Thursday, June 30, 2016

Training Opportunity. July 2016. Cultural Competency Resource Guide Spotlight Webinar Series: Asian American & Pacific Islanders in the Southeast

 NPA Banner for SHEC

Are you interested in learning more about cultural competency and utilizing
cultural competency resources to best fit your organizational needs?

The Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC) released their Cultural Competency Resource Guide last fall 2015. This guide was comprised of resources, trainers, institutions and publications about cultural and linguistic competency that can be shared with the 10 Regional Health Equity Councils (RHECs), stakeholders and partners to help address cultural barriers with health care systems. Additionally, this guide includes important terms for members of the SHEC to become familiar with as the SHEC develops a common language around cultural competency. To view the resource guide, visit: http://region4.npa-rhec.org/in-the-spotlight/resourceguidewhitepaper.
To follow-up with the release of the Cultural Competency Resource Guide, the SHEC will be hosting three webinars in various regions of the country. The webinars will include speakers from organizations which focus on cultural competency. Upon completion of this webinar, the participant will be able to accomplish the following from the specific organizational perspective:
1. Define cultural competency;
2. Describe the diversity within the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community;
3. Explain the relationships among culture, language and health within the AAPI community; and
4. Identify cultural competency assessment and evaluation tools.
The focus of the webinar will be the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. and it will cover immigrants and refugees, with a focus on the AAPI community in Georgia.

DATE:  July 28, 2016

TIME: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

SPEAKERS:
Moderators: Bettina ByrdGiles, Chief Executive Officer, The Bethesda Life Center, Inc.
& Lynette M. Gibson, Associate Professor and Director of Research in Nursing, University of South Carolina Upstate Mary Black School of Nursing
       Presenter: Victoria Huynh, Vice President of the Center for Pan Asian Community Services 
Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) is a private nonprofit social service agency with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1980, CPACS is the still the largest and longest standing non-profit with 12 different departments serving the immigrant and refugee communities in Georgia and in the Southeast. Our mission is to promote self-sufficiency and equity for immigrants, refugees, and the underprivileged through comprehensive health and social services, capacity building, and advocacy 

Sign up for SHEC’s Email Listserv: http://region4.npa-rhec.org/get-involved
The Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC) is one of 10 regional health equity councils formed in 2011, as a part of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA). The NPA is a national movement with the mission to improve the effectiveness of programs that target the elimination of health disparities through coordination of leaders, partners, and stakeholders that are committed to action. The SHEC is a coalition of leaders and health disparities experts representing several sectors and the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The SHEC envisions a region free of disparities in health and healthcare, where all people attain the highest level of health.

Visit SHEC’s website for more information: http://region4.npa-rhec.org/

1 If the registration link does not work, please copy the entire link and paste it into your web browser. For webinarspecific questions, contact the moderator at csantos@explorepsa com

July 28 SHEC Footer

2016 National HBCU Week Conference



HBCUs logo 2016resized

2016 National HBCU Week Conference

The Annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week Conference is planned under the leadership of the White House Initiative on HBCUs and with input from the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs and its conference sponsors. It provides a forum to exchange information and share innovations among and between institutions. Stakeholders, which include: federal agencies, private sector companies and philanthropic organizations provide an overview of successful engagements that if replicated could improve instruction, degree completion and the understanding of federal policies that shape and support higher education.

  • When

  • Monday, 10/24/16 - Tuesday, 10/25/16
    8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
    Eastern Time Zone

  • Where

  • Renaissance Arlington Captial View
    2800 South Potomac Avenue
    Arlington, Virginia 22202

http://www.cvent.com/events/2016-national-hbcu-week-conference-general/event-summary-54abe092d9f2476587bf5c4bdbca134b.aspx?i=209e6250-a36e-4f7a-8a94-0ad84eaf5b26


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Easing drought on the Panama Canal


Logo

Easing drought on the Panama Canal


The expanded Panama Canal is reducing water use thanks to its new system of locks and basins, thereby lowering the risks posed by drought (Photo: Panama Canal Authority)
 
PANAMA CITY, Panama, June 28 2016— In the midst of one of the worst droughts to affect Central America in decades, the expanded Panama Canal is a model for how to adapt to climate change and reduce disaster risk...
Read more at: http://www.unisdr.org/archive/49408

The Caribbean must prepare for increased drought due to climate change

http://www.preventionweb.net/english/email/url.php?eid=49359

SOURCE(S):  FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS - HEADQUARTERS (FAO)

The Caribbean must prepare for increased drought due to climate change

Agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to the seasonal nature of drought.
With irrigation use becoming more widespread in the Caribbean, countries’ fresh-water supply will become increasingly important.
21st of June 2016, Barbados – Climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of droughts in the Caribbean, so countries must enhance their capabilities to deal with this and other climate related challenges to ensure food security and hunger eradication, FAO said today.
The Caribbean faces significant challenges in terms of drought, a new FAO study says. The region already experiences drought-like events every year, often with low water availability impacting agriculture and water resources, and a significant number of bush fires.
The Caribbean also experiences intense dry seasons particularly in years with El Niño events. The impacts are usually offset by the next wet season, but wet seasons often end early and dry seasons last longer with the result that annual rainfall is less than expected.
The Caribbean accounts for seven of the world’s top 36 water-stressed countries, while Barbados is in the top ten. FAO defines countries like Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis as water-scarce with less than 1000 m3 freshwater resources per capita.
“Drought ranks as the single most common cause of severe food shortages in developing countries, so this is a key issue for Caribbean food security”, said Deep Ford, Regional Coordinator for FAO in the Caribbean.
The impacts of drought on agriculture and food security
With droughts becoming more seasonal in nature in the Caribbean, agriculture is the most likely sector to be impacted, with serious economic and social consequences.
This is particularly important since the majority of Caribbean Agriculture is rainfed. With irrigation use becoming more widespread in the Caribbean, countries’ fresh-water supply will become increasingly important.
Drought can affect the agriculture sector in several ways, by reducing crop yields and productivity, and causing premature death of livestock and poultry. Even a dry spell of 7-10 days can result in a reduction of yields, influencing the livelihoods of farmers.
Farmers, particularly small farmers, are vulnerable to drought as their livelihoods are threatened by low rainfall where crops are rainfed and by low water levels and increased production costs due to increased irrigation.
Livestock grazing areas change in nutritional value, as more low quality, drought tolerant species dominate during extensive droughts, causing the vulnerability of livestock to increase. The potential for livestock diseases also increases.
The poor are vulnerable as food price increases are often associated with drought. Expensive, desalinated water resources are becoming more important in the Caribbean, accounting for as much as 70% in Antigua and Barbuda, and this can impact the poor significantly.
Rural communities are vulnerable since potable water networks are less dense and therefore more heavily impacted during drought, while children are at highest risk from inadequate water supplies during drought.
Climate change poses new challenges
The most frequently occurring natural hazards in the Caribbean are climate related, and their impacts may increase due to climate change. The region's vulnerability to climate related hazards is manifested in loss of life and annual economic and financial losses that result from strong winds, flooding and drought.
Between 1970 and 2000, the Caribbean region suffered direct and indirect losses estimated between US$700 million and US$3.3 billion due to natural disasters associated with weather and climate events.
So far, the Caribbean has focused mainly on floods and storms, and so currently lacks effective governance, human resource capacity, and finance to deal effectively with drought issues.
It also has poor national coordination, policy-making, and planning in place. While many regional and national programmes have initiated responses to build resilience against the impacts of drought; too many of these are still in draft, poorly implemented, or in need of review.
However it was the severity of the 2009-2010 drought that sounded the alarm. The worst in over 40 years that led to significant water shortages across the region and resulted in agricultural and other losses from key economic sectors that affected many livelihoods.
The event forced the region to consider, particularly in light of climate change projections, a drier Caribbean by the end of the century as a disaster that has to be planned for and managed more strategically.
Regional frameworks provide a necessary first step
Three very relevant frameworks for drought management in the region are the Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategic Framework, the CARICOM Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change: 2011-2021, and the Jagdeo Initiative. In addition, the Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CDPMN) was established in 2009, after the 2009 drought.
However, the most pressing need is for countries to develop strong national initiatives. According to the FAO report, currently policy-making and planning regarding drought is hindered by weak governance, lack of finance and poorly coordinated land management.
“However, these can be overcome by strong political will that encourages participation in policy and planning processes by all actors in the social strata, enabling the sustainable development of water supplies to face the upcoming challenges”, Ford said. 

Monday, June 27, 2016

CDC. Mosquito Control 2016



You are subscribed to Blog: Public Health Matters for Centers for Disease
 
Map with camera, compass, plane and journal
This week is Mosquito Control Awareness Week! Now that it’s mosquito season, it is the perfect time to look in and around your home for ways to control mosquitoes that can carry viruses like Zika and West Nile. There are many options when it comes to mosquito control for your home. No single activity will effectively control mosquitoes, so you should combine both indoor and outdoor mosquito control activities to keep in and around your home free of mosquitoes.
Connect with emergency.cdc.gov:
Follow emergency.cdc.gov on Facebook logo  Follow emergency.cdc.gov on Twitter logo  Follow emergency.cdc.gov on Linked In logo  Follow emergency.cdc.gov on RSS logo 

Critical Incident Stress Training Opportunity. ICISF Faculty & Staff invite you to attend the Albany, NY Regional Training November 9-13, 2016

ICISF-Cvent-Registration-Wide-Page-Width



The ICISF-Cvent-Registration-Wide-Page-Width



The ICISF Faculty & Staff
invite you to attend the
Albany, NY Regional Training
November 9-13, 2016

For more information, click here

New to ICISF and CISM Training?  
Get 27 contact hours of training in 3 days with this course:
Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention - Just released 5th edition curriculum

Pursuing a specialty?
Behavioral Emergencies: Survival Strategies for Emergency Services and Counselors
 CISM Application with Children
Corporate Crisis Response
Critical Incidents in Places of Worship
From Trauma to Addictions
Pastoral Crisis Intervention I & II
Resilience in Healthcare: Performance, Meaning and Connection
Hot off the presses!  Interested in Our Newest Course?
Understanding Suicide: Effective Tools for Prevention, Intervention and Survivor Support

Want to Teach an ICISF Course?
The Approved Instructor Programs are not open for registration at this time. Please wait for an email from our office regarding registration for the Approved Instructor Programs.

For more information and to register click here

Classes not filled to minimum capacity by October 16, 2016 will be cancelled.
_____________________________________________

 Can't make it to a Regional Training?
Have ICISF Faculty come to you through our Speakers Bureau Program

_____________________________________________

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
3290 Pine Orchard La, Suite 106
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Tel (410)750-9600
Fax (410) 750-9601
www.icisf.org


For more information, click here

New to ICISF and CISM Training?  
Get 27 contact hours of training in 3 days with this course:
Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention - Just released 5th edition curriculum

Pursuing a specialty?
Behavioral Emergencies: Survival Strategies for Emergency Services and Counselors
 CISM Application with Children
Corporate Crisis Response
Critical Incidents in Places of Worship
From Trauma to Addictions
Pastoral Crisis Intervention I & II
Resilience in Healthcare: Performance, Meaning and Connection
Hot off the presses!  Interested in Our Newest Course?
Understanding Suicide: Effective Tools for Prevention, Intervention and Survivor Support

Want to Teach an ICISF Course?
The Approved Instructor Programs are not open for registration at this time. Please wait for an email from our office regarding registration for the Approved Instructor Programs.

For more information and to register click here

Classes not filled to minimum capacity by October 16, 2016 will be cancelled.
_____________________________________________

 Can't make it to a Regional Training?
Have ICISF Faculty come to you through our Speakers Bureau Program

_____________________________________________

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
3290 Pine Orchard La, Suite 106
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Tel (410)750-9600
Fax (410) 750-9601
www.icisf.org

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Situational Awareness, Then and Now. Community Engagement.

Significant Agreements with FEMA that Affect our Communities
Please check Operation Hope, the NAACP, and IBW21 websites for community engagement information on emergency\disaster management preparedness, response, and recovery.


2011
Operation HOPE and FEMA Sign MOA To Enhance Financial Counseling to Disaster Survivors
2013
      NAACP signs MOA with FEMA
2014
      The Institute of the Black World (IBW) and FEMA to Sign Historic Agreement



Black Emergency Managers Association  
1231  Good Hope Road  S.E.
Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097 
bEMA 
We Support the GC     







"It is my belief that the best results in business come from a creative process, from the ability to see things differently from everyone else, and from finding answers to problems that are not bound by the phrase 'we have always done it this way.' "  Wayne Rogers

A 501 (c) 3 organization.  All membership dues and contributions are tax deductible.

Monday, June 20, 2016


Wednesday June 22, 2016. 7PM. Washington, D.C. IBW 21st Century. Town Hall Meeting at the historic Metropolitan AME Church


June 20, 2016

Press Release
Contact: Leonard Dunston - 919.765.5710
info@ibw21.org 

"We Charge Genocide"
Black Leaders to Discuss Flint and 
Poisoning of Black Communities

 

On Wednesday, June 22nd, residents from Flint, Michigan will travel to Washington, D.C. to share their horrific experiences of suffering under the threat of lead poison in the water system at a Town Hall Meeting at the historic Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. at 7 pm. (Doors to open at 6:30). The public is welcomed.

The meeting - to be broadcasted live on WPFW - is being convened by the Black Family Summit (BFS) of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW), an umbrella formation of socially conscious national Black Professional Organizations committed to building and sustaining safe, just and humane Black communities. The goal of the gathering is to shine a spotlight on the continuing crisis in Flint and draw attention to what the organizers believe is a disturbing pattern of lead poison in the water systems of predominately Black neighborhoods and cities across the country. 

Recent reports indicate that Newark, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. have problems with lead poison in sections of their water systems. Speakers at the Town Hall Meeting will site data documenting an alarming number of Black communities affected by poisoned water. 

Organizers are drawing comparisons to environmental racism in terms of the disproportionate impact of lead poison in the water of Black communities. In addition to negative health effects, evidence that lead poisoning in water affects I.Q. and behavior will be presented and discussed. 

Leonard Dunston, President Emeritus, National Association of Black Social Workers and Convener of the Black Family Summit, has assembled a Panel of scholars, experts and policy advocates to address the crisis in Flint and nation. 

They include: 

Dr. Patricia Newton
           CEO, Black Psychiatrists of America; 
Dr. Mwata Kevin Washington
           President, Association of Black Psychologists; 
Dr. Jewel Crawford
           health and environmental justice advocate and 
Atty. Adjoa Aiyetoro
           human rights and reparations advocate. 
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)
           Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and 
Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.)
           Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee 


Atty. Nkechi Taifa, human rights advocate, will serve as Moderator.


"We charge genocide because we are seeing the devastating toll on human life and destructive damage to Flint and Black communities across this country," said Leonard Dunston. "Whether through blatant or benign neglect, what's happening to Black families and communities is unconscionable and should be considered a crime against humanity. 

The Town Hall Meeting is the first step in bringing this crime to the attention of the nation and the world."

Event: Town Hall Meeting on Flint and Poisoning of Black Communities
Location: Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 
Time: Doors to open at 6:30 PM. Program starting promptly at 7:00 PM. 

Media Partner: WPFW, 89.3 FM, Pacifica Network, will broadcast the program live.

Co-sponsors: Bethel Literary and Historical Society of Metropolitan AME Church. 


Contact: Leonard Dunston - 919.765.5710
info@ibw21.org 


Wednesday June 22, 2016. 7PM. Washington, D.C. IBW 21st Century. Town Hall Meeting at the historic Metropolitan AME Church


June 20, 2016

Press Release
Contact: Leonard Dunston - 919.765.5710
info@ibw21.org 

"We Charge Genocide"
Black Leaders to Discuss Flint and 
Poisoning of Black Communities

 

On Wednesday, June 22nd, residents from Flint, Michigan will travel to Washington, D.C. to share their horrific experiences of suffering under the threat of lead poison in the water system at a Town Hall Meeting at the historic Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. at 7 pm. (Doors to open at 6:30). The public is welcomed.

The meeting - to be broadcasted live on WPFW - is being convened by the Black Family Summit (BFS) of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW), an umbrella formation of socially conscious national Black Professional Organizations committed to building and sustaining safe, just and humane Black communities. The goal of the gathering is to shine a spotlight on the continuing crisis in Flint and draw attention to what the organizers believe is a disturbing pattern of lead poison in the water systems of predominately Black neighborhoods and cities across the country. 

Recent reports indicate that Newark, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. have problems with lead poison in sections of their water systems. Speakers at the Town Hall Meeting will site data documenting an alarming number of Black communities affected by poisoned water. 

Organizers are drawing comparisons to environmental racism in terms of the disproportionate impact of lead poison in the water of Black communities. In addition to negative health effects, evidence that lead poisoning in water affects I.Q. and behavior will be presented and discussed. 

Leonard Dunston, President Emeritus, National Association of Black Social Workers and Convener of the Black Family Summit, has assembled a Panel of scholars, experts and policy advocates to address the crisis in Flint and nation. 

They include: 

Dr. Patricia Newton
           CEO, Black Psychiatrists of America; 
Dr. Mwata Kevin Washington
           President, Association of Black Psychologists; 
Dr. Jewel Crawford
           health and environmental justice advocate and 
Atty. Adjoa Aiyetoro
           human rights and reparations advocate. 
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)
           Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and 
Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.)
           Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee 


Atty. Nkechi Taifa, human rights advocate, will serve as Moderator.


"We charge genocide because we are seeing the devastating toll on human life and destructive damage to Flint and Black communities across this country," said Leonard Dunston. "Whether through blatant or benign neglect, what's happening to Black families and communities is unconscionable and should be considered a crime against humanity. 

The Town Hall Meeting is the first step in bringing this crime to the attention of the nation and the world."

Event: Town Hall Meeting on Flint and Poisoning of Black Communities
Location: Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 
Time: Doors to open at 6:30 PM. Program starting promptly at 7:00 PM. 

Media Partner: WPFW, 89.3 FM, Pacifica Network, will broadcast the program live.

Co-sponsors: Bethel Literary and Historical Society of Metropolitan AME Church. 


Contact: Leonard Dunston - 919.765.5710
info@ibw21.org 


Thursday, June 16, 2016

Webinar. June 23, 2016. DHS\OCIA.. “Mid-Atlantic Hurricane Swath Study”








On Thursday, June 23, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis (OCIA) will provide a webinar entitled “Mid-Atlantic Hurricane Swath Study” which covers the effect of a Cat 2 hurricane event on the Virginia Beach, VA region. OCIA’s engagement with federal/state/local communities deals with nationwide disaster preparedness and resilience efforts by serving all communities. Please share this informative hurricane event information with everyone associated with your networks today.

**Register for the event by Clicking Here**

Title: Mid-Atlantic Hurricane Swath Study

Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016

Time: 10:00-11:00 a.m. ET

Featured Speakers:
·        Ms. Somer Erickson, NOAA, will provide an in-depth discussion on hurricanes entitled “Everything that you wanted to know about Hurricanes but were afraid to ask.” Lots of interesting facts about hurricanes!
·        Joe Ezell, DHS/OCIA will provide a discussion on the Mid-Atlantic Hurricane report to increase your knowledge on hurricane preparedness, especially those in the Mid-Atlantic region.
How to Join the Webinar:
Please register for the event by clicking here on the link: (Mid-Atlantic Hurricane Webinar Registration)
·        Be sure to test your DHS Connect connection prior to the meeting by clicking here.

·        The webinar is scheduled on June 23, 2016 at 10:00am. 


Participants will be able to view the webinar on the day of the event, by logging into the event or by signing in as a guest.

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