"Preconception Care Is not a Luxury"
Preconception health is only a worry for those trying to conceive. Or so nurse practitioner Mary M. Gottesman used to think. "I really rehabilitated my thinking that when a girl enters puberty that is preconception," she said.

African Immigrant HIV Summit in Rockville, MD.
The fourth and final summit for the National African HIV/AIDS Initiative will take place Sept.11-13, to bring awareness to the needs of African immigrants regarding HIV prevention messages. Registration is still open!

Sexually Transmitted Infections:
The Long Lasting Affect of a College "Hook-up".
Beyond the books and the rigors of academia, college is often seen as a time of independence, cutting the apron strings and finding yourself. But that independence can be peppered with desires for experimentation that can have detrimental and lasting effects, including sexually transmitted infections (STI).

September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month And as You Know: A Healthy Baby Begins with You
During September, OMH calls on State and local governments and offices of minority health to organize events and put forth proclamations to bring due attention to infant mortality and its prevalence among minorities. Register your event.

Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020
On September 4 and 5, the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 will be meeting via WebEx. The meeting will be open to the public as a live, streaming webcast. Registration for this meeting will remain open until 9:00 AM (EDT) on Thursday, September 4, 2008.

Submit Promising Practices in the Fight against Infant Mortality
Do you know of any program, initiative or project in your State or community that is making in a difference in infant mortality awareness and prevention? OMH wants to hear about it. Include contact information and brief description (150 words) of the programs' merits. Please, submit your suggestions to info@omhrc.gov by September 15, 2008.

RPN Corner
The RPN application is NOW available online and should greatly streamline the application process for everyone involved in furthering OMHRC's mission. Be sure to check back in the RPN corner of the web site!

Preconception Peer Educators Pilot Program for College Students
OMH is conducting a pilot of the Preconception Peer Educators (PPE) Program on college's campuses this September, for Infant Mortality Awareness Month. Graduates will work in community health promotion and outreach.

Funding Focus
The focus in this issue is on community grants. Do you know of any organization that is doing great work but could use an infusion of funds? If so, please send them here.

September is African Heritage Month
Under the theme "The Strength of Our Capacity through Cultural and Community Identity," African immigrants in States and cities across America are coming together to celebrate their heritage and culture to build a better culture. See a calendar of events and learn more about Continental African Community.

Event to Note
SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE! 2008 United States Conference on AIDS, the largest AIDS-related gathering in the United States, will be held in September 18-21, 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, FL

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