Dear Scholars, 

Welcome to new students from the Franklin Pierce University’s PA program!  It’s great to have new folks join the ranks of the NH AHEC Scholars.  I know some of you second years are heading into a challenging clinical phase and planning for next year—I hope that some of these offerings are useful for you as you do so.

For this newsletter, I have added a broader selection of live virtual sessions from AHECs and other educational providers across the country.  All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time. 

Please note that at the top of the newsletter are 2 opportunities just for NH AHEC HS Scholars!  Please join us.

Best wishes,

Kate

NH AHEC Health Service Scholars Opportunities

For NH AHEC HS Scholars only.

The Role of Emergency Medical Services in Rural Healthcare with Upper Valley NH/VT First Responders

Monday, March 14, 2022 (12:30–1:30 pm)
Location: https://dartmouth.zoom.us/j/8022759582

Presenters:
Jeremy Thibeault MPA, Firefighter/Paramedic, Lebanon Fire Department; Joe Minichiello, Upper Valley Ambulance EMS member, Geisel School of Medicine student.

Objectives: 
Explore the role of EMS in rural health care, including the particular challenges posed by substance use, including opioids and methamphetamine; how EMS approaches mental health care needs; how is EMS a part of bridging barriers to care for rural and underserved populations?

This session will be recorded and included in the NH AHEC Scholars Archives

---

These events are open to all and can be “counted” toward NH AHEC HS Scholar activity hours.

Incorporating Principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Climate Adaptation Planning

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (2:00–3:00 pm)
Location: Zoom (Register here)

Facilitator:
Sharunda Buchanan, PhD, MS. Director, Office of Priority Projects and Innovation, Office of the Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Objectives:
In partnership with the CDC, APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity is hosting this hour-long webinar to: explore the practical application of the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in health and environmental agencies; highlight examples from current health professionals and Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) recipients leading this work; and review a new comprehensive resource, the Climate Change and Health Playbook: Adaptation planning for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, designed to support public health departments in applying principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in their climate and resilience initiatives.

Addressing Rural Health Disparities with Data

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (3:00 – 4:00 pm)
Location: Zoom (Register here) 

Presenters:
Greg Whitman, BA, Project Manager, University of Washington; Erin Schreiber, BS, Healthy Families Division Manager, Grays Harbor County Public Health.

Objectives:
—Understand the importance of visual data in identifying and communicating about health inequities.
—Describe at least two ways county-level data can help identify health inequities and support decision-making on how to address those inequities.
—Consider the effect training can have on developing a culture of data-driven decision making in public health practice.

The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice W.E.B. Du Bois Panel for Black History Month: How We Talk about Race in Health Services Research

Friday, February 25, 2022 (12:00 – 1:15 pm)
Location: Zoom (link) (Meeting ID: 935 5535 6194, Passcode: 756745) 

Presenters:
Andrew Anderson, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Typhanye V. Dyer, PhD, MPH is an associate professor in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at The University of Maryland School of Public Health, in College Park, MD. 

Abstract:
An in-depth discussion about how race is used in health analyses, the impact of language, and its implications for research and scholarship. For those interested in some pre-reading, consider https://www.aamchealthjustice.org/narrative-guide  (Intro, Part 1 and Part 2, pages 1-27).

Plants as Medicine and Food

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (6:00–7:30 pm)
Location: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfR9nDqnaWszneP1ibXQZyW6875mN5l24H1-3VAd3gj8Y4auA/viewfor

Presenter:
Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet/Cherokee) 

Abstract: 
A tribally-specific window into the practical, cultural, ecological, medicinal, and/or ceremonial importance of Montana’s native plant species.

Human Trafficking and Health Care

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (6:00 pm)
Location:  https://www.paahecscholars.org/event

Presenter:
Patricia Danner and Special Guest,  Pennsylvania AHEC

Abstract:
Human trafficking occurs in rural, suburban, and urban United States. Health professional need to be aware of tell-tale signs of trafficked individuals and how to respond effectively. This session will include a powerful presentation by a survivor of human trafficking.

Project ECHO.  Overcoming Barriers to Immigrant Healthcare: Food Insecurity in Immigrant Populations

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 (12:00 – 1:00 pm) Location: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/1b3b1503426843c4bdc84f71092efdbb

Abstract:
With the goal of promoting health equity, effective communication, and improved patient care for immigrant communities in Maine, this 6-month ECHO series will be led by community health workers and others involved in immigrant healthcare in our state. This ProjectECHO taps into the wealth of community knowledge to better understand the cultural barriers that impact patient care and experience. Participants will learn from experts in the field, collaborate with community health workers, and develop long-term solutions to barriers to health. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact CHWECHO@mainehealth.org.

Braiding Western Treatment Modalities and Indigenous Approaches for SUDs: Sweetgrass Method

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 (3:00 – 4:00 pm)
Location: https://www.naadac.org/sweetgrass-method-webinar

Presenter:
M. Standing Eagle Baez, PhD, LSP, LCDC, CCBT, has worked in this field since 2000 and has provided individual and group treatment for non-Native and Native communities.

Abstract:
Limited studies examine how traditional American Indian/Alaskan Native and Western healing practices are being combined in treatment for Indigenous clients. This webinar will discuss braiding Western treatment modalities and Indigenous approaches for substance use disorders for American Indian/Alaskan Native clients by introducing a culturally responsive method called the ‘Sweetgrass Method.’ This webinar will also examine some observed responses to historical and intergenerational trauma, which include signs of overall poor physical health, depression, and substance use disorder.

Rural-Urban Differences in Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 (12:00 – 1:00 pm)
Location: Zoom (Register here)

Presenter:
Dr. Elizabeth L. Crouch (PhD, Policy Studies) is Deputy Director of the Rural and Minority Health Research Center (RMHRC) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management at the University of South Carolina (UofSC).

Abstract:
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are events of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction that occur between birth and 17 years of age. Multiple studies have established the association between ACEs and risky behaviors and poor physical and mental health outcomes in childhood and beyond. During this webinar, Dr. Crouch will discuss research findings that: 1) examine whether ACE and positive childhood experience (PCE) exposure differs between rural and urban children by type and by count; 2) quantify racial/ethnic disparities in ACE and PCE exposure across rural communities; and 3) document the proportion of children with ACEs who lack PCE exposure among rural children.

---

In-person trainings and conferences

3RNET Annual Conference: The Nation’s Most Trusted Resource for Health Professionals Seeking Careers in Rural and Underserved Communities

August 30 & 31, 2022
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester, New Hampshire

About the Conference: Join 100 attendees, speakers, and fellow sponsors from across the country coming together to learn more about recruitment and retention in rural and underserved areas. Attendees include 3RNET Network Coordinators (who represent over 6,000 employers in rural and underserved areas across the country), federal partners, and more. https://conference.3rnet.org/about.html

Participation Tracking: What, How, Why?

NH AHEC HS Scholars is funded by HRSA, the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  HRSA is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.  This means, of course, that with the funding comes the need to report on your activities.  We aim to make this easy.  Here’s how it works:

1. Apply to the NH AHEC Scholars program here.  Give us a few sentences that describe your interest in doing so.  Answer a few questions.  Approx time needed: 5 min.
2. Once we review and accept your application, we will email you a baseline survey to gather information about you as you begin the program.  Approx time needed: 7-10 min.
3. You check out our website, with recorded sessions and other didactic resources.
4. We will email you regular newsletters about upcoming opportunities that we organize or that we think are of interest and relevant.   
5. Attended a session organized or advertised by the AHEC?  Great!  We want to know.  There are two ways to report it:
   • Go to the link of the event on our calendar, and in the description of the event, click on the Activity Log.  Give us a brief response to our questions.  Approx eval time needed: 5 min.                 
     
     -OR-
   • Keep track of it on your own, and report your attendance in the December or June Participation Tracker Survey, which will be emailed to you.
   • If you report some activities via the Activity Log and some via the Participation Tracker Survey, that’s good too!
6. Attended a non-AHEC session pertaining to one of the following topics?  Also great!  Report it via the Activity Log, as well as the emailed Participation Tracker Survey, as above.
   • Rural health care
   • Care for medically underserved populations, including those in urban areas
   • Primary care
   • Behavioral health integration into primary care
   • Telehealth
   • Substance use disorders and treatment
   • Social determinants of health
   • COVID-19
   • Addressing health disparities and inequities in NH
   • Interprofessional education and health care delivery
   • Practice transformation
7. Did you do community volunteering?  You rock. Seriously. Tell us via the Activity Log or the Participation Tracker Survey—no matter what the activity.  Let us decide if we will be able to report it for AHEC purposes.
8. Tell us about your clinical work, including volunteering, shadowing, and interning, even that which is required by your academic program.  Report it via the Activity Log or the Participation Tracker Survey.

Questions?  Let me know!

Scholars’ Bios

Add your bio to our Scholars’ page! Please forward a photo (png, jpeg fine; as high a resolution as possible) and a brief introduction to yourself (150–250 words). You are welcome to re-use something you’ve already used elsewhere!