HHS, Business Coalition Launch Initiative to Reduce Health Disparities

From RWJF News Digest:

HHS, Business Coalition Launch Initiative to Reduce Health Disparities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Minority Health and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) announced plans for a two-year initiative designed to foster business-community relationships that target racial and ethnic health disparities, AHA News Now reports.

Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 - Passed

The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 was passed by the US Senate yesterday. It is expected that the President will sign the bill. The new legislation directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue new safety standards within specific time periods that will lead to the installation of safety technologies as standard equipment in all vehicles to prevent deaths and injuries in and around motor vehicles. These safety technologies are already available as standard equipment, upgrades or optional equipment in many makes and models of vehicles. The bill addresses three of the most serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles: getting caught in an automatically closing power window; being struck by a backing vehicle because of an unacceptable blindzone; and placing a vehicle in gear that results in an uncontroll ed roll away without having to depress the brake.
The bill also requires the US Department of Transportation to establish a database of noncrash incidents and develop a program to provide the public with safety information regarding nontraffic dangers to young children.

FREE Workshop: Location Change

Accessing Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) workshop

**February 21, 2008 from 10:00am – 12:00noon **

Due to construction at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and the Sentara campus, there is limited parking. Therefore a location change was necessary.

The new location for the workshop is:

VIRGINA BEACH CENTRAL LIBRARY - Auditorium

4100 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Due to library policy, we will not be able to serve coffee or refreshments at this site. You may, however, bring in coffee as long as it is in a covered container.

Registration will begin at 9:30am and the workshop will begin at 10:00am.

Save the Date - 2009 Vaccine Update Conference

SAVE THE DATE
10th Vaccine Update Conference
April 3, 2009
Richmond, Virginia
Help make the upcoming Vaccine Update Conference address your needs.
Please take a minute to share up to three immunization concerns, issues, or areas of interest as we plan for the 2009 conference.
Click on the link below:Link to Vaccine Update Conference Survey
Please note that this year's conference will be hosted by Project Immunize Virginia!

NEW! Child Seat Ratings System

New child seat ratings system based on ease of use

Transportation officials stress that the new system doesn't assess how effective a seat is in protecting a child in a crash, but it compares how easy it is to use. Full Story >>>

Child Health and Safety Fair

Saturday April 12th from 11am-4pm at the public school Chesterfield Academy
2915 Westminster Ave. in Norfolk there will be a child health and safety fair sponsored by the EVMS physician assistant program.
Contact person is Dan Thibodeau 757-446-7057 at EVMS.
So far they have involvement from fire, police, dental. Hope to include immunization, bike helmets, car seat check, health literacy and poison.

Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Services

There is an upcoming free workshop on Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Services that Care Connection is sponsoring. The workshop will be on February 21st from 10:00am – 12:00noon in the Sentara Brickhouse Auditorium. Staff from the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy will be coming from Richmond to present. Please call 668-7132 to register for the workshop by February 18th.

Please feel free to share this opportunity with your coworkers, staff, or other agency partners that you work with.

For more information, please contact Sandy Herman at: 668-8519 (phone)