Mark your calendars for the 2021 National Health Outreach Conference! The conference will be held virtually May 3-7, 2021. With the theme of “The Grand Challenge: Building a Healthy Future for All,” there will be sessions related to health equity, effective behavior change messaging, policy system and environmental change, health behavior, and pandemic response programming. Keynote speakers, concurrent and posters sessions will be relevant for professionals who address health, nutrition,...

"Hospitals and clinics are critical institutions in rural places not only because they provide essential healthcare and well-being services, but because they are major employers and community anchors. But not all health systems see themselves as opportunity makers. What does it take for rural healthcare systems to make economic development and building healthy communities part of their work? Resourceful and committed rural American health innovators are taking a fresh look at a wider range...

As a trusted community resource, Cooperative Extension can play an important role in educating the public about the importance of immunizations, particular in the months immediately preceding flu season. Our friends that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made it easy for us to do just that through their digital media tool kit focused on vaccinations. CDC’s seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials are available to partners like Cooperative Extension to assist them...

"A food allergy can be a terrifying thing. When someone eats even a small amount of a food to which they are allergic, a minor reaction can involve itching, swelling, and stomach ache. But one in four people unlucky enough to have a food allergy, even a mild one, will at some point experience a severe reaction : anaphylaxis, a state of shock defined as a reaction involving two of the body's organs, is characterised by symptoms like wheezing, dizziness and vomiting. The pulse can slow, blood...

After decades of lower or similar mortality rates in rural areas than in urban areas of the U.S., a rural mortality penalty emerged in the 1990s and has grown since the mid-2000s. Although the rural–urban mortality gap has widened across all major racial/ethnic groups over the past 30 years, it has widened the most among working-age non-Hispanic (NH) whites. A research brief in the Population Research and Policy Review summarizes the results of a study that examined rural-urban differences...

The U.S. adult obesity rate tops 40 percent; highest ever recorded. COVID-19 related food insecurity puts more Americans at risk for obesity or worsening obesity. Demographic trends and the conditions in people’s lives have a large impact on their ability to maintain a healthy weight. Policy solutions include expanded access to nutrition support programs and creating more opportunities for people to be physically active. Read the State of Obesity 2020: Better Policies for a Healthier America

By: Chapel Taylor-Olsen, BA, Health & Wellness Coordinator & Dr. Ashley Yaugher, Health & Wellness Faculty, HEART Initiative; Utah State University Extension The opioid crisis has been claiming thousands of American lives per year for decades. Now, this healthcare crisis is colliding with a new threat sweeping the world: the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. This article reviews the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on Americans; unique impacts on people with opioid use disorder...

As a trusted community resource, Cooperative Extension can play an important role in educating the public about the importance of immunizations, particular in the months immediately preceding flu season. Our friends that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made it easy for us to do just that through their digital media tool kit focused on vaccinations. CDC’s seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials are available to partners like Cooperative Extension to assist them...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Tracker is a tool for sharing maps, charts, and data about COVID-19. COVID-19 Tracker now reports trends in COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates by 2013 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. This scheme classifies all counties in the U.S. into one of six metropolitan categories (4 metropolitan, 1 micropolitan, 1 non-core). Users can focus on one or more of the urban-rural...

Social determinants of health are defined by the World Health Organization as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age." For rural populations, many of these elements are less favorable than within urban areas. Building on work conducted by the Rural and Minority Health Research Center, this presentation will review some of the key elements associated with health across rural White and minority populations, such as education, income, and health facility...

Join the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the American Public Health Association for this webinar discussing how local governments, non-profits and national organizations have used Healthy People in the past and how they can use Healthy People 2030 to address the social determinants of health in their communities. Speakers include Georges Benjamin, MD - Executive Director, American Public Health Association CAPT Paul Reed - Acting Director, Office of Disease Prevention...

Communication is a topic that is on our minds a lot more than usual these days. Whether you’re struggling to communicate effectively with the family members you’ve been stuck inside with for months, trying to find ways to connect with far away loved ones , or just finding yourself more stressed out and not as good at getting along as you usually are , we’ve got some ideas on how you can use fun to create more effective communication. Harness the Power of Play Use Family Game Night to Improve...