Posts Tagged ‘health equity’

Programs that Advance Health Equity

April 25th, 2013

If you live in or have visited the rural towns and cities in Arizona, it’s not a surprise that many of these rural locations don’t have enough healthcare providers. Based on current provider shortage data from the federal HRSA, we need an additional 170 primary care providers and 54 mental health providers to adequately care for its underserved populations. 

April is Minority Health Month and a great time to highlight one of our programs that addresses provider shortages and improves health equity in rural and underserved areas. The First Things First Early Childhood Therapist Incentives Program provides stipends and loan repayment to Speech & Language Pathologists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, Child Psychologists, and Mental Health Specialists who provide early childhood development services in rural and underserved areas.  

The program currently has 30 providers participating and will be accepting applications until June 15 for providers in 9 rural counties.  Visit the First Things First Early Childhood Therapist Incentives Program for eligibility and application details.  This program is one of several incentives that can help bring more providers to undeserved areas of the state. Visit the workforce programs web site for information on other programs.

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Posted in Licensing

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Guide to Community Prevention Services

October 3rd, 2012

Every so often- you run into a resource guide that stands above the rest.  I discovered one of those a couple of weeks ago when I was at a conference with the people in my job from around the country.  It’s called the Guide to Community Preventive Services – and it’s a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in communities.  The easy to read resource guide answers questions like: 1) Which program and policy interventions have been proven effective; 2) Are there effective interventions that are right for my community; and 3) What might effective interventions cost and what’s the return on investment? 

There are modules on different public health topics- and the evidence-based information is printed in colorful, easy-to-read formats.  Subjects include much of our core strategic plan activities in health and wellness including: Adolescent Health; Alcohol; Asthma; Birth Defects; Cancer; Cardiovascular Disease; Diabetes; Emergency Preparedness; Health Communication; Health Equity; HIV/AIDS,STD’s, Pregnancy; Mental Health; Motor Vehicle Injury; Nutrition; Obesity; Oral Health; Physical Activity; Social Environment; Tobacco Use; Vaccines; Violence; and Worksites.  Learn more about The Community Guide, collaborators involved in its development and dissemination, and methods used to conduct the systematic reviews.

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Posted in Prevention

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Health Disparities

July 27th, 2012

Lots of risk factors contribute to health disparities…  and many of the risk factors are called “social determinants of health.” A couple of months ago we (with our community partners), launched the Social Determinants of Health educational series to boost professional development and program planning so Arizona’s public health team can better address health equity and improve health status for vulnerable populations in Arizona.   A wide range of speakers have presented and shared their knowledge and expertise. So far, nine sessions have been conducted, and three more sessions are on the way. Continuing education credits are available for all the sessions.  Two PBS documentary programs, Race: The Power of an Illusion and UNNATURAL CAUSES are being used to guide an open discussion about race and the impact of social determinants on health. 

Employees are encouraged to attend these dynamic and informative sessions for their professional development. Contact Hong Chartrand from the Arizona Health Disparities Center for more information.

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Posted in General

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