September 10, 2024
Community Health Corner
The National Extension Framework for Health Equity and Well-being recommends using community development strategies and health literacy programs to ensure that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. The following resources help us improve well-being for all, and achieve Healthy Kansas 2030 and Healthy People 2030 objectives.
Kansas Health Equity Summit: Join professionals from across Kansas for the third annual Kansas Health Equity Summit on Oct. 30 (Wednesday) in Wichita! This year’s summit, hosted by KFMC Health Improvement Partners, will address the challenges of resource deserts and explore solutions to improve health equity in underserved communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to collaborate, learn, and drive meaningful change. Register here. The $150 in-person conference fee includes refreshments and lunch.
Food Programs May Not be Reaching Adolescents: As the “unwinding” takes place for many families who benefited from necessary medical, food and education programs during the pandemic, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health reminds us that adolescents may not be getting the food benefits they need to maintain their health and continue developing. Dr. Kristen Mmari, an adolescent health researcher at Johns Hopkins, discusses hidden food insecurity among teens in her March 2024 podcast and the accompanying article, The Hunger Gap. Mmari writes that “Many [teens] said they were shamed or bullied for needing food—and that they took risks to get it.” Her research was motivated by a 2016 Urban Institute report showing that food-insecure adolescents were taking serious risks to get food, including shoplifting and stealing. In some communities, teens tried to get arrested or fail out of school knowing they would be fed in jail and in remedial education programs.
USDA and HHS Discuss Strategies for Protecting Climate and Building Resilient Neighborhoods: Join experts from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 pm CT, as they share information and resources related to climate, climate change research, and strategies for more resilient and healthier environment. Also, learn more about Hispanic Access Foundation’s El Aire Que Respiramos: A Latino Community Science Project that improves air quality, health, and well-being. Register here through the HHS website.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu