Although COVID-19 continues to spread, businesses are beginning to re-open to the public. As they do, it is essential that they do so in a safe, thoughtful, and science-supported manner. In North Carolina, the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association, NC DHHS, Visit NC, and NC State Extension have collaborated to create Count on Me NC. This public health initiative provides retail food establishments, businesses, and their visitors/guests with training and guidance needed to keep individuals...

This is a great collaborative effort. Thank you for sharing a link to the courses. Very timely and relevant.

This is great to hear about. Great effort to address economic situation

Background • Public health officials across the country are reporting spikes in drug overdose deaths that appear to be associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 30 states reporting increases in opioid-involved overdose deaths primarily related to illicit fentanyl1 • Public health emergencies typically affect communities and individuals in a variety of ways, including economic loss and instability, emotional or physical isolation, additional stressors from mass at-home confinement, and...

High-speed internet service is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. But too many families go without high-speed internet because of the cost or have to cut back on other essentials to make their monthly internet service payments. Lowering prices—including the cost of high-speed internet service—is President Biden’s top priority. In early May 2021, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced that they have secured private sector commitments that will lower high-speed internet costs...

On December 15, six land-grant universities shared information about current work happening at their respective institutions to advance health equity and well-being. Summaries of these presentations are found below. University of Missouri - Chiquita Chanay and Lisa Washburn shared information about how University of Missouri Extension is engaging various units across campus to address the health challenges of Missourians. Their Project ECHO replication is a peer-learning, knowledge network...

This March , we are showing support for National Nutrition Month by highlighting Extension projects that conduct research and programming on nutrition-related topics to aid in the prevention and treatment of disease, such as the Diabetes Prevention Toolkit: A template for better health project. According to the CDC, diabetes affects 1 in 10 Americans and is the seventh leading cause of premature death in the US. In response to this growing public health crisis, an Extension team, funded by...