ATTENTION APHA MEMBERS!

ISC Disasters and Emergency Preparedness Webinar, "COVID Vaccine: What Works and What Doesn't"

Thursday, March 25, from 2 - 3 PM EDT

Join a team of a team of scientific, legal and communications experts to discuss strategies and best practices in combating misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Click here to register for this webinar!

Attention MPHA and APHA Members! You are invited and encouraged to attend!

COVID Collaborative is hosting a Fireside Chat with Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, the Chair of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, on March 23 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm ET.

The event will be focused on the critical topic of equity and COVID-19 and will be a discussion between Dr. Nunez-Smith and the co-chairs of the COVID Collaborative, former Governors Deval Patrick (D-MA) and Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID). COVID Collaborative is honored to co-host the event with the NAACP, UnidosUS, and the National Congress of American Indians. Each of these groups will provide targeted questions to our moderators about the equity challenges facing the communities they represent. After the initial discussion, there will be a moderated Q&A during which time you can ask Dr. Nunez-Smith questions through the chat function.

To RSVP, please visit this link. The event will be hosted on Zoom, and we will share the link for the webinar days before the event.

School of Public Health Research Day

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021

Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am

Location: Virtual

School of Public Health Research Day provides our students and faculty an opportunity to showcase their research activities and other scholarly work with the public health community. Join us Thursday, April 15, at 9:00 a.m. to hear presentations that will highlight their innovative thinking and concrete action to tackle some of the world’s most emerging and persistent public health challenges. This year, Research Day will be held completely online! All virtual activities are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit sph.umn.edu/researchday

From the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, join us for:

Bite-Sized Learning: Race Equity with the League of Minnesota Cities

Friday, March 12, 2021, 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

VirtualLive/Online

Fee: Free

Dave Unmacht, executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities and Irene Kao, General Counsel for Intergovernmental Relations at the League will give an overview of the League’s strategic plan for race equity. They will share why the League has prioritized this work and what they are hearing from member cities around the state.  

The Bite-Sized Learning events are designed by MCN’s Greater Minnesota team to keep us connected across the state. While the topics are chosen to meet the needs of Greater Minnesota, all are welcome here!  Each event will have a short presentation (10-20 minutes) along with plenty of time for networking and discussion on the designated topic. Bring your questions and expertise on the topic! With our cameras and microphones on, we can stay connected, learn, and support one another. 

Event Detail

Speaker Information

Irene Kao is the Intergovernmental Relations Counsel at the League of Minnesota Cities, where she advocates on behalf of cities at the state legislature, specifically on issues of data practices, open meeting law, land use, procurement, and civil liability. Irene also has been part of the League’s race equity efforts since 2016, including efforts today to work internally with staff and externally with cities and community stakeholders.



David Unmacht is executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities, a membership organization dedicated to promoting excellence in local government. The League serves its more than 830 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management and other services. It conducts research and analysis that helps contribute to better informed decisions in municipal government including economic development, and its advocacy efforts help to generate a better economic development environment for the communities where we all live, work, and play.

More information & registration:

http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org/events/event-detail/2021/03/12/default-calendar/bite-sized-learning-race-equity-with-the-league-of-minnesota-cities

Hamline University's Center for Justice and Law in partnership with the Ostara Initiative, the Minnesota Prison Doula Project, and the Alabama Birth Project presents our Spring conference Reproductive In(Justice): Birth Behind Bars featuring local and national advocates, community members, and leaders on Friday, April 30th 10:00am-2:30pm CST.

Join us for an in-depth conversation centering the experiences of incarcerated people navigating pregnancy and birthing. This four and a half hour event will include a series of panels, conversations, and a Keynote with cross-sector justice-impacted leaders, activists, scholars, and practitioners. Our last panel will highlight the advocacy efforts underway across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Alabama to elevate awareness on legal and policy initiatives for reproductive justice. Stay tuned for the final speaker announcement.

Click here to register!

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/isuroons-international-women-of-african-descent-day-virtual-conference-tickets-142020588403

Isuroon invites you to our International Women of African Descent Day Virtual Conference on Monday, March 8th from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CST

About this Event

Join us for a day of knowledge and information with a particular focus on the growth and development of women of African descent. Through panel discussions, presentations, and interactive workshops, we will address key issues impacting the wellbeing of women of African descent including:

• economic inequality
• culturally sensitive healthcare
• COVID-19 and its impact on women of color
• emotional health and resiliency
• the Muslim Ban and its effect on African communities
• political involvement to drive positive change

The conference will provide learning and skill-building opportunities for community members, healthcare professionals, government workers, organizers, and allies seeking to develop authentic relationships with People of Color and Indigenous communities. Over the course of the day, we will honor the strength of our women, families, and communities; address the disparities that exist in Minnesota and the United States; and identify ways that we can promote the lives of women of African descent.

While the event is free, Isuroon is encouraging donations to support our culturally appropriate halal food shelves. Visit the link to donate, thank you for your support!

2021 Summer Public Health Institute

Hosted by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, The Summer Public Health Institute provides a space where innovation happens, allowing faculty and experts to create short courses that respond to current advances in their fields. Most courses span one week and provide participants with applied research and practice skills that can be used right away.

The Institute will be held exclusively online this year. Utilizing Canvas and Zoom, classes will be featuring a mix of live zoom activities in addition to recorded lectures and online activities. 

26 courses offered in the following topic areas:

• Culturally Responsive Practice 

• Food Protection and Safety 

• Emerging Infectious Diseases 

• Health of Communities and Families 

• Impacts of Globalization 

• Preparedness, Response and Recovery 

• Research Methods 

Refer to the registration page on the website for instructions: https://z.umn.edu/PHI2021

Questions: contact phi@umn.edu

Attention MPHA Community!

Check out this six-part webinar training from ChangeLab Solutions. 

https://www.changelabsolutions.org/webinar-series-uprooting-drivers-health-inequity

First webinar begins on Mar 5, 2021 12:00 noon CST, with the topic: "Uprooting the Structural Drivers of Health Inequity: Growing Policy Solutions for Improved Community Health"

Description

GROWING POLICY SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVED COMMUNITY HEALTH is the first session in ChangeLab Solutions’ six-part virtual engagement series, Uprooting the Structural Drivers of Health Inequity.

In this session, we will kick off the series with a discussion of how organizations and advocates are addressing inequity in their efforts to improve health outcomes, bringing together three leaders in public health and health equity to discuss these questions:

· What are the structural drivers of health inequity?

· How are different sectors — including community-based organizations, government, and funders — addressing these drivers to advance structural solutions?

· How are leaders re-imagining their approaches in the context of the pandemic, economic crisis, and a growing movement for racial justice?

Speakers:

· Oxiris Barbot, MD, adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and senior fellow for public health and social justice at The JPB Foundation

· Wendoly Marte, director of economic justice at Community Change

· Cara James, PhD, president and CEO at Grantmakers in Health

· Sarah de Guia, JD, CEO at ChangeLab Solutions (Moderator)

MPHA Members:

You are invited to participate in a unique initiative addressing the high rates of racial disparities in infant mortality that affect Region 5.  The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is working in partnership with HRSA Office of Regional Operations (ORO) to convene a webinar series that will consider root causes of racial disparities that can further inform and strengthen state-initiated efforts to eliminate racial disparities in infant mortality.  The webinars are intended to augment and align with existing state plans, catalyze further action, and accelerate efforts to eliminate racial disparities in infant mortality. 

 

The first webinar will take place on Thursday, February 25, 2021, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm CST with a “Call to Action” for state teams and key partners, and continue with monthly webinars through 2021.  Interested partners may register through the following link from CityMatCH for the kick-off: https://unmc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwlf-qrqzMpGN0B63xxfJiqlkPRshogWQai.

 

The Webinar content will focus on foundational issues, with state and local examples, including historical context, the role of racism, social determinants of health, community engagement, and turning data to action. Attendees will also examine opportunities to impact the systems and policies which play into perpetuating racism and, as a result, maintain persistent health inequities amongst different racial and ethnic groups.

 

Black-White racial inequities in infant mortality in Region 5 are among the worst in the nation. 

Here are some key statistics:

·         At the Regional level, the Black infant mortality rate (IMR) and absolute Black-White IMR gap are highest for Region 5.  

·         At the state-level, five of the ten states with the highest Black IMRs are located in Region 5 and four of the five states with the highest absolute Black-White IMR gap are in Region 5. 

·         At the county-level, five of the ten counties with the most excess Black infant deaths are located in Region 5. 

·         Infant mortality rates for the Native American community are also unacceptably high in Region 5. 

 

Your participation is critical, as your organization has the power to impact the systems and policies which play into perpetuating racism and, as a result, maintain persistent health inequities amongst different racial and ethnic groups.  We hope that our collaboration throughout the course of the foundational webinars and beyond can accelerate the existing work in Region 5.

 

Despite years of hard work at the federal, state, and local levels, we know disparities in infant mortality have persisted and in some areas have gotten worse. We cannot win this fight alone or in our separate silos, and hope you will join us as we work to eliminate racial disparities and achieve infant health equity in Region 5.  For questions or more information on the webinar series, please contact the Region 5 MCHB Project Officer, Kathy K. Best, at kbest@hrsa.gov.