September 2019

Funding will make Greenway more accessible

Last year’s Genesee Valley Greenway Health Impact Assessment documented how the 90-mile multi-use trail promotes community wellness and called for investments to make the trail more accessible.

Funders responded.

In August, the state announced it is improving the Greenway using up to $5 million from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and up to $6.5 million from state. Greenway enhancements include trail resurfacing, improved parking lots, signs and more.

“I am pleased to see many of the [HIA] recommendations being incorporated into this project,” said James Stack, director of the Genesee Transportation Council, which commissioned the study. Read on.

New grant to promote whole child health

Gaps in service may put children in Rochester at risk for poorer outcomes. An effort led by the Children’s Institute aims to promote kids' mental and behavioral health through early detection, intervention and integration of efforts among child serving providers and initiatives.

Supported by a new five-year, $4 million federal grant, local organizations that serve children 0-8 will work together to promote kids’ social, emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral development.

“Healthi Kids is excited to support this important effort by advocating for and raising awareness of whole child health,” said Stephanie David, Healthi Kids’ children’s health policy associate. Learn more.

Partner spotlight:
Monroe Community College

Congratulations to Monroe Community College whose workforce development efforts were recognized as a national best practice by the Aspen Institute. The report lauded the college’s LadderzUP training program, its data-driven approach to identifying degrees in high demand, and its work to quantify financial returns for different career paths so students can make informed choices.

“Through our Regional Health Care Workforce Consortium, chaired by MCC president Anne Kress, we have seen firsthand how MCC has anticipated the workforce needs of the community and responded proactively,” said Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health. Read the report here.

On Sept. 29, "Complete Streets Makeover" volunteers transformed a busy section of North Clinton Avenue, or “La Avenida” to slow traffic and make the street more welcoming to pedestrians and bicyclists. See a photo gallery of the transformation.

Upcoming events

The Interdenominational Health Ministry Coalition presents Impact of Trauma on the Family: Healing, Health and Resilience from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Youth for Christ, 1 Favor Street, Rochester. The event will offer adults and youth (10-18 years old) sessions with dynamic presenters, a family panel discussion and resources focusing on the widespread impact of trauma in the family. Register here.

Dr. Gina Cuyler of the Black Physicians' Network will speak at Christ Temple's Health Ministry on Important questions you need to ask your doctor from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Christ Temple Church, 766 West Broad Street. A light lunch will be provided. To RSVP, call 585-233-4779.

University of Rochester Medical Center's 21st Annual Health Care Compliance Conference will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. Oct. 24 at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Register here.

The University of Rochester Department of Psychiatry's Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness are hosting the Rochester Behavioral Health Integration 4th Annual Symposium: "The Economics of Behavioral Health Integration: Opportunities to Improve Care While Addressing Social Determinants of Health" from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn. Register here.

Common Ground Health was humbled and honored to receive the Community Partner Award from Jordan Health Sept 13. In the words of Wade Norwood, Jordan Health “provides leadership to move from medicine to health and from health to healing.”

What we're reading

Bridging Silos: Collaborating for Environmental Health and Justice in Urban Communities by Katrina Smith Korfmacher, associate professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester. A longtime partner of Healthi Kids, Korfmacker shares insights gleaned from three communities that came together to address environmental public health challenges, including efforts to reduce childhood lead poisoning in the City of Rochester.