Kansas State University

The Community Health Corner

Submitted by Stephanie Gutierrez

Community health uses science-based approaches for the greatest health benefit to the greatest number of people by addressing the social, economic and structural drivers that impact everyone’s health.

The National Extension Framework for Health Equity and Well-being recommends using community development practices to ensure that every person has the opportunity to "attain his or her full health potential," and no one is "disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances." The following tools and resources can be used to improve health equity and well-being by working with communities to achieve the nation’s Healthy People 2030 objectives.

REGISTER NOW: Understanding the interconnections between humans and nature has been a topic of growing interest. This has led to new research that extends across traditional scientific research disciplines and the development of a variety of frameworks that consider relationships among people, animals and the environment. However, gaps remain in our understanding of these interconnections, in our ability to effectively translate new knowledge into policy and practice, and in how we engage with the broad range of researchers, communities, decision makers and other stakeholders that bring valuable perspectives to this topic. Register here for the webinar - Integrating Public and Ecosystem Health Systems to Foster Resilience and explore the interconnections between public health and nature.

GET INVOLVED NOW: Children’s Environmental Health (CEH) Day is coming up on October 13. Focused on action and equity, the goal of #CEHday is to collectively increase the visibility of children's environmental health issues while empowering individuals and organizations to take action on behalf of children nationwide. CEH Day is a platform for all of us advocating for a stable climate, clean air and water, safer food and products and healthier places for children to live, learn, play and heal. Get involved with CEH Day by joining or hosting an event, becoming an Official CEH Day partner, or helping to spread the word and raise visibility of children’s environmental health issues.

READ NOW: Technology has changed the way we interact with each other. Social media puts other people just keystrokes away. This helps some feel like they have more social support. But for others, it can increase isolation and depression. Researchers are investigating how social media affects mental health. They’re learning that who you meet and what you find online can mean the difference between helpful and harmful effects. Read How You Use It Matters to learn more about healthy social media habits.

For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu.