Friday, June 28, 2019

Pain in the Nation Issue Brief: Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Suicide and the Millennial Generation — a Devastating Impact


Pain in the Nation Issue Brief:
Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Suicide and the Millennial Generation — a Devastating Impact
This issue brief, focused on the Millennial Generation, is a continuation of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Well Being Trust’sPain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Crises series. The Pain in the Nation series helps inform and create a comprehensive National Resilience Strategy.
 
This brief is focused on Millennials for numerous reasons: Millennials are dying due to alcohol and drug misuse and suicide in record numbers. Millennials are more than one-third of the workforce, they are the largest proportion of Americans serving in the military. About a quarter lack health insurance, many are burden by education debt, and, many are or will be parents responsible for the well-being of young children.
Key Findings: 2007–2017, 1834 Year Olds
  • 108 percent increase in drug related deaths
  • 69 percent increase in alcohol induced deaths
  • 35 percent increase in suicide deaths
Key Recommendations:
  • Assure patient access to evidence-based prevention, screening and treatment. Care must be culturally informed, medication-based substance misuse treatments should be available and covered by insurance.
  • Use pricing strategies to limit consumption of alcohol by adolescents and young adults.
  • Prioritize the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act to support prevention services for families in crisis and reduce foster care placements.
  • Invest more in research on and education about non-opioid and non-drug pain treatments.
  • Provide evidence-based substance misuse treatment within the criminal justice system and ensure that treatment continues and that employment opportunities exist after release.
  • Create substance misuse and suicide prevention programs that address the crisis in multiple settings and in novel ways, including by meeting young adults where they are.
  • Use telehealth to provide treatment in underserved areas.
  • Hospitals and birthing centers should screen new mothers for substance misuse disorders at delivery.
  • Transition programs for veterans returning to civilian life should be readily available.
TFAH's media contact: Rhea Farberman, 202-864-5941, RFarberman@TFAH.org

CONTACT
TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH
1730 M ST NW
SUITE 900
WASHINGTON, DC 20036
P (202) 223-9870
F (202) 223-9871

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

SEMINAR The Disease of Gun Violence?


Save the date for an upcoming seminar – Dr. Branas has done pioneering work on geography and other factors that underpin gun violence and we are pleased to host him for a seminar here next month! Learn more about Dr. Branas here. Please share with your networks.

Co-Sponsored by the Department of Epidemiology



The Disease of Gun Violence?

Charles Branas, PhD
Gelman Endowed Professor and Chair
Department of Epidemiology
Columbia University

Monday, July 29, 2019 | 12:00-1:00 PM
Education 1, Room 1400

With new found recognition of gun violence as a public health crisis, what is the state of the science in support of solutions, and is there value in thinking of gun violence as a disease?

View the presentation live via Zoom:https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/615383883

Seminar will be recorded and posted onwww.ucdenver.edu/epidemiology

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Rural Leadership Pathways Learning Initiative

Purpose

While people in rural places are supporting leadership development in ways that work for their context, national funders and players often don't know what those solutions are, aren’t always connected to them, and don't know how to best support them. In order to better partner with, support and connect rural leaders to advance social and economic opportunity that in turn lead to better health and well-being in their communities, RWJF is seeking a partner to design and implement a Rural Leadership Pathways learning initiative, to elucidate and make meaning of the unique leadership pathways, experiences and contexts in rural communities. Through this initiative, funders and, more broadly, the field of stakeholders interest in helping rural places thrive, will have opportunities to learn what is already working in rural places to develop, strengthen and advance rural leadership; what people are struggling to figure out; what they see as needs and gaps; and what the role of national players and funders could be.

Application Deadline: July 8


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Design Challenge

Mad*Pow and Health 2.0 Advocates have launched a design challenge, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We ask the health and design community to envision solutions that reshape everyday life to be healthier by default. 

Overview

The focus of this design challenge is to imagine how, in the near future, we might use technology to make health an integral part of our daily routines.
Many attempts to encourage healthy lifestyles rely on prompting people to make healthy decisions in the moment, while doing nothing to address the underlying infrastructure, norms, and culture that guide our behavior. For example, a FitBit might prompt us to take more steps, but it doesn’t touch the transportation infrastructure that makes commuting by car the default choice.
Our environment has made it hard to be healthy, and our health care system can’t keep up. The United States spends far more on health care than any country in the world and yet, in terms of health outcomes, we achieve dismal results. We seek solutions that improve health, not just by focusing on health care and medicine, but also by taking a new look at the fundamentals of our everyday lives.
How might we design the systems we use every day to yield health instead of sickness? Building health into our everyday lives means using design and technology to reshape how we eat, sleep, move from place to place, socialize, and entertain ourselves so that everyone can lead healthier lives by default.
Our panel of judges will choose two winning solutions: one design that targets specific healthy behaviors and one design that envisions broad, systemic change. Let us know if you are considering participating by submitting your intent. If you are interested in watching the recording of the Q&A webinar, you can do so here.
Submit your final design by August 31, 2019, by 11:59 PM ET.

Monday, June 24, 2019

ARTICLES Connectedness as a Protective Factor

Connectedness refers to a sense of being cared for, supported, and belonging, and can be centered on feeling connected to school, families, or other important people and organizations.

Youth who feel engaged and supported at school and at home in adolescence are less likely to experience negative health outcomes in adulthood.
CDC findings published today in Pediatrics suggest that youth who feel connected at home and at school were less likely to experience health risk behaviors related to mental health, violence, sexual health, and substance use in adulthood.
These findings suggest that increasing both school and family (i.e. parents and caregivers) connectedness during adolescence through school, family, and community-based approaches can potentially have a powerful impact on health outcomes later in life.
Schools, families, and healthcare providers have a major role in ensuring that adolescents feel engaged and connected. Concrete actions schools and families can take, as well as resources, are available on our new adolescent connectedness webpage.

Follow us on Twitter @CDC_DASH for more connectedness resources and graphics. We encourage you to share these resources with your colleagues.
For more information about CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), visit our website.
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Strong connections with family, schools, and communities can help prevent youth from committing violent and nonviolent offenses

High-quality parental relationships, and strong connections to schools and neighborhood communities, can help reduce violent and nonviolent offenses among youth, including those who have experienced maltreatment, according to research conducted by Child Trends experts. Findings indicate that youth who experienced maltreatment are at higher risk of becoming involved with the justice system. The research also examines protective factors that can benefit children who have experienced maltreatment, and aims to help families, communities, and schools understand how these factors affect potential involvement with the justice system.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Equity and Health in Housing Coverage

How Can We Connect Racial and Health Equity with Housing in News Coverage?
Housing impacts health. And systemic racial inequities in housing policies—from the legacies of redlining and segregation to immigration status and income—must be addressed to make both homes and health accessible to all. A news analysis from PHI's Berkeley Media Studies Group found that when public health departments and their partners make the equity and health aspects of housing a priority, those priorities (and connected solutions) appear more often in news coverage.

BMSG says start with the three Ps: protecting people from displacement; preserving existing affordable housing; and, producing new affordable housing. Read their full analysis, including seven recommendations for how practitioners and advocates can leverage policy and media strategies to make safe, affordable homes a reality.

Share on Twitter: How can we connect #RacialEquity & #HealthEquity w #housing in news coverage? See seven recommendations from @PHIdotorg's @BMSG for practitioners and advocates working to make safe, affordable homes a reality in their communities: bit.ly/2HNt2jK

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

EVENT Walk Like MADD Annual Events in Colorado


Join Mothers Against Drunk Driving for their Annual Event: 
Walk Like MADD

Denver - August 3rd
Sloan's Lake Park

Colorado Springs - September 7th
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Greeley - September 21st
Promontory Park


With every step taken and each dollar raised, we walk to save lives and support victims and survivors.