Blogs

This report tracks 19 indicators related to climate change and health in Connecticut. Its purpose is to
inform policymakers, health professionals, advocates, and residents about the impact of climate change, now
and in the future, on human health in Connecticut. The indicators have been developed using publicly available
data from state and federal agencies, peer-reviewed literature, and medical associations. Where possible,
we directly track trends in health impacts (e.g., West Nile virus infections; emergency department visits and
hospitalizations for heat stress). However, because of the relative paucity of Connecticut-specific data on
health impacts associated with climate change, we also track environmental and climate conditions (e.g.,
drought; outdoor allergens) that can lead to adverse health outcomes.

https://publichealth.yale.edu/climate/policy_practice/YCCCH_CCHC2020Report_395366_284_48542_v1.pdf

Experts across the nation agree that the economic costs of isolated confinement1 are significant, during and after an individual’s incarceration.2 Isolating individuals leads to more violent incidents inside prisons, which results in higher medical and staffing costs; the medical toll of isolated confinement also translates to higher community medical costs. Individuals who are subjected to prolonged isolation are more likely to return to prison and less likely to be released on parole, effectively increasing the prison population and wasting taxpayer dollars.

Check out the report here 

New Haven Physician and Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Vice-Chair , Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, is prioritizing health equity from the White House

Source: NBCNews website

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith leads the White House's Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force.Richard Chance / for NBC News

Since the end of December 2020, Fair Haven Community Health Care has been on the front lines making sure that our patients and community receive the COVID vaccine. We are now offering appointments for the COVID vaccine to all those deemed currently eligible by the CT State Guidelines.

Eligibility

You can click here if you need more information to confirm your eligibility.

Appointments

Appointments are available Monday to Friday at our 374 Grand Avenue location in New Haven. To make an appointment, please send an email to info@fhchc.org with your name, date of birth, full address (including town and zip code), and phone number. Or you can call us at 203-871-4179.

This article was published online on February 11, 2021.

I. To My Mother

you were born on July 9, 1964, in Greenwood, Mississippi, delivered into the cradle of white supremacy. Listening to the stories of terror and hope woven into the story of your birth used to frighten me. The year before you entered the world, white supremacists were blocking food aid to Greenwood, trying to starve Black sharecroppers who were demanding their civil rights. You were carried home in the middle of Freedom Summer, right down the street from where Fannie Lou Hamer led a movement that included your neighbors and cousins to demand self-determination. You suckled and wailed, oblivious to your membership in the final group of Black babies born under Jim Crow. There were many such children, born just on the wrong edge of the fight for freedom. But only one of them was my mama...

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/03/voting-rights-act-democracy/617792/

Continuum of Care, Inc. is a not for profit organization serving adults diagnosed with mental illness, (such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder [OCD], post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], borderline personality disorder, etc.) or severe developmental and intellectual disabilities, (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, traumatic brain injury, or seizure disorders).

From its founding, Continuum has sought to demonstrate that previously institutionalized adults can live meaningful lives in the community with the right support and services. Today, we are one of the largest community housing providers in Connecticut for persons with mental illnesses and substance abuse. Continuum operates 52 licensed group homes, supported and independent living programs, crisis and respite services, and residential case management programs throughout the state of CT.

Click here to view our open positions: https://www.indeedjobs.com/continuum-of-care/_hl/en?cpref=JXWAtnzf3XWjLOi4YeVNLqyMzQ_zPWPBMGFJuOJhrKI

Artists are the torchbearers of our time, the ones who are processing and interpreting all of the upheaval, and shining a light into the dark corners of how to find meaning in all of it. Mixed-media sculptor Meg Bloom is one such artist, which you will discover in her exhibit BURIED IN THE BONES, on view at City Gallery from February 6 - 28, with an opportunity to Meet the Artist on Saturday, February 6 from 2-4PM.

“What you’ll see is a journey of art making through the last two years, though mostly 2020,” Bloom explains. “This is my response to the enormous loss and pain and devastation — a response to the crises in our environment, our climate, to the loss of human life, to the tragic destruction and violations as a result of racism, poverty, cruelty, discrimination. This work reflects my constant state of anxiety and impotence to adequately respond to the ‘everything.’”

Most of the work in Bloom’s show consists of handmade paper sculptures made from kozo and abaca fibers. Some have added pigment, many have embedded plant matter. Additionally there are a few mixed media collages. “Finding beauty in the imperfect, acknowledging moments of change, and engaging with the process of transformation form the basis of my work,” says Bloom. Her art references nature, whether human or otherwise, and attempts, metaphorically through layering process and form, to address the broader social and environmental issues.

Meg Bloom is a sculptor, installation, and mixed media artist. She has exhibited mostly in Connecticut and New York galleries, holds work in public and private collections, and has done several public art installations and community projects. In recent years, her work has been on view at Silvermine Galleries, City Gallery, City Wide Open Studios, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, the Slade Ely House, Albertus Magus College, New Bedford Art Museum, Governors Island, and the Plexall Gallery and Westbeth Gallery in New York. Bloom is a graduate of Brandeis University, UConn School of Social Work, and completed a three-year course of study at New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture. A member of City Gallery since 2003, Bloom is also a member of the New York Sculptors Guild, and Surface Design Association, and new member of Silvermine. She resides in New Haven. You can see her work and a complete profile at www.megbloomartist.com.

BURIED IN THE BONES is free and open to the public, and runs February 6 - 28, 2021. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Modified gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, 2PM - 4PM, and you are welcome to schedule an appointment by calling 203-530-7656. Number of visitors limited to 4 at a time. All visitors are required to wear a mask and observe social distancing protocols. For further information please contact City Gallery, 203-782-2489, info@city-gallery.org, www.city-gallery.org.

Northern Correctional Institution, the state’s controversial “supermax” prison located in Somers, will close by July 1, sources said Monday.

The closure is not a surprise...

https://ctmirror.org/2021/02/08/state-to-close-only-supermax-prison-northern-correctional-institution/

The 2021 Neighborhood Cultural Vitality Grant Program funding cycle is now open. Learn more

Women & Family Life Center is hiring! We have two positions open and are seeking an experienced Development Director to oversee, coordinate and grow our fundraising efforts and a Program Manager to lead the design, development and oversee all aspects of implementation and evaluation of mission-focused programming that supports the goals of the Center. See below for the job descriptions or visit www.womenandfamilylife.org. ;

Development%20Director%20FINAL%202020-2021.docx.pdf

Program%20Manager%20FINAL%202020-2021.docx.pdf

The Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism seeks individuals to serve on the Neighborhood Cultural Vitality Grant review panel. Panelists are responsible for reviewing and evaluating qualifying proposals. Interested individuals should complete the Panelist Nomination Form https://forms.gle/QBJHDgxPAGAACQSV8 online or download (https://www.newhavenct.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=34795) and submit via email to mailto:kfutrell@newhavenct.gov.

This article comes from the winter 2020 edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly.

History has proven that, in the absence of grassroots advocacy, policy can have significant, long-lasting destructive effects, especially on marginalized, disenfranchised communities. Nonprofits are well positioned to offer solutions and policies that address the spectrum of challenges our society faces—and in the current environment, it is imperative that nonprofits engage in policy advocacy, and that funders support them to do so.

While some may think advocacy simply means politics and protest, it encompasses a far broader variety of actions that nonprofits and funders can incorporate into their work, including the following:

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/6-steps-for-nonprofits-to-be-effective-advocates-of-community-supporting-policy

Both sessions have been POSTPONED to February 8 & 9.
ALL ATTENDEES will need to reregister—we apologize for the inconvenience! Join our two-part webinar event on Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis! To register & for more details:
https://lnkd.in/etJZCE9

Come & join Health Equity Solutions February 8 & 9 for a two-part webinar event on Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis!

Part 1 Making the Declaration: The first event will explain what it means to declare racism a public health crisis and why 20 municipalities in Connecticut and 173 states, municipalities, and organizations across the U.S. have made the declaration.

Part 2 Taking the Next Step: The second event will be a panel discussion with local leaders to discuss what next steps have been taken and how to leverage declarations to make anti-racist policy! This event will be recorded.

#HealthEquity

A volunteer holds a sticker to give to a voter at a polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, in Stamford. Jessica Hill / Associated Press

A free two-day training program aimed at helping more people of color run for public office will be held virtually next month, a product of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Campaign School at Yale University, according to a release.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Free-training-program-aims-to-help-people-of-15903692.php?

This article comes from the winter 2020 edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly as part of an article series on “America’s healthcare crisis.”

The Nonprofit Quarterly recently sat down with Dr. Willarda V. Edwards, who has been helping to spearhead an effort inside the House of Delegates at the American Medical Association (AMA) to reorient the organization around antiracist principles. This has resulted in a policy platform, made public in mid-November 2020, that took on a wide variety of issues seen as needing systemic redress. The new policy,¹ now approved by the AMA House of Delegates, will do the following...

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/recognizing-racism-as-a-public-health-threat-a-conversation-with-dr-willarda-v-edwards/?utm_content=152202180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-542508 ;

For Kids and Adults

Free program we at H.O.P.E., Inc. are offering for kids and adults called #TeamResilient-Student Success Every Day!The purpose of the program is to address mental well-being during these trying times of COVID, distance learning and social distancing and racial turmoil. We plan to offer programs to help us have fun, and connect with others, build and maintain relationships, and practice social skills to boost personal development and wellbeing. The program is open to all of those interested, and we have received enough funding to serve a minimum of 75 participants. 

Visit our website for more information about the program, and click here to register. We are available for group information sessions if you want to hear more about the program and specific activities.