News

September is dedicated to Suicide Prevention Month

*If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call or text 988 Although it’s important to address suicide prevention year-round, September is set aside as a dedicated month to address the very difficult topic. At the local level, the County Health Rankings (data from 2016-2020) show that Cambria County experienced 126 deaths by [...]

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day

Raising community awareness and remembering those who lost their lives to an overdose is the goal of International Overdose Awareness Day, which falls on August 31. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), it’s “the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose and remember those who died without stigma and acknowledge the grief [...]

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month is observed annually in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for everyone, especially children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “On-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.” Extensive lab testing is done before vaccines [...]

Community Health Summit held for local groups to review area needs

In an all-day conference August 9, social service organizations, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and non-profit groups from Cambria and Somerset counties gathered at the Living-Learning Center on the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s campus for a Community Health Summit, as part of the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process. The summit featured morning sessions [...]

Economic Stability affects all aspects of health

Economic stability is a major domain of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) affecting nearly every aspect of a person’s health. “Poor families and individuals are most likely to live in unsafe homes and neighborhoods, often with limited access to healthy foods, employment options, and quality schools,” writes Healthy People 2030. According to Healthy People 2030, [...]

CHWs can open an Employment Pathway for participants

When a Community Health Worker (CHW) visits with their participant, the Employment Pathway is one of the 21 Pathways that can be identified as a need. Once the participant recognizes that Employment is necessary and wants to find a job, the CHW opens the Pathway. A participant can list many reasons they are looking for [...]

July is National Minority Mental Health Month

While mental illness can affect people of any race, ethnicity, or background, racial minorities often face unique struggles. To understand those struggles better, Minority Mental Health Awareness Month began in 2008 and has taken place every July since. This year’s theme “Beyond the Numbers” calls attention to the history of minorities and how their resilience [...]

Community Care HUB releases informational video

The Community Care HUB, an initiative of the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health, has released a video to explain its work in Cambria and Somerset counties. A HUB is an organized, outcome-focused, network of Care Coordination Agencies (CCAs) who hire and train Community Health Workers (CHWs). Developed by the Pathways Community HUB Institute, the [...]

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Every year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with at least one mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly 1 in 5 (52.9 million in 2020) adults in the United States have a mental illness. Collaborating and having productive conversations to provide more and better mental health services [...]

Climate has major effects on population health

April 22 is Earth Day. It’s a time to join forces and commit to an action plan to take better care of our world, which will help to take better care of people. One of the largest threats affecting people’s health is climate change. Climate change affects clean air, safe drinking water, food, and shelter [...]

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