This is a well cited article (author Yong has been on national news shows) detailing what has gone wrong: ""almost everything that went wrong with America’s response to the pandemic was predictable and preventable. A sluggish response by a government denuded of expertise allowed the coronavirus to gain a foothold. Chronic underfunding of public health neutered the nation’s ability to prevent the pathogen’s spread. A bloated, inefficient health-care system left hospitals ill-prepared for the...

Diabetes is one of the most common and costly chronic conditions, a leading cause of death in the US, and a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19. Thus, strategies to prevent diabetes are essential for protecting the health of the nation. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a partnership between public and private organizations aimed at reducing the prevalence of diabetes through evidence-based, cost-effective interventions that promote weight management through healthy...

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...

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...

Deep-rooted structural racism, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, have exacerbated inequities within our food system. Millions more people—mostly Black and Latino families—have gone hungry in the past year while high obesity rates put many at risk for severe COVID-19 complications. Grocery store clerks, meat packing plant staff, and farm workers making low wages have struggled financially while risking their health to feed our country. We need a more sustainable and resilient food...

Authors: Dana DeSilva, PhD, RD, ORISE Health Policy Fellow, and LT Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN, FAND, Nutrition Advisor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Adults’ dietary patterns often reflect habits that they established during childhood and adolescence. Sometimes, this means carrying unhealthy habits into adulthood — but it’s never too late to make changes. Health educators can use the Dietary Guidelines for...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not authorized or approved using ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 in humans and has cautioned about the potential risks of using ivermectin for COVID-19. This medication is FDA-approved to treat certain infections caused by internal and external parasites, but is not authorized or approved by the FDA to prevent or treat COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic and recent surges of COVID-19 cases, rates of ivermectin prescriptions dispensed...

Nearly 100 individuals participated in a virtual listening session held recently to gather advance input into the upcoming White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to be held this September. The listening session was hosted by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy and the Board on Human Sciences of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) with support of the Extension Foundation. The majority of the participants were state-level coordinators of...

Walk Across Arkansas is an 8-week online group exercise program that has been changing the lives of rural and urban participants, one step at a time. Read more to learn how this program is being implemented by the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service…

Are you, or would you like to be, working with communities on crime prevention strategies? This is your opportunity to learn strategies to do this. Michigan State University Extension has been working with faculty in the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) and the MSU National Charrette Institute (NCI) to develop training for Extension professionals and communities on how to do crime prevention through placemaking and environmental design. The program is called Placemaking...

A healthy body can protect you from major illnesses and help you maintain a good quality of life. In fact, maintaining good health can help prevent some of the most common causes of death, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. There are many ways to achieve and maintain good health, and everyone's individual lifestyle needs will vary. However, following a healthy lifestyle can help you maintain a healthy weight, get enough exercise, and drink enough fluids. https://borderfreesupply.com/

Prevention plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. Adopting a proactive approach by engaging in healthy behaviors and regular check-ups can help identify potential health risks and prevent the onset of diseases. This includes routine screenings, immunizations, and practicing safe behaviors such as wearing seat belts and practicing safe. Best Long Acting Insulin

Help Keep Children and Families Covered The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is asking for help to prevent children and families from losing Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage as a result of the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency. Ways Cooperative Extension Can Help Partner with your State Medicaid agency to spread the word about renewals. You can find contact information on your State Medicaid...

For more than a decade, CDC has used a model to estimate the numbers of flu illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths during the flu season, and to estimate the impact that flu vaccination had on illness outcomes in the United States ( 1-6 ). The methods used to calculate the estimates of flu burden prevented by flu vaccination have been described previously ( 1 , 2 , 6 ). CDC uses the estimates of the impact of flu vaccination to inform policy and communications promoting...

Rutgers University and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey invite you to participate in their free professional development series focused on cancer education. While many of you participated in this series last year, the content for 2024 is new covering such topics as cancer survivorship, the microbiome, environmental health, and cancer health literacy. Montly sessions befin on Wednesday, February 14. Community CARES is an in-depth training program that will help you confidently promote...

From our friends at the CDC Office of Rural Health! We want to make you aware of a new four-part documentary series that was made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies and is available for streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App. This series, The Invisible Shield , includes discussions on many important topics, including public health infrastructure, public health data, health equity, and more. The fourth episode in the series may be of particular interest to you, as it explores the societal...

From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation No matter where we live in the world, we all want a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. We all want to live in a community where our loved ones have access to healthy foods, inviting green spaces, and safe affordable housing. A community where we engage, support, and maintain the health of our caregivers and grandparents. Many of the inequities that prevent communities in the United States from fulfilling these dreams are also...