Funding is available from Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) for small, non-profit organizations to attend this conference, which is primarily for members of community-based efforts (coalitions, grassroots organizations, etc.) and nonprofit organizations that use data to advance their health equity or health disparities work and are willing to learn and share their experience with others: http://bit.ly/UKUu0K

Conducting a thorough assessment of a community’s needs, resources and demographics serves as one of the first and most important steps for anti-drug coalition development. Coalitions can then use this qualitative and quantitative demographic data to guide evidence-based initiatives to address their unique local conditions and target audiences challenged by substance abuse. Community-based organizations can learn to better use this data and other sources of knowledge to promote health equity and address health disparities by attending the National Health Equity Data Conference, entitled “Knowledge for Equity: Using Data to Address Health Disparities,” from Nov. 13-14 in Silver Spring, Md.

“Knowledge for Equity: Using Data to Address Health Disparities” will be designed to support community based efforts to access, analyze, and use existing national, state, or local data. In addition to CADCA, conference partners include Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, The Prevention Institute, PolicyLink, the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, and the Community Indicators Consortium. The conference will be held in conjunction with the annual conference of the Community Indicators Consortium (CIC) in College Park, Maryland, on Nov. 15-16.

Nourishing USA is a United States-based nationwide anti-hunger advocacy program that strives to achieve “nutrition for all” in America. Nourishing USA has released two downloadable guides to assist organizations providing food and nutrition programs to their community.

The Junior Chef Teaching Guide (http://bit.ly/P8fNsr) is a step-by-step guide on how to successfully teach a Junior Chef Class in your neighborhood. This guide includes recipes, child-friendly handouts, and full instructions on running a class and teaching low-income children about eating healthy.

The Soup Kitchen Culinary & Nutritional Guide (http://bit.ly/TwpamD) is intended to be used as a culinary and nutritional resource to help create nutritionally balanced menus at your community food program. This guide includes tools for you such as 52 weekly recipes, nutrition label, and a “why is this meal healthy for me” handout for each recipe. These recipes are portioned for fifty and include ingredients most used in soup kitchens across America.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Forward Promise is a $9.5 million initiative that focuses on innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle school- and high school-aged boys and young men of color.  With this call for proposals RWJF will award up to 10 grants of up to $500,0oo each to  support projects with preliminary evidence of impact in the following areas:

• Alternative approaches to harsh school discipline that do not push students out of school
• Solutions that focus on dropout prevention and increasing middle school retention and high school graduation rates
• Mental health interventions that tailor approaches to boys and young men who have experienced and/or been exposed to violence and trauma
• Career training programs that blend workforce and education emphases to ensure that students are college- and career-ready

Forward Promise reflects RWJF’s belief that it is essential to focus on what makes people healthy – or unhealthy – from a perspective that includes factors outside of the medical care system.  Social influences rooted in neighborhoods, housing, schools, jobs, and economic security have a powerful effect on our health.  Across most of these areas, however, boys and young men of color often have limited positive options.  Have a program with the potential to achieve fundamental breakthroughs in improving outcomes for young men of color?  Learn more about Forward Promise and submit a proposal today by visiting this site:  http://bit.ly/O03M5g

Application Deadline: October 10, 2012

Submit an Abstract to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice About Your Experiences with Academic Health Departments 

“In partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), PHF is calling for abstracts for an upcoming Academic Health Department (AHD)-themed issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Scheduled to appear in November/December 2013, this issue will highlight partnerships between academic health professions institutions and public health practice organizations, such as state or local health departments, which are designed to enhance public health education and training, research, and service.”  bit.ly/NHrtyU [Public Health Foundation]

The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services to better address the needs of individuals with mental health and substance use condition.  The Center has regular webinars for health center and behavioral staff.  Registration is required and limited to 1,000 participants.

Upcoming webinars:

Integrating Behavioral Health in Community and Migrant Health Centers:  Motivation, Readiness, & Cultural Challenges
When: August 23, 2012, 12:00–1:30 pm (Eastern)

Understanding the Disease of Addiction and the Recovery Process in Health Center Settings
When: Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 12:00-1:30pm Eastern Time

To see upcoming webinars and archived recordings of previous webinars: http://1.usa.gov/O5pHKK

August 5-11, 2012, is National Health Center Week. According to HRSA, in 2011, community health centers provided care to more than 20 million patients in every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin.

Learn more about community health centers: http://1.usa.gov/ObqfA2

Read the Presidential Proclamation on National Health Center Week: http://1.usa.gov/NnPXOa

The Centers for Disease Control has announced action steps to address health and educational disparities among students. Included are focusing programmatic efforts, raising awareness, building partnerships, and documenting impact. See more details here: http://1.usa.gov/ThTro8

The summer is a great time to try new fruits and vegetables, but it can be a challenge to find locally grown food, especially for us city-dwellers.  The US Department of Agriculture makes it easy to find Farmers Markets nearby.  You can search for farmers markets by zip code and limit by products available and payment accepted (including WIC and SNAP).

Find a farmers market near you: http://bit.ly/Nz1Y63

The American Journal of Public Health has issued a special supplement on Integrating Primary Care and Public Health.  The issue’s articles are all open access, which means you can access them without a subscription.

Read the issue: http://bit.ly/NHttJ0

The Disruptive Women in Health Care blog, http://bit.ly/Mj3eWr, says good air quality is an important factor in respiratory health. Fresh air can be hard to find in some urban areas, and planning for green space in cities can offset serious health consequences. Read more about the benefits of parks and open spaces, and planning them for your community: http://bit.ly/MjmNN7