If you haven’t yet, there is still time to register for the annual Strides for Stroke on Saturday May 20^th! Join survivors and community members in a walk to honor all Minnesotans who live with the effects of stroke. Details and registrations are linked here.

This event is run by the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance.

The Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA) Board of Directors is very proud of a new report released by our affiliate titled, "Gun Violence in Arizona: Data to Inform Prevention Policies"

AzPHA identified firearm violence as a priority in our strategic planning process last year. AzPHA member (and former MN affiliate member!) Allan Williams, MPH, PhD helped mentor Julia Jackman, an MSc Candidate in Global Health Fulbright Study and Research to complete this comprehensive report.

While it paints a bleak picture (the lifetime risk of death by firearm is 1 in 81 Arizonans), this report will serve as an invaluable advocacy tool. And we hope can help serve other APHA affiliates and sections!  

• View full report
  
• View key findings 

The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Family Development invites you to participate in one or more of our FREE webinars that support families and those who serve families in making informed decisions that lead to greater health, resilience and well-being.

All webinars are virtual and free. Click here for more information about the webinar series! A flier highlighting the eight series can be accessed here.

Give Kids a Smile is a charitable outreach program that provides free dental care to underserved children (typically ages 3-18). Dental clinics throughout the state volunteer to provide these services during Children’s Dental Health Month.

Click here to find a clinic!

WHEN IS IT?

February 3 and 4, 2023

(Some clinics hold events on alternative dates.)

LOCATION?

Volunteer dental clinics across the state.

HOW ARE APPOINTMENTS MADE?

Families can locate a participating clinic by visiting www.mndental.org/gkas or contacting the United Way by dialing 2-1-1 or texting the zip code to 898-211. They can then contact the clinic directly to schedule an appointment.

February 7, 2023, 6:00 – 8:00 pm @ Summit Brewery (910 Montreal Ave, St. Paul)

Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate (HPHC) is thrilled to host our first in-person happy hour event in almost three years! With the strong possibility of passing meaningful climate policy to protect public health in 2023, we’ve invited key committee chairs to talk about proposed climate action in the upcoming legislative session. We’ll hear from Rep. Patty Acomb, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Sen. Nick Frentz, Sen. Scott Dibble and Chris Conry, Executive Director of the 100% Campaign. We also want to share details on what HPHC has been up to, and our plans for 2023.

Come join us and enjoy appetizers, beverages, and community with other like-minded health professionals at Summit Brewery in St. Paul on Feb. 7!

$10/person - includes vegetarian appetizers. Cash bar available.

Click here to RSVP!

The Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, Minnesota Rural Health Association, and National Rural Health Resource Center invite proposals for presentations to be delivered at the 2023 Minnesota Rural Health Conference, on June 12-13 in Duluth. The conference theme is "Reconnect. Renew. Revitalize."

PROPOSALS

Proposals for 60-minute oral presentations and panel discussions that align with one of the conference’s three tracks — Social Drivers of Health, Innovations and Sustainability, and Workforce — are encouraged. Proposal submissions must include at least one presenter who is a rural health care provider, student, person with lived experience, or a person working at a rural health care organization or facility.

DEADLINE

The deadline to submit a proposal online is Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 4 p.m. CT.

The proposal form and additional details about the submission process can be found online here.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Minnesota Rural Health Conference annually seeks to support, connect, and inspire rural health professionals and leaders from across the state as they work toward the goal of building healthy communities. The conference typically attracts a range of attendees: health care executives; health care providers and other professionals; network directors; policy analysts and other researchers; health plan and accountable care organization representatives; educators; staff from government agencies; health professions students; and community members, leaders, and activists.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions about the proposal process, please contact us at ruralhealthconference@ruralcenter.org.

Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and Breck School in Golden Valley will host the 9th Annual MLK Holiday Weekend of Service on Sunday, January 15, 2023. This year’s theme is "Edify with Sweet Potato Comfort Pie: A Piece of Unity in Action”. Mark your calendar for this free hybrid event! This year’s celebration will mark the 94th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please register soon to receive final details and help us establish an accurate headcount for all activities.

Click here to register!

A pre-program will begin promptly at 1:00 PM with the unveiling of seven new honorees of the “Character Values: Upholding Our Beloved Community" Photo Exhibit.

Proceeding the unveiling, the program will begin with the Pie Procession of 94 pies led by community members to honor Dr. King. You have the option to register and join us virtually if you would like.

This simple but powerful act of preparing and sharing sweet potato pie is a revered practice for comforting one another and strengthening our human connection. There will be presentations, awards, and critical racial dialogues among participants - all done in the spirit of Ubuntu to remind us that each of us is who we are because of our beloved community.

If you would like to contribute to this work, donations can be made as you register - or at www.SweetPotatoComfortPie.org.

PLEASE NOTE:

• (VIRTUAL ATTENDEES ONLY) You must register for the event, and then you will be sent a ZOOM link to receive a sign-in for the day of the event.
• T he pre-program will not be live-streamed.
• The 94 pies will be baked on Saturday, January 14th. In addition, pie slices will be offered to all in-person attendees.

HeartCorps is the American Heart Association’s (AHA) effort within the Public Health AmeriCorps program. AHA designed the program to specifically focus on rural communities. Members – who will receive a variety of benefits – are to be placed at host sites to carry out work around blood pressure control, nutrition education, and more. One of those sites in is Minnesota, at the SW Minnesota Opportunity Council.

Click here for more details!

Candidates can either apply through the website or just email their resume to HeartCorps@heart.org. The final cohort will start January 23rd. Members serve 1700 hours and for their time they will receive a $15/hr stipend, a $6500 educational grant, and access to health insurance if needed. The educational grant is transferable to a family member.

This would a great role for someone who is interested in a career in or adjacent to public health, a recent college grad, or someone looking to reenter the workforce while supporting their community’s health. Apply today!

St. Catherine University is pleased to announce $1.5 million in new scholarship funding for students pursuing public health careers as Community Health Workers. Please pass this message on to anyone in your community who may be interested in careers in community and public health.

This federal grant will support students pursuing the Community Health Worker certificate, or the bachelor's in Public Health degree with a Community Health Worker concentration. Courses are offered online through St. Kate's College for Adults.

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who serves as an intermediary between health and social services and clients, working to increase access to health services and improve the quality and cultural competency of healthcare delivery. Students in the program gain skills in health communication, cultural competency, and health education, and get real-world experience with a community partner.

Scholarships will be awarded to a limited number of students to cover the full tuition cost of the certificate program, or 24 credits of the public health bachelor's program. Scholarships will be awarded twice annually over the next three years.

Anyone interested is invited to:

Request information on the Community Health Worker certificate or bachelor's in Public Health program

Join us for an online information session: January 17 at 12:00 p.m. (Central)

St. Kate's also offers a Master of Public Health in Global Health program.

AHA is excited to announce that Pulitzer Prize winning author, journalist and National Humanities Medal recipient, Isabel Wilkerson, will give the opening keynote address at AHA’s 2023 Accelerating Health Equity Conference, May 16-18, in Minneapolis.

Wilkerson’s debut book, The Warmth of Other Suns, follows the journey of three African Americans fleeing the repressive Jim Crow south, as they join six million more in what would come to be known as America’s Great Migration. Her second book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, examines the laws and practices that led to a Black and white caste system – or hierarchy – in the United States. For more information on Ms. Wilkerson, click here!