The Alliance for Health Equity is pleased to share our newsletter for May 2021. Please send any opportunities, resources, or events to Lucy Peterson to be included in an upcoming newsletter. Thank you for your continued partnership!
Opportunities
- Organizational sign-on letter to support the National WIC Association Partners are invited to sign-on to this letter which will be sent to appropriators requesting at least $2.2 billion to account for essential policy changes that will result in crucial additional investments for WIC in FY22. Deadline May 13th
- CDPH RFP—Protect Chicago Vaccine Equity/Healthy Chicago Equity Zone Regional Leads This program supports regional and community-based organizations to lead local strategies to confront the social and environmental factors that contribute to health and racial equity. Building on the successful Protect Chicago Plus vaccine equity pilot, these efforts will begin with community leadership of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, including outreach and engagement during 2021. More information can be found here. Deadline May 28th
- Equitable Start New Pantry RFP now open through the Greater Chicago Food Depository This grant is intended to establish new pantries in high-need communities and extends the Food Depository’s commitment of increasing access to food and offering new services in a manner that does not replicate systemic equities borne by Black and Brown communities. More information can be found in this flyer and link to application is here. Deadline May 24th
- CDC-DP21-2111—Closing the Gap with Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plans Grant This grant will fund approximately 20 state, local, tribal or territorial jurisdictions to develop an implementation-ready SDOH accelerator plan. Deadline July 5th
- The City of Chicago’s We Will planning team is seeking individuals and organizations to help guide the development of the citywide plan All interested Chicagoans are invited to apply as volunteers or with their organization as a community partner. Learn more information about the city’s plan here.
- The Cook County Department of Public Health is seeking vaccine partners If you work in Harvey/Dixmoor and/or Sauk Village/Ford Heights Areas on vaccine outreach, please contact Dr. Jackie Korpics if you would like to partner.
Resources
- New provider resources are available through IDHS’ new statewide public health campaign, Rethink Recovery Rethink Recovery seeks to increase an openness and interest in medication-assisted recovery (MAR) among those with opioid use disorder (OUD). This campaign will provide education and resources directly to those in need and their support systems, along with medical providers to support the first steps towards recovery. As its first initiative, a toolkit was created to facilitate patients’ initial exploration and initiation of MAR. The materials include a patient frequently asked questions takeaway, conversation guide, and three educational handouts.
- May is Mental Health Month and Be Well Illinois has developed a webpage of resources for partners The webpage also features several upcoming wellness webinars and recordings of past presentations.
- New Voices of Child Health Report examines access to mental health and behavioral services over the las year The reports considers the rise in mental health symptoms for youth, and the frequency with which children and adolescents participated in common activities during the pandemic versus before.
- The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2021 This report from Trust for America’s Healthy examines federal, state, and local public health funding trends and recommends investments and policy actions to build a stronger public health system.
- MPC 2020 Annual Report: Equity in Uncertain Times The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) released their 2020 report which takes stock of MPC’s listening, visioning, collaborating, and advocating initiatives over the last year.
Events
Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund—Virtual Town Hall, Chicago
Thursday, May 13th, 10am—Virtual
The American Heart Association is looking to provide grants and loans to invest in innovative, community-based solutions that increase access to affordable and healthy food in under-resourced communities and/or food deserts within the Chicago area. Please join us to learn more about our Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund opportunities for funding and share your sustainable strategies during the virtual town hall.
Register here
Moving from Burnout to Wellness for Providers and Advocates
Thursday, May 13th, 11am-12:30pm—Virtual
With the COVID-19 pandemic increase the burden on healthcare and social services, it has become imperative for organizations and individuals alike to implement preventative and responsive methods. This training includes and overview of history and current definitions surrounding clinician and provider burnout. It will also discuss how this burnout has been magnified in the wake of the pandemic and the current racial justice movement.
Register here
COVID-19 Vaccines: Leveraging History for Equity-Centered Approaches
Thursday, May 13th, 11am-12:30pm—Virtual
This webinar will explore current and historical efforts to vaccinate communities of color and indigenous communities to evaluate lessons learned and their applicability to COVID-19 currently.
Register here
Asian American Action Day
Tuesday, May 18th, 6-7:30pm—Virtual
Join the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition for an interactive program that will include political education on Asian American history, beautiful cultural performances, calls to action to move issue campaigns, and testimonies from AAPI community members and elected officials including Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Senator Ram Villivalam.
Register here
CNT and NCST Community Impact Briefing
Wednesday, May 19th, 11:30am-12:30pm—Virtual
This month’s National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST) call will feature a discussion with Peter Haas, Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) chief research scientist, who will use CNT’s Green Values Calculator to help explore answers to questions around how rain gardens, trees and other green stormwater infrastructure impact property value and which are most effective for flood control and impacting the nearby community.
Register here
Congressional Briefing—Pain in the Nation: How High Rates of Suicide, Alcohol, and Overdose Deaths Require a Comprehensive Resiliency Strategy
Wednesday, May 19th, 12-1:30pm—Virtual
Join Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust for a virtual Congressional briefing on the soon to be released update in our Pain in the Nation report series. Please join panelists as they discuss approaches that are rooted in the vital conditions in which people live, work, learn, and play. The briefing will include time for Q&A from the audience.
Register here
Emerging Lessons from COVID Response: Action Towards Equity
Wednesday, May 19th, 12-4pm—Virtual
Join NNPHI for Part III of the COVID-19 lessons learned series, where group will share practical strategies for taking Action Towards Equity. Learn more about the science surrounding the COVID vaccine, vaccine hesitancy, and how to address vaccine equity in the next stages of the pandemic response with Dr. Carlos Del Rio.
Register here
#JustCheckingIn on Community: Black Mental Health and Recovery
Tuesday, May 25th, 6-7:30pm—Virtual
Join NAMI Chicago for this webinar in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. Participants will be taught quick and easy ways to check in on friends, neighbors, family, community members, and themselves.
Register here
Life as a QuaranTEEN: Youth Mental Health Post-Pandemic
Tuesday, May 25th, 7pm—Virtual
Presented by the Family Action Network (FAN) and the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Youth Commission, this webinar will feature panelists Dr. Lisa Damour, Saul Arnow, and Margo Cicero. Panelists will discuss how while we look towards the light of a post pandemic world, a whole new set of mental health concerns are emerging and how we can think about approaching these challenges.
Register here
Learning to Live with COVID-19
Wednesday, May 26th, 4-5:30pm—Virtual
This webinar, hosted by the American Public Health Association, will focus on what the world will look like when COVID-19 is an endemic disease, what can be learned from seasonal influenza, the reality of managing future outbreaks, ethical considerations for future policymaking, and lessons current and future policy makers can learn from the last year.
Register here
SCY Collaborative Meeting & Panel Discussion: Violence Prevention & Justice Reform
Friday, June 4th, 9:30-11:30am—Virtual
Join Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY) and a panel of experts to discuss the connection between justice reform and violence prevention. Action-oriented breakout groups will explore how the justice system can make our communities safer by better supporting individuals, families and communities while addressing trauma and reducing racial disparities.
Register here