March 2022 Common Ground Newsletter

March 2022

Common Ground leads efforts to examine race-based medical testing

Black people living with kidney disease need to know about a new approach to calculating the kidney’s function— one that no longer takes race into account when assessing kidney function.

“This is about being anti-racist when it comes to medical care,” said Common Ground Health chief medical officer Dr. Linda Clark. “We are looking at many tests and algorithms to ensure that race is not a component of decision-making in medicine.”

Learn more.

More kids need to get vaccinated against COVID

With COVID-19 vaccine rates among children 5-18 remaining extremely low, county public health directors in the Finger Lakes region further urged parents to get their children vaccinated.

“Children across the Finger Lakes region need to be better protected against COVID-19, and the best protection is to get vaccinated,” said Michele Foster, Executive Director. See vaccination rates by county here.

Common Ground is assisting on a communications campaign in partnership with the county public health directors to boost vaccination rates throughout the region. Download new TV commercials and campaign materials here.

Partner Spotlight:
Memorial Art Gallery

Up Against the Wall: Art, Activism, and the AIDS Poster is the first major exhibition devoted to the University of Rochester’s collection of HIV/AIDS-related posters. On display through June 19, the exhibition features 165 of the most visually arresting and thought-provoking posters from the vast collection of physician and medical historian Dr. Edward C. Atwater.

"This exhibit reminds me that in the eyes of AIDS, everyone is equal; any of us could get it," said Jackie Dozier, Common Ground's Community Health and Wellbeing program manager, who was honored as an HIV/AIDS trailblazer at a March 26 ceremony at the exhibit.  

Learn more.

Congratulations are in order

Congratulations to Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health, Yvette Conyers, African American Health Coalition co-chair and president of the Rochester Black Nurses Association, and Jerome Underwood, a member of Common Ground's Board of Directors and president and CEO of Action for a Better Community, for being named to Rochester Business Journal's Power 100 list.

Congratulations also goes out to Common Ground partners Sara Taylor, founder of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) PEEEEEEK Parent Mental Health Project, and Melanie Funchess, CEO and principal of Ubuntu Village Works, which creates culturally responsive community-drive healing and wellness spaces. Taylor and Funchess were recognized by the New York State Office of Mental Health with the Mental Health Equity Journey Awards.

We're hiring

We're hiring for a Communications Specialist to support the Common Ground Health and Healthi Kids brands. Learn more.

Additionally, we are hiring for a Program Assistant to provide operational and administrative assistance to the Research & Analytics and health equity coalitions teams and the Chief Medical Officer. Learn more.

In the headlines

Democrat and Chronicle "It's a privilege": Michael Mendoza seeks public health progress amid pandemic polarization 

Second Opinion with Joan Lunden Racial disparities in maternal health

WXXI News New coalition aims to eradicate systemic racism in Rochester area 

13 WHAM Job opportunities and area resources made available at Rochester event Related: City of Rochester

Livingston County News COVID-19 vaccines remain an important tool to end the pandemic Related: Orleans Hub, Yates Chronicle-Express, Finger Lakes Times, 13WHAM