide initiative on behalf of the AHEC Network and with the full support of our great community partners. Our Board of Directors and I feel very fortunate to have attracted an extremely talented Project Manager to guide our efforts. »

“Katina Cummings, the initiative’s new director, said the program will build on Vermont’s work to develop and support an essential, credentialed workforce to integrate social care practices into the delivery health care, from primary prevention to the treatment of chronic diseases. “We know that during the COVID-19 pandemic, CHWs have made and continue to make invaluable contributions to reducing health disparities among underserved communities. I am thrilled to take this work forward with a team of committed, experienced and dynamic professionals, including Susan White, our Director of Health Career Readiness and Practitioner Support,” said Cummings.

For more information about the Community Health Worker Project, contact [email protected] or call 802.885.2126 x106.

About AHEC of Southern Vermont: The Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is a nonprofit educational organization committed to increasing access to primary and preventive care through workforce development, especially in our rural and underserved communities. We strengthen community efforts to develop and retain the healthcare workforce in southern Vermont and invest our resources to connect students to healthcare careers, healthcare professionals to communities, and communities to better health. Southern Vermont AHEC is one of two independent regional AHEC centers funded by federal, state, and community support working in partnership with the Office of Primary Care and the AHEC Program at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

Springfield, Vermont – Southern Vermont Region Health Education Center 2022-03-16

BOZEMAN, Mont – The non-profit organization Family Promise of Gallatin Valley and Community Health Partners celebrated the opening of their new facilities on Thursday.

The two separate facilities provide affordable child care and medical services to the community.

“These organizations couldn’t do it alone, they had to reach out to the community and say we needed help and the community responded this is Bozeman at its best this is Bozeman the city that is never too busy to care about it,” Bozeman Deputy Mayor Terry Cunningham said. .

Family Promise explained that the need for their services has increased 685% over the past two years and that their new facility helps provide childcare and a resource center for these families.

The non-profit organization works with families who are on the verge of or currently experiencing homelessness.

Family Promise executive director Christel Chvilicek said: “This is where families work on all their case management goals, their showers, a full kitchen, there are areas where the kids can just be children and play, then our case managers are there. so they can sit down and work diligently every day with our case manager on what they are doing to get out of the situation they find themselves in.

Across the street from Family Promise is the Community Health Partners one-stop shop, offering medical, dental, and behavioral health services as well as a pharmacy.

Health services are available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.

More information on Community Health Partners can be found here.

More information about the Gallatin Valley Family Promise can be found here.

RACINE, Wis. – Governor Tony Evers on Friday announced $20 million from the Wisconsin Healthcare Infrastructure Capital Investment Grant Program for the new Racine Community Health Center.

The grant will support the development of the new center to expand access to health care in the community for low-income families, the underinsured or uninsured, and historically underserved communities.

The Racine Community Health Center will serve as a neighborhood resource for gateway services, providing on-site assessment and primary care and using case managers to coordinate referrals to specialty care, including mental and behavioral health care .

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Additionally, the clinic will operate on a rolling fee scale based on income, provide transparency in its fee structure, and provide transportation and language assistance to remove any barriers to care.

The Town of Racine also received a $15 million grant through the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program for the Lincoln-King Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which will provide new affordable housing in the community.

Part of an investment of more than $285 million allocated by the Governor for community capital projects statewide, the Health Infrastructure Capital Investment Grant program was announced for the first time in August 2021alongside the neighborhood investment fund grant program Last week.

The Health Infrastructure Capital Investment Grant program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, with grants ranging from $158,000 to a maximum of $20 million. dollars.

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The Nevada Community Health Center (NCHC) is a nonprofit organization (FQHC status pending) established by physicians, professionals, and community leaders to serve the uninsured and underserved community of Southern Nevada. Established on November 9, 2020, the NCHC will focus on socioeconomically disadvantaged and low-income citizens to provide both behavioral health and medical services to all individuals and families who require services at low cost, quality and complete with the goal of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“I am thrilled to be part of this organization working to revolutionize health care in Nevada,” said NCHC President and CEO Harry Singh. “We plan to create and provide access to a wide range of comprehensive, quality and low-cost health services to all who need them. We will also help share resources and services in a holistic, caring, dignified and compassionate environment, regardless of their ability to pay.

Another mission of the NCHC is to provide preventative, primary and urgent health care to the elderly in Ward 1, facilitated by Calderon Medical Group, an adult medical clinic providing primary care and health education.

NCHC is a 25-year-old Asian American Group project building relationships with the ethnically and culturally diverse populations of Nevada. Harry Singh (president), Sophia Calderon (secretary) and Rita Vaswani (treasurer) sit on the board. Chief medical officers include Dr Benito Calderon and Dr Upinder Singh.

Autism Cares Inc. will be part of the NCHC partnership to provide supported living arrangements and life skills education programs for young adults, transitional and ongoing support services to all people with a autism spectrum and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Autism Cares helps families of any economic status find medical resources, training, therapy, and lifelong support resources for their children, as well as find support for the whole family.

The NCHC will celebrate the opening of its offices and center located at 1311 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89104 from 4-6 p.m. on March 22, 2022. The Board of Directors, including President Hannah H. Brown, staff members, Board of Directors and Advisory Council will be on hand to answer any questions along with VIP guests. The public is welcome to attend and should RSVP to Harry Singh at [email protected] or [email protected].

Learn more about nvchc.com and and follow on Facebook @Nvchc.com and follow on Facebook @Nvchc.

MILWAUKEE, WI – After a violent start to the year, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowleyalongside the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, will join Dr. Ramel Kweku Smith, PHD, LP tomorrow, Thursday, March 10, at 10 a.m. at Wisconsin Black Historical Museum for a discussion on normalizing conversations around mental wellness.

The event is the county executive’s first Community Health and Healing Series which will focus on connecting residents to mental health resources and breaking down barriers to services. The series will visit communities and neighborhoods deeply affected by the pandemic and increased violence.

“This is a difficult time for our communities across the county. There are people in our neighborhoods who have unmet mental health and behavioral health needs – many of which have been ignored for generations. We need to heal our community and move forward with a plan to meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “The violence on our streets, the increase in overdose deaths and the overall impact on residents’ quality of life are a direct result of their needs not being met. I have spent my life fighting for resources, fighting for fairness, and fighting for our most needy neighborhoods. The Health and Healing series brings the message and services directly to the doorstep of the community. We focus on engaging some of the most vulnerable residents in a discussion about what they need to live a full and successful life. »

According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 637 drug-related deaths in 2021, an increase of more than 200 deaths from overall drug-related death data from 2018. Additionally, After suffering 25 homicides in January alone, the Medical Examiner’s Office warned that Milwaukee County is on course to record more than 300 homicides for the year if trends continue.

Avoiding such a scenario is a top priority for the Crowley County Executive and its administration leaders. The first Community Health & Healing event, taking place in the Park West neighborhood of Milwaukee in the 53206 ZIP code, will include an audience of community behavioral health professionals and will be broadcast live on the Milwaukee County Executive. Youtube channel and on Facebook.

“We support the county’s vision to achieve racial equity and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin by focusing on improving individual and community health. A key strategy to achieve this goal is to address the root causes through prevention,” said Shakita LaGrant-McClain, director of the Department of Health and Human Services. “We know that if we invest in prevention upstream, we can prevent problems downstream later.”

The next event in the series will be a community reception focusing on suicide prevention and resource connections. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 30^and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Southern Access Clinic located at 1645 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, in the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center building. The Crowley County Executive, City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), community organizations and people with lived experience will discuss the critical issue facing our community, death by suicide, warning signs and the connection of friends and loved ones to resources.

Information about the Milwaukee County Health and Healing Series can be found at county.milwaukee.gov/HealthAndHealingSeries.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NMDA contact: Brandon Larrañaga Communications Assistant, New Mexico Department of Agriculture [email protected] 575-646-1864

March 7, 2022

USDA funded program to help local farmers

Click here for español.

LAS CRUCES – The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) has received a grant for the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program with the goal of improving a network that connects people who are engaged in agriculture , animal husbandry and other agriculture-related occupations to stress relief programs.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grant to NMDA. Projects funded under the program must initiate, expand, or maintain programs that provide professional agricultural behavioral health counseling and referral to other forms of assistance as needed through telephone helplines and agricultural websites; training programs and workshops; support groups; and local services and activities. A total of $500,000 has been awarded and must be used by August 31, 2022. NMDA has partnered with New Mexico State University (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service to allocate these funds on multiple platforms.

NMDA plans to leverage NMSU’s Southwest Frontier Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center (Centre), which is a collaborative effort between NMDA and the Cooperative Extension Service, to improve existing efforts aligned with achieving the goals of the Stress Support Network.

The center’s co-director, Marshal Wilson, is excited about the potential possibilities arising from the New Mexico Farms and Ranches Stress Assistance Network and its funding.

“The Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center and our partners are pleased to support our state’s agricultural producers through this network,” Wilson said. “This funding allows us to expand the programs we have already worked on and further expand our ability to benefit New Mexico farmers. The welfare of farmers and ranchers is of the utmost importance, and we hope this program will benefit them. »

Wilson is also an assistant director of the NMDA’s agricultural and production services division.

In collaboration with the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, the Center will use a blended approach to achieve four specific goals articulated around improving behavioral health, reducing and alleviating stress, and achieving results. positive for farming communities in New Mexico. The objectives include:

• Leverage existing network resources such as the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Stronger Together campaign through a grassroots campaign to increase local awareness and education,
• Enhance professional development opportunities by providing training, such as mental health first aid or similar courses to increase skill-based capacity to recognize and respond to stress in local communities,
• Adapt and create evidence-based stress prevention, wellness, and health resources to recognize cultural and traditional lifestyles unique to New Mexico and how they are affected by stress; and,
• Host multiple in-person and virtual workshops to provide awareness and education regarding stress relief and wellness in different parts of the state.

New Mexico Bureau of Agriculture and Livestock CEO Chad Smith said the Stronger Together campaign and other programs are prime examples of how funding from this grant can have an impact. positive on the state’s farmers.

“The New Mexico Bureau of Agriculture and Livestock is proud to be a partner in the ‘Stronger Together’ campaign,” said Smith. “The funding provided through the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network grant will allow our partners to truly amplify this campaign and others like it and help get much-needed resources spread across the state and between the hands of those in need. .”

Marcy Ward, livestock specialist with NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service, believes the program provides a vital opportunity to positively impact farmers by using the program to educate and inform.

“The Cooperative Extension Service provides an educational outreach opportunity to reach growers in our state,” Ward said. “With the help of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, we can provide resources to help them deal with the additional stress they experience related to working in the agriculture industry locally.”

The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network website provides information on stress prevention, wellness, and health resources, or you can contact Marshal Wilson at 575-646-7243 or [email protected] .edu.

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Find us at: www.nmda.nmsu.edu Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NMDeptAg YouTube: NMDeptAg LinkedIn: New Mexico Department of Agriculture

He was clear in his sentiment that he hopes the city will invest in physical and mental health resources.

Investing in mental health by creating a “community navigator”

Of the $1 million Karl recommends the city invest in health care of the $6 million it receives from American Rescue Plan Act funds, he would like to see investment in mental health, according to a letter he wrote to city officials.

The letter he sent to the three elected officials, the city council and the finance council “spurred healthy conversations,” Karl, president of the Waveny LifeCare network, said Monday.

Director of Social Services Bethany Zaro said “Leo’s letter provided a fruitful introduction to the many ways our city can benefit from ARPA funding.”

New Canaan has received $2.8 million and expects nearly $3 million more this year from the federal program that provides $350 billion in emergency funding to state and local governments.

“Although some of these funds have already been spent or allocated to specific projects, we are fortunate to be able to hold a public debate on how some of the remaining funds should be spent,” Karl said.

Karl would like $300,000 to support a behavioral health navigator for the next three years and $400,000 for investment in telehealth.

The demand for “mental health support due to increased stress, anxiety and addiction has never been higher,” Waveny LifeCare President and CEO Russell Barksdale said this week. .

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on health care, before that in 2018, when Karl was president of the New Canaan Community Foundation, the organization “identified behavioral health as a specific area requiring special attention. within our New Canaan community,” he said. .

Karl recommends the development of a “community navigator,” which would allow residents to find resources when faced with health issues.

Surveying the city’s resources four years ago, the foundation “identified a wide range of resources provided by many outstanding organizations, but it was not necessarily easy for anyone in need to access them quickly”, Karl said in his letter. “Through a series of focus groups and other work, the NCCF Behavioral Health Committee has outlined a series of steps that may help bridge the gap between individuals and families and available services.”

The Navigator would allow “a single point of contact familiar with the behavioral health field and all of the various organizations and services available,” the letter says. “From the young to the elderly and everyone in between, we have all been affected by the effects of this pandemic.” .

Behavioral health has been and continues to be a major focus of the city’s Department of Social Services, Zaro said. “There has definitely been an increase in requests for individual and group support.”

Telehealth, in conjunction with Silver Hill Hospital, could address behavioral health issues, with 24/7 availability, according to Karl’s vision.

The recommendations made by Karl are consistent with the requests for funds that Barksdale has made. He asked the city for ARPA funds for “the development of a telehealth and telemedicine technology platform that can be used by health care providers throughout New Canaan.”

Barksdale said “one platform for all of these providers is the most cost-effective solution to building better access to healthcare for years to come.”

Karl raised concerns about two populations in particular – young students and seniors.

The young students were affected “because their daily learning and their social development were significantly affected. Elderly people, both in their own homes and those residing in collective accommodation, have endured dramatic isolation and the loss of much-needed social connections,” Karl’s letter reads.

APRA Fund for Physical Health, Institute for Health Care Workers

An institute for healthcare workers at the Waveny LifeCare Network and future health testing are two of the things Karl would like to see as part of the $1million US bailout funds he recommends the city spend for health.

State and federal priorities for APRA funds “led Waveny LifeCare Network to consider ways to collaborate and address services that would improve health accessibility in collaboration with other providers,” Barksdale said. .

In the letter Karl wrote to officials, he argues that the city should spend some of the $6 million it receives from ARPA on health initiatives, including $200,000 to train certified practical nurses and nurses. home healthcare workers, with an additional $100,000 for future tests to monitor the disease. tendencies.

Barksdale explained that Governor Ned Lamont wants to “ensure that the state’s recovery efforts are directed toward transformative initiatives that would see Connecticut emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger, healthier, and ready to resume. the advances that have made the state a leader in many areas and a great place to live.

Much of the money Karl is asking for would be for programs he would expect to be administered by the Waveny Lifecare Network, which has served the city for 40 years. Karl explains that Waveny is the right organization to lead these efforts, as “the elderly population in our community continues to be most at risk with this virus and this population was the hardest hit in the early months of the pandemic. “. Waveny is also “New Canaan’s largest private employer, with over six hundred employees,” according to Karl.

nursing institute

Karl said he would also like to see investment in a nursing institute at Waveny LifeCare to make up for a shortage of nursing staff.

It would be “a unique workplace development program that will help train the next generation of highly skilled CNAs (certified nursing assistants) and home health aides for our community,” her letter says.

Barksdale hopes to “fund a training program for future nurses and home care professionals” by “addressing both the expansion of home care and pathways to higher education. Nursing is a very noble profession and one that has been hardest hit by the pandemic,” exacerbating “the pre-pandemic shortage of professional nurses.”

Karl is confident that Waveny is well positioned to achieve this goal, since “the organization’s affiliation and merger with Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County in 2021”.

This change has allowed Waveny to expand its services so that there are more nursing professionals in their network, an “expanded” home care network and a focus on community nursing, “which has helped the city ​​throughout the pandemic with testing and vaccinations,” Karl said.

Future monitoring

Karl recommends “investment in ongoing testing and trend monitoring to ensure our community continues to stay ahead of the curve.” He plans to invest in testing as methodologies evolve so the city can “adapt quickly as new variations continue to emerge.”

Testing will continue to be needed because while “defeating COVID was a laudable goal, most medical professionals realize that COVID has gone from pandemic to endemic,” Barksdale said. “The virus will continue to mutate to varying degrees, existing tests and existing vaccinations will become less effective, and early identification of these mutations” is essential.

Telehealth

Both Karl and Barksdale want to boost the use of telehealth, which offers an online connection between a nurse and people in their homes.

The pandemic has “highlighted the enormous pressure on our healthcare system, especially on doctors, nurses and hospital capacity. One bright spot has been the emergence of telehealth as a legitimate tool in our healthcare system,” Karl said.

The telehealth program would be staffed by Waveny LifeCare staff and open to New Canaan residents from the young to the elderly, with a particular focus on those with special needs, medical conditions or those over the age of 70, according to Carl.

Through the use of telehealth resources, the city could help by “preemptively addressing health issues before they escalate into a hospital visit.” Karl said.

Online health care visits “are becoming increasingly accepted by the general public, as well as health care providers, including doctors and specialists, as technology has become more advanced.”

Barksdale said he supports telehealth because it gives residents “access to wellness and affordable health care that avoids unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital admissions also remains the best cost-effective strategy.” “.

Zaros said she trusts the ARPA Allocations Committee to “seriously seek out all submissions” and added that she is “confident that each member will consider project feasibility and the qualification guidelines of each entity requesting funds”.

Praising local community health officials, Karl said: “I hope we can invest these funds wisely in a way that will have a positive impact on the lives, well-being and health services of our residents of New Canaan”.

Ochsner LSU Health has opened a new community health center in Monroe at 1625 Louisville Ave., adjacent to OIB Plaza.

The Community Health Center is now accepting patients and same day appointments are available by calling 318-330-7168. Open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., services include primary care, laboratory, behavioral health, diabetes management, and smoking cessation.

“The new Community Health Center will expand accessible, affordable and convenient health care for our patients. With a variety of services offered, our patients’ needs can be met closer to home,” said Mark Randolph, CEO of Ochsner LSU Health Monroe.

The new Community Health Centers are part of Ochsner Health’s 10-year commitment to a healthy Louisiana that includes an initial investment of $100 million over the next five years.

These investments support projects that remove barriers to health care; bringing resources to underserved communities, both urban and rural; work with partners to research and better understand health disparities; use technology and innovation to improve outcomes and invest in the next generation of health care providers and frontline staff in Louisiana.