MPH NEWSLETTER VOL. 13
WE’RE HERE TO HELP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT & IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY / IMPROVEMENT PLAN!
Hi there,
We couldn’t resist sharing this adorable valentine from the CDC with our favorite people. Happy February, American Heart Month, and Black History Month!
In 2019, African Americans were 30% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites (CDC, 2022). This month, our team is reflecting on this health inequity and the many factors - biological, social, that contribute to it. We as public health professionals feel that it is our duty to understand how race (and other socially constructed identities) interact and impact health.
As always, our focus this month is to collect and transform data into actionable and usable results. Reach out to us anytime to learn more about Community Health Needs Assessments and CHIPs/Implementation Strategies! Set up a FREE discovery call with us here.
Stay healthy,
Coming up…
You won’t want to miss this one - since Stephanie is at the MAPP 2.0 training in Washington DC, other members of the Moxley Public Health team have put together an AMAZING session on the unique perspectives that interviews and focus groups bring to the community health assessment process. See you there!
in the news…
Did you hear? Our CEO Stephanie Moxley had an amazing conversation with Omari Richins from the Public Health Millennial. She shared her story and talked about her passion for building community-based implementation strategies/improvement plans.
Public health careers are rarely linear. We love connecting with our peers through channels like podcasts to share our stories, collaborate, and ultimately contribute to the strength and capacity of the public health workforce!
public health need spotlight
Cardiovascular Disease describes several types of heart conditions, the most common being coronary artery disease, which decreases blood flow to the heart (often through the build-up of plaque in the arteries known as atherosclerosis). This can in many cases, lead to what is colloquially known as a “heart attack”.
Cardiovascular disease is a complicated public health challenge because factors from genetics, to diet, to lifestyle, to income, and even our gender, race, place of residence, and social status can affect our risk. Learn more about heart disease in the US by visiting this CDC Portal.
did you know?
One person dies every 33 seconds in the US from cardiovascular disease. It is the leading cause of death for most men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups.
Almost all of us have had an intimate experience with cardiovascular disease-related loss. Many consider heart disease to be the leading public health challenge in the US. This American Heart Month, make sure to learn more about your personal risk factors, and the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
tips & tricks of the month
This year the CDC released American Heart Month 2024 Toolkits and there’s one for public health professionals!
You seriously need to check out their Surveillance and Evaluation Data Resource Guide (for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs), when you are looking at heart disease/stroke prevention program planning, policy, or surveillance. It includes national and state level data, and even a section of interactive databases for heart health that ANYONE can access.
public health organization spotlight
This Black History Month, we want to spotlight the Live to the Beat Campaign from Million Hearts and the CDC Foundation!
Catered to Black adults ages 35-54 with PSAs, educational videos, personal stories, print/online materials, and more, the campaign encourages taking small steps to address key risk factors for heart disease. Anyone can use their PulseCheck tool today to make learning about heart healthy living fun!
mph favorites to share with you…
Steph’s recommendation this American Heart Health month is getting a coronary calcium scan (otherwise known as a calcium score test, cardiac CT for calcium scoring, or coronary artery calcium test)! This detects atherosclerosis and can identify heart attack-causing blockages in the arteries BEFORE they happen. This quick, low cost, and noninvasive screening procedure can be completed locally in most communities, and just requires a referral from any health care provider.
Does thinking about increasing your physical activity to improve heart health make you feel… Demotivated? Looking for something new to spice up your workout routine? Try this super fun workout channel that our team LOVES - @emkfit. Her modern, hilarious, and diverse videos for pilates and stretching are sure to have your heart racing and you having fun!
For any data nerds out there, check out this special publication from the Census Bureau for Black History Month! It’s important to stay up to date on newly released data, and these publications are a great way to do just that!
This month, Shamarra recommends this colorful and understandable booklet from the National Institute of Health that contains TONS of information and practical tools (with a focus on the needs of African Americans) to improve heart health. There’s even an emergency contact card that you can print!
what our team is thinking about this month…
Reflect and share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms below - we would love to hear from you!
