April 2022 Common Ground Newsletter

April 2022

Share your thoughts on NY’s new Medicaid Waiver proposal

New York is seeking input on its proposed changes to how the Medicaid system operates in New York State. The proposal presents an exciting funding opportunity for New York and the Finger Lakes region.

New York is seeking written responses by May 13. To share your thoughts, respond to a virtual survey being circulated by Common Ground to its partners. Email communications@commongroundhealth.org to get a link to participate in the survey.

Read more about the waiver and comment opportunities.

Photos courtesy of Seneca Nation of Indians Media & Communications Center and Seneca Nation of Indians Archives

Listening tour planned with Indigenous residents

Several local Indigenous advocates and Common Ground Health will take part in a listening tour to interview local Indigenous stakeholders and residents about the factors influencing Indigenous health outcomes in the Finger Lakes region.

Common Ground Health is seeking input from the Indigenous community in the development of the forthcoming survey to update the 2018 My Health Story survey; community members are reviewing questions for cultural appropriateness and relevance.

Learn how this collaboration grew from relationships built during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speak Life! event honors two with awards

Nurses Sheila Rogers and Dr. Celia McIntosh were honored during the 2022 Speak Life! Health Equity Conference for their work locally promoting Health Equity. Rogers received the 2022 Dr. Weldon Thomas Faith and Medicine Award. McIntosh received the Dr. Constantino "Tino" Fernandez Community Leadership and Advocacy Award. 

The 2022 Speak Life! Health Equity Conference took place April 23 on the online platform Whova. The conference featured keynote speaker Harriet Washington, guest speaker Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, moderator John Rodriguez, and opening remarks by Common Ground Health CEO Wade Norwood.

Miss the event? Find out more here.

Partner Spotlight:
Father Tracy Advocacy Center

Congratulations to the Father Tracy Advocacy Center for releasing an ethnographic white paper La Avenida and Latinos in Recovery: Programmatic Requirements for Success, in the Words of La Gente. The Center, Dr. Nancy Chin and the University of Rochester undergraduate program in public health collaborated on a white paper sharing stories from the Latino community affected by substance use disorder. The effort was supported by the Latino Health Coalition's Heroin/Opioid Work Group.

"We applaud the work that the Father Tracy Advocacy Center has done to ground its efforts in the voices of the Latino community affected by substance use disorder," said Dr. Linda Clark, Chief Medical Officer of Common Ground Health. "Their findings are key to ensuring that future programs are designed around the needs of the community." Learn more. 

Health Network to discuss The Color of Health

Join Civitas Networks for Health and Common Ground Health to discuss reporting and acting on racial bias during a talk from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 5. Using Common Ground's report The Color of Health: The Devastating Toll of Racism on Black Lives, Wade Norwood will discuss how Common Ground and its partners are taking action to address racism. Register here. 

In the headlines and news feed

Rochester Beacon Building a food system that serves all

WHEC-TV Local health officials and advocates weigh in on possible menthol ban

The Chronicle Express Residents 50 and older encouraged to get second COVID-19 booster shot Related: The Chronicle Express

WXXI News Organizers will address racial inequities in health care at a virtual conference this weekend Related: Westside News, Rochester Business Journal, Finger Lakes 1

WROC-TV CDC: High schoolers faced mental health threats in 2021

Alzheimer's Association Real Alzheimer's conversations in the African American community

ESL Federal Credit Union Belong to something bigger