Region III Health Equity Blueprint for Action Released

Region III Health Equity Blueprint for Action Released

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC) has released a Regional Blueprint for Action. This blueprint illustrates trends in regional data on health disparities and the social determinants of health. Among the trends identified:

• The entire Mid-Atlantic region experiences crime rates higher than the national average. The District of Columbia had more than 20 times the national benchmark, followed by Maryland and Delaware with rates nearly 10 times higher.

• In West Virginia, the incidence of food insecurity is the highest in the region, as is the rate of premature death; the state reports nearly double the national percentage of individuals in poor or fair health.

• In all Mid-Atlantic states, individuals with a high school education or higher reported very good or excellent health at a higher rate than those with less than a high school education.

As a next step, RHEC members are sharing information from the blueprint with decision makers and professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region to raise awareness about key health issues and issue a call for action among regional partners.

To download the full Mid-Atlantic RHEC Regional Blueprint for Action  or download the Executive Summary to view a snapshot of the blueprint’s findings, please visit http://region3.npa-rhec.org/in-the-spotlight/blueprint.

You're invited to

Food Deserts: Virginia Challenges and Solutions

Please join the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) for a viewing and discussion of Living In A Food Desert, a documentary describing Virginia's food access problem, how it impacts residents in three parts of the state, and the initiatives in place that address local needs for healthy, affordable food. 

Produced by Virginia State University in collaboration with Virginia Tech, this film will inspire you with its examples of dedicated Virginians creating real solutions to food access.

Following the film, there will be an opportunity for attendees to share successful strategies implemented in Virginia and learn from Melanie Deel about Lenowisco Health District initiatives and John Lewis about the Renew Richmond program.

When

Friday, April 24, 2015 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Where

VDH, Madison Building,  Mezzanine Conference Room 109 Governor Street Richmond, VA 23219 To submit a Polycom site request, please contact Rich Watson at richard.watson@vdh.virginia.gov or  (804) 864 - 7179 Register on TRAIN VA using the Course ID: 1056511.  For more information, please contact Augustine Doe, OMHHE Health Equity Specialist at augustine.doe@vdh.virginia.gov or 804-864-7436.