Diabetes Garage: Looking after your health is like doing routine maintenance on your car. If you do not change the oil in your vehicle or you skip doctor’s appointments, your car and your body will begin to break down. LRGV AHEC is recruiting men over 18 years old who have been diagnosed with diabetes type 2 And live in the Harlingen region to be part of this innovative Diabetes Education Workshops. Learn more about the program and register at the Diabetes Garage website www.diabetesgarage.org.
LRGV AHEC Census Project: The U.S. Census Bureau has changed the 2020 census deadline, AGAIN. The new deadline is September 30th. LRGV AHEC has created videos to raise awareness in Kingsville. See our video at https://youtu.be/ER9bP-hB2No. Visit www.2020census.gov today to fill out your form! #EveryoneCounts
Mental Health Workshop Series: Southwest Border AHEC in partnership with the Maverick County Hospital District will be hosting mental health workshop series the week of August 25-28, 2020. The objectives for the series include an introduction to the neurobiology of the brain and how it reacts to the situation we are currently facing, discuss compassion fatigue, ideas on how routines and rituals can help develop and maintain self-compassion and good mental health during these times of COVID stress and discuss strategies for self-management. The session will be delivered through zoom 1:00-2:30 pm. CME’s and CEU’s will be provided. For questions call Southwest Border AHEC at 830.758.1111.
Backpack Back to School Drive: In partnership with Driscoll Health, Corpus Christi Police Department, and the Corpus Christi Hooks, we will be holding a back to school backpack school drive. Beside providing supplies we will be providing information regarding census and women’s health. Keeping the importance of COVID-19 in mind, we will be taking all necessary safety precautions and are taken to ensure all volunteers, staff, and community members.
Immunization Drive-Thru Clinic: In partnership with Corpus Christi-Nueces County Health Department, Walgreens, and local community ISD’s, we are working on holding back to school immunization drive-thru clinics at several different schools. It is important to keep students up to date with immunizations and we are providing a safe way for community members to get their child vaccinated. Additionally, will also be providing information to the community regarding the 2020 census and women’s health. Scheduled currently are Banquetes ISD for August 5, Calallen ISD for August 6 and Port Aransas ISD for August 17 with more to follow!!
CME Opportunity!: In partnership with CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, the South Coastal AHEC will provide CME and CE credits for multiple interdisciplinary educational activities designed to provide physicians and other interested health care providers with the most up-to-date evidence-based data on the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients. The activity will provide an opportunity for participants across multiple medical disciplines to learn from one another and to share their unique clinical experiences in working with COVID-19.
Diabetes DigiCare: In partnership with UT Health San Antonio Center on Smart & Connected Health, SC-AHEC has continued with the pilot study designed to improve diabetes outcomes and enhance participant self-monitoring through digital technology. The SC-AHEC CHWs are working closely with study participants to provide them with support in using technology to track and monitor their eating and exercise habits. Additionally, this activity provides an opportunity for participants to learn and develop long-term healthy habits and make necessary lifestyle changes.
Salud en Mis Manos (SEMM): South Coastal AHEC has launched the Salud En Mis Manos/Health in My Hands program via Zoom. Salud en Mis Manos is designed to provide Hispanic or Latina women with education regarding the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancer. We are able to offer these women free or low-cost mammograms, pap smears, and HPV vaccines. Our community health workers are able to provide this education to all surrounding communities and recruitment to help save lives!
Food Distribution Program: In partnership with the Coastal Bend Food Bank, South Coastal AHEC will continue with its monthly food distribution for the residents of Orange Grove and surrounding rural areas. Our mobile pantry provides over 200 families with healthy food and various educational resources.
We remain grateful to all of our community partners and volunteers who help make this event an ongoing success. We remain diligent in ensuring that all of the necessary safety precautions are taken to ensure all volunteers, staff, and the community members remain protected against COVID-19.
COVID-19 Prevention: In an effort to increase community awareness of COVID-19 and the role that individual community members play in reducing its transmission, SC-AHEC continue to distribute educational materials via social media that highlight proven measures that can and should be taken to stop the spread of COVID-19. We will also provide information on a variety of available community resources to help individuals manage this difficult period.
Summer CHW Course via Zoom: We are excited to announce that we have begun our Summer CHW course via Zoom on Monday, July 27, 2020. This 160-hour DSHS-approved course provides participants with the opportunity to learn and develop the skills needed to effectively assist people in navigating the healthcare system and gaining access to various community resources and needed services. CHWs are vital to increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through outreach, patient navigation, and community health education. After successfully completing the course, participants will receive official CHW certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Cooking Healthy With UT Health and El Bari Community Health Center: UT Health San Antonio and El Bari Community Health Center have built a longitudinal relationship with community members. Following small-group didactic interventions last winter, community leaders underscored the importance of a community-based repository of healthy recipes and resources. While many cookbooks and recipe websites are available to community members, not many of them have been reviewed for nutrition content. In order to promote healthy food choices among the community by providing nutrition education, UT Health/El Bari Healthy Choices Team have partnered together to make a blog and cookbook! This is a community-led, community-centered project built on the enthusiasm of community leaders for healthy living and the strong culinary heritage of the community. Recipes are shared among community members, reviewed by health professionals, and published on a community blog and cookbook. The cookbook will be published in the coming months, and the blog can be found at: https://healthychoicesteam.wordpress.com/
Welcome Eduardo Gandara: South Central AHEC welcomes Eduardo Gandara to our Center as a Student Research Assistant. Eduardo is currently a 3rd year DrPH student in Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center's School of Public Health. He is originally from San Antonio and just moved back having just finished his doctoral coursework. He has an ardent desire to help improve health in the community and will be assisting the South Central AHEC Program with our CHW ECHOs and also our COVID-19 Initiatives.
Attention Health Profession Students! The AHEC Scholars Program is Recruiting!
*For the safety of students, community partners and staff, the AHEC Scholars Program has transitioned fully online during the COVID-19 Pandemic.*
This program is an opportunity for health profession students, of all disciplines, to participate in interprofessional education (IPE) healthcare activities. Please note: we are unable to accept pre-health profession students at this time. The duration of the program is 1-2 years (depending on discipline), runs concurrently with a student’s academic curriculum, and concludes when the student graduates from their respective health profession program. In addition to educational and professional enrichment, the AHEC Scholars Program offers a $500 stipend, per year, to help offset student costs. If you are interested in applying please click here. The AHEC Scholars Program is explained in greater detail at https://stahec.uthscsa.edu/ahec-scholars. Alternatively, please contact Andrea Moreno-Vasquez by e-mail at morenovasqua@uthscsa.edu or phone: 210-450-8451, for more information.
Partner Announcements
Check Out Healthy Rural Texas!!: Healthy Rural Texas is a FREE program that can help you and your family gain the confidence and skills to be active, eat healthily, and live a healthier lifestyle! Healthy Rural Texas, provides access to healthy, low-cost recipes, exercise sessions, and a health educator. To find out if you are eligible for this FREE program, please visitwww.healthyruraltx.com and fill out the short survey or submit your contact information. Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/healthyruraltx. Get healthy today!
AETC Comes to UT Health San Antonio!
Waridibo Allison MD, PhD, Program Director
Raudel Bobadilla, MPH, CHW, Program Manager
Maria Gutierrez, Program Coordinator
UT Health San Antonio became a local partner site for the South Central AIDS Education and Training Center (SCAETC) on January 2, 2020. UT Health San Antonio South Central AETC offers professional HIV related training and education to the central region of Texas to include didactic and interactive presentations, communities of practice (ECHO®), self-study, clinical preceptorships, clinical consultation, and coaching for organizational capacity building. Dr. Wari Allison will head the South Central AETC as Program Director, Raudel Bobadilla will serve as Program Manager and Maria Gutierrez who used to be at SAAF is now the Program Coordinator. Congratulations to Dr. Allison and her team for their efforts in HIV training and education across South Texas!
Salud America!
Need Help? Erine Gray’s FindHelp.org Can Connect You to Local Social Services amid Coronavirus
FindHelp.org is a website that pulls together social services specifically helping in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
