Congratulations A2A nurses!

Congratulations to our A2A school nurses who recently passed the National Asthma Educator Exam - Michelle Prescott - Chesapeake Public Schools, Janet Duey- Hampton Public Schools, Joan Haury- Gloucester County Public Schools, and Monica White- Newport News Public Schools.

We Need You! - Respiratory Health Action Team

One of CINCH’s primary focus is on respiratory health factors that contribute to chronic disease in children. Whether it’s a policy to encourage smoke-free youth environments or educating parents, teachers and the community about the seriousness of asthma, CINCH cultivates community action to develop and implement solutions throughout the region.
Worried about how indoor and outdoor air quality is impacting children in Hampton Roads?
Do you work with children who have chronic respiratory health problems?
Would you like to expand your network of resources and connect with other professionals?
We need you to join our Respiratory Health Action Team!
If you are interested or want more information, please contact CINCH at 668-6426 or CINCH@evms.edu.
What’s involved? We meet quarterly (in person, conference call or webinar) to discuss and develop solutions to factors that lead to chronic respiratory health diseases and conditions in children. Project teams may also form to work on special initiatives

We Need You! Provider Action Team

Everyday you or your organization help the vulnerable in our community to access healthcare. Throughout Hampton Roads, partners like you are enrolling patients into health insurance programs; providing medical care at a local health department, doctor’s office or emergency room; arranging transportation for health-related appointments; or helping someone understand the importance of having a medical home . Yet, many children and their families are still unable to access affordable, quality healthcare and other services in our community. Working together, we can find solutions to improve access to care.

To develop and implement comprehensive policies and strategies to improve access to care for children and their families, we need your knowledge and experience as a member of the Provider Action Team! By joining this team, you can:

• Provide a better understanding of your/your organization’s programs and services


• Play an integral role in shaping and developing regional initiatives that will impact the communities of Hampton Roads


• Expand your network of resources and connect with other professionals in your field at the local, regional and state levels
  

We need people like you who can provide your unique perspective of transportation systems, social services, community outreach organizations, or public and private healthcare to join our Provider Action Team. If you personally cannot join, please consider selecting another representative from your organization to join.

CINCH - News

Smart Beginnings of South Hampton Roads has partnered with CINCH to develop recommendations for a regional approach to universal screening and referral, in which all families receive a comprehensive screening and in-person assessment by a health professional at the time of each child’s birth. This is a holistic assessment of the child and family’s physical, emotional, and social needs, and will be used to identify needed services and link families to local resources.

The work begins with community dialogues with service professionals, followed by research in the form of focus groups, interviews, surveys and literature reviews to determine the best practices to be adapted for use in South Hampton Roads. We anticipate the community dialogue will take about 40 to 60 minutes, including a presentation and discussion. Please plan to attend the CINCH Access To Care Collaborative’s Community Action Team meeting on February 25 to participate in our first community dialogue about this important topic.

CINCH- Bodyworks Project Update

At mid-year (actually 4 months into the program) we have trained about 55 BodyWorks trainers. Start up has been slow, but the trainers are motivated. They've found their own class location, recruited parents, and volunteered their time and have so far conducted 6 classes, including 65 parent trainees. The Hampton Roads BodyWorks program has touched the lives of not only trainers and parent trainees, but the rest of their families as well (we calculate 2 other family members per parent/trainer participant or 240), for a total of 360 individuals. Some of these volunteer trainers have even provided dinner, paying for it out of their own pockets, as a means to further entice parents because they believe in this important prevention effort. Classes have been held in churches, schools, and public housing communities. Special thanks to all our trainers who have actually conducted a class (LaVerne Williams from the Norfolk Health Department, Charlene Gholson-Dennis of the Accomack County Health Department, Jean Standridge, Janet Bakus and Chad Triolet, of Deep Creek Elementary; Viki Ann Martin of Suffolk Pediatrics; Janet Azar and 6 ODU nursing students, and Ann Campbell and her ODU Nursing Students. If you have any questions, please contact kigerpg@evms.edu

CINCH "Pinch of Prevention Modules"

CINCH has developed a quick and easy way to get health and safety messages out to families. A Pinch of prevention is a series of modules that each include:

• a 5-10 minute power point presentation with a script
• newsletter article
• list of resources
• handouts and flyers

A Pinch of Prevention is especially designed for program directors, school and community leaders, and others to present during parent meetings. Topics include: Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs, Asthma, Booster Seat, FAMIS, Family Fitness and Influenza.

Please go to this link for more information and for registration.
http://www.pinchofprevention.com

CINCH Annual Meeting

CINCH 3rd Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, November 13, 2009 from 9:00 - 12:30 at the Anthem Building, 277 Bendix Road in Virginia Beach. Some agenda items will be:

• How CINCH works
• Engaging the community
• Your unique contributions
• Blue Prints for Action
• The Reality of Working with Funders

To register for this event please go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jFQr9dvQlgxGVd3C8p7sSQ_3d_3d

CINCH - "We want to hear from you!"

We want to ensure that you all are a part of the evolution of CINCH; therefore, we are extending an opportunity for everyone to provide your feedback on revisions to the proposed mission and vision statements, as well as, the focus areas that were presented at the consortium
meeting on February 20th.
We have scheduled several input sessions in April via webinar and
in-person meetings. Just select which session best fits your schedule. Scheduled sessions are:
· Wed., Apr. 1st, 9:30 - 11:00 am - In-person meeting
(EV Williams Hall)
· Thur., Apr. 9th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm - Webinar**
· Tues., Apr. 14th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm - Webinar**
· Mon., Apr. 20th, 12:30 - 2:00 pm - In-person meeting
(EV Williams Hall)
**Can only accommodate up to 16 callers. **
Email mcmanala@evms.edu to RSVP

CINCH member, Dr. Linda Mintle's book wins award

Raising Healthy Kids won the Gold Mom's Choice Award in the category of Family and Parenting Books: Health, Nutrition, Fitness & Safety!

Raising Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World teaches parents how to raise healthy kids in an over-scheduled, fast-food, video-game world by making simple choices, easy changes, and instilling good habits that will improve everyone's life today and forever.
For more information on her book go to: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/Product_detail.asp?sku=1401604129

New Assistant Director

Please welcome Keisha Cutler, MPH, to CINCH as our new Assistant Director. Keisha is a native of Hampton Roads, and received her BS in Biology from Norfolk State University and an MPH in Health Education from the University of South Florida. She’s had a myriad of work experience including with the Northeastern NC Partnership for Public Health; YMCA of South Hampton Roads; Sarasota County Health Department; and the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health. Most recently Keisha served as the Regional Health Disparities Coordinator for the regional partnership in NC. There she was responsible for addressing health disparities in the northeast region of NC. She was also a member of the management team that received 1st place honors in April 2008 at the Management Academy for Public Health professionals business development program at UNC Chapel Hill.

We hope that all of you will join us in welcoming Keisha to the CINCH family. She looks forward to meeting each of you and contributing to your efforts to improve the health of children in our region. Keisha will begin her work with CINCH on December 1st. Her phone number will be 668-6495 and her email will be cutlerkm@EVMS.EDU.

Building Members, Building Leaders Conference

Our 2nd Annual CINCH conference will be held on Friday, October 24th from 11:00 am to 3:45 pm at Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Portsmouth. Registration is required. Contact mcmanala@evms.edu for registration .This is going to be a fabulous conference that will offer training on coalitions and improving child health through collaboration: Some highlights will include:

• Understanding Child Health Inequities and Social Justice, featuring Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Royster, MD, MPH, Director of Minority Health & Public Health Policy, VDH.
• Child Health Inequities in Hampton Roads: What the data says.
• Root Cause Analysis for Real People: What is it? How does it work?
• Viewing the documentary "Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and In Wealth" and "Place Matters". http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/
• Members apply Root Cause Analysis in Hampton Roads.
• CINCH in Action: Uncovering Root Causes of child health
  inequality.

CINCH and PIV receive Awards

CINCH and Project Immunize Virginia received outstanding achievement awards from Sanofi Pasteur for its strong commitment to ensuring protection through immunizations in Virginia. Steve Pearce and Bill Hagan both from Sanofi Pasteur presented CINCH director Amy Paulson and Assistant Director Taegen McGowan with the award in October.

Asthma, thick air keeps some confined indoors

The smoke blowing in from fires in the Great Dismal Swamp and North Carolina is a trigger of asthma attacks. This is the recent article in the Virginian Pilot that interviewed Dr. Kelly and mentions CINCH Asthma 101 training. http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/asthma-thick-air-keeps-some-confined-indoors?t=1214317668

"Cover the Uninsured Event"

Join CINCH for the unveiling of our video and still-picture documentary of the families and community partners that make Virginia's FAMIS a success in Hampton Roads. There will be an open brunch from 9:30 am to 10:00 am, then the program & reception 10:00 am to 11:30 am. The keynote speaker will be Dr. John Morgan, recently appointed as executive director of Voices for Virginia's children. On May 1, 2008 at the Commodore Theatre in Portsmoth from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. For more information contact cinch@evms.edu

CINCH Position Vacancy

CINCH has a FT w/ benefits job opening for the Adminstrative Support Coordinator (what we call Program Associate). This position provides administrative support to CINCH and all its Work Groups and staff. Duties include common secretarial tasks, member management, meeting management, minutes, and maintenance of CINCH's website, among other daily tasks. See the EVMS website for more information.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT COORDINATOR
8160606/PG1212/31/2007
CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCHWILLIAMS HALL
3 years administrative support exp req'd. Strong organizational & communication skills needed. Must be proficient in MS Office.

Please call EVMS HR or CINCH with questions.

CINCH Welcomes New Assistant Director

Please welcome Taegen McGowan who began her position as Assistant Director of CINCH on August 20th. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to get a proper introduction out to the community. Many of you have had an opportunity to meet Taegen on one of our many work group meetings this month. She has also helped out with a variety of tasks and projects over the last several months. Taegen just completed her Master of Public Health degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Taegen has an extensive background in healthcare; primarily focused in Dermatology. She spent many years as surgical assistant and brings with her a good deal of insight on sun safety and skin cancer education. We had the opportunity to know Taegen as a student through her Masters Practicum which focused on identifying factors and barriers affecting sustained enrollment of the FAMIS programs. She recognizes the need for increased patient education and advocacy among all health topics. She believes that preventing illness and injury through education and advocacy should be a priority. She looks forward to a long and rewarding career improving the health and wellness of our children in Hampton Roads. Please take a moment to welcome Taegen to the CINCH family. She can be reached at 668-6495 or mcgowatl@evms.edu

New CINCH Staff: Penny Smith, Child Health Insurance Outreach Coordinator

Please welcome Penny Smith, who starts today as the new Child Health Insurance (Project Connect) Program Outreach Coordinator. Penny brings to our team experience as a county youth outreach and program coordinator with Washing ton State University, Michigan State University and the University of Idaho. She has earned her Practical nursing license in 2006 in Virginia and has been working as an LPN in Norfolk. As a former classroom teacher and Teacher's Trainer with the U. S. Peace Corps, Penny has long recognized the need for comprehensive health care as the essential element in both physical and emotional development of our children. Penny has extensive experience developing, implementing, and evaluating community programming that will be an asset to CINCH’s Project Connect.

We are very excited to have Penny join our team and Project Connect Program. I’m sure that all of our partners will enjoy her easy manner and passion for children’s health. Please take a moment to welcome Penny to CINCH. You can contact Penny at SmithPE@evms.edu or 668-6447.

Welcome to the CINCH Blog

Hello members and guests,

Welcome to the CINCH blog. This blog will include important information, links, event announcements, and meeting reminders. You can also feel free to leave comments, as a registered user. We hope that our members will find this blog helpful in participating in CINCH as we wait for our official website to be built and launched.

For those of you new to CINCH, we are a community partnership to promote health and prevent disease and injury among all children in Hampton Roads. We operate through our many volunteers members and organizations. While CINCH focuses on child health, we have the following specific topic areas on which we offer specific programming: Asthma, Health Disparities, Health Insurance/Uninsured, Immunizaztions, Injury Prevention, Obesity Prevention, and Special Health Care Needs.

Thanks for your interest in CINCH. For more information, please contact us at CINCH@evms.edu or 668-6458.