TL;DR: The social determinants of health are gaining the attention on the hill, there is bipartisan support, and there is strong hope that the 117th Congress and the Biden-Harris administration will make progress – particularly regarding health equity. The main driving factor…money.

From December 6-12, 2020 we will be observing National Influenza Vaccination Week, reminding everyone 6 months and older that it’s not too late to get a flu vaccine. Included below are CDC’s NIVW resources, vaccination messages, and activities you can use to share key information on flu with your networks. For more information about what you can do, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/nivw/index.htm

To answer your first question, ELI5 is text lingo for 'explain like I'm five' - a way to break down often complex topics into digestible bits. This post will introduce the Social Determinants of Health and help to ELI5 the topic.

By Olugbenga Ajilore and Katrina Badger November 19, 2020, 3:51 pm This article was originally posted on The Center for American Progress website and is reposted here with permission. To read the full article visit https://ampr.gs/3pJaNQ6 . Regardless of where people in the United States live—rural, urban, or somewhere in between—the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives and livelihoods . Certain groups are suffering disproportionately, including people of color, workers with low...

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health sets aside the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day. National Rural Health Day is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded, “can do” spirit that prevails in rural America, gives us a chance to bring to light the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face, and showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural...

The American Public Health Association and the National Academy of Medicine are jointly sponsoring a webinar on the development, approval, allocation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday, November 18th from 5:00 - 6:30 PM Eastern Time. The webinar will begin with an introduction from the session's moderator, Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg , former FDA commissioner, and then feature a conversation with a panel of experts, including: Larry Corey , President and Director Emeritus, Fred...

An article by published yesterday in STAT online included alarming information about the prevalence of COVID-19 in rural communities. "As the U.S. heads toward a third peak in the pandemic, rural counties are among the areas most severely affected by Covid-19. While their absolute numbers of cases are still relatively small compared with large cities, case rates and death rates are growing fastest in rural counties . This is especially worrisome because characteristics associated with poor...

The month of November is American Diabetes Month. Like most national health observances, this month is meant to promote awareness of and increase support for reducing the burden associated with this chronic condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report which is a periodic publication that provides estimates of diabetes and prediabetes, information on risk factors and associated complications, and describes the...

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is hosting a variety of events throughout the week of November 16 to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD) on November 19. While these events are open to the public, registration is required for some events. NRHD is HRSA’s opportunity to showcase the work and accomplishments across the agency supporting rural health. For more information and a a schedule of events for each day, visit ...

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...