MPH NEWSLETTER VOL. 23
WE’RE HERE TO HELP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT & IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY / IMPROVEMENT PLAN!
Hi there,
Spring is nearly in full bloom — a perfect time for a fresh start and annual reset in all areas of life!
March was Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, reminding us how essential procedures such as cancer screenings are to our well-being. In this month’s newsletter, we’re taking a closer look at preventive health measures, with a spotlight on cancer screenings and why they matter.
This is your sign to book that test, make that appointment, or reach out to that provider and put yourself first! And reach out to us anytime to learn more about what we do - Community Health Needs Assessments and CHIPs/Implementation Strategies! Set up a FREE discovery call with us here.
Stay healthy,
IN THE NEWS…
We have an exciting free event coming up and we hope you're able to join us!
On Apr 23 from 12-1:30pm we are lucky to be hosting public figure Diana Boggs for a meaningful talk about what it means to identify as part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, share some of her lived experiences, and engage in a meaningful discussion about how gender and sexuality impact health. It is so important as public health professionals to learn about the identities of the people we serve, don't miss out on this great learning and networking opportunity! Bring your lunch and your questions - these sessions are casual and we encourage you to use your mic and camera. See you there!
We’ve just launched something new and exciting for ALL of our past, current, and future clients… the Moxley Public Health Client Community!
In the spirit of putting COMMUNITY back in community health, we’ve launched a brand new online platform to connect our amazing clients! This space offers messaging, resource sharing, and monthly office hours with expert consultants and peers — all designed to spark collaboration and elevate your work. Once you're a client, you're part of the community for good.
Public Health Need Spotlight
Preventive health measures are actions taken to detect or reduce the risk of illness before symptoms appear. These include things like regular checkups, immunizations, lifestyle counseling, and crucially—screenings for early detection of diseases like cancer.
At Moxley Public Health we make it a priority to assess availability and uptake of preventive health measures in our clients’ communities - and set goals for improvement! Check out our work samples to see how.
did you know?
The U.S.’s Healthy People Data shows that in 2020, only 5.3% of adults age 35 years and older received all recommended high-priority preventive health measures - a marked decrease from previous years.
This article from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion goes on to discuss how the pandemic likely impacted this statistic…
the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated [decreased health-seeking behavior] — particularly because of generally prolonged periods of severely curtailed access to clinical services — but it didn’t and doesn’t account for the whole story. Other chronic barriers include lack of awareness about what preventive services are recommended and myriad social determinants such as cost, not having a primary care provider, living too far from providers, or lacking adequate transportation — just to name a few. To improve access to [preventive health measures] at population scales, we must recognize and address the many variables that affect people’s awareness of such services and increase their willingness and ability to seek them.
tips & tricks of the month
Looking at setting community health improvement goals for preventive health measures in your community? One of the U.S.’s Healthy People 2030 goals is…
Help people get recommended preventive health care services
Check out their overview of the goal, related objectives, as well as evidence-based resources to back up the objectives. Aligning your improvement plan with this checks requirements off your list and gives you a great framework to start digging into how improvement can be actualized.
public health organization spotlight
In the U.S., cancer screening guidelines are developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and are based on age, gender, personal risk factors, and family history.
Check out the link to discover the USPSTF’s online resource, designed to help individuals across the country understand what current and emerging research says about preventive screenings and when to get them.
mph favorites to share with you…
Stephanie turned 45 in February and got her first colonoscopy based on these recommendations from the CDC. She felt this was important to share as this can be a life-saving procedure that catches cancer early!
We no longer see first hand why childhood vaccines are so important since we have largely eradicated many childhood diseases with the help of vaccines. Caroline thinks it is so important to look back at the history of these diseases and vaccines to remind ourselves why these vaccines are important not only for our own health but also for the health of those around us. Check out this article to learn more!
Looking for a shortcut to find the recommended preventive health measures that are recommended for you and your family members’ age groups and sexes? Look no further - the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has a super use-friendly tool called MyHealthfinder that gives you JUST the information you need in a way you can actually understand!
