Moment of the Month

Moment of the Month December 2022: The Importance of Sowing Seeds “Tomorrow, our seeds will grow. All we need is dedication.” ~ Lauryn Hill Winter is the most exciting time of the year for gardening. Yes, winter, and no, that’s not a typo. The dreary damp winter months are when gardeners prepare plans, sow seeds, bury bulbs, and pray our patience (and our soon-to-be-plants) hold out over the long, cold weeks ahead. As is the practice for many winter holiday traditions, the darkness and stillness create opportunities for us to embrace the slower pace and open up space [...]

Moment of the Month April/May 2022: Food, Framing, and Freedom Changing the Language and Approach to Addressing Food Apartheid & Celebrating Good Food News Perhaps two of the most well-known, wide-ranging, and difficult to overcome social and environmental factors that impact health are oppressive forces (like racism) and barriers to basic needs (like healthy foods). Both are parts of people’s lived experiences that are at once private and personal but also consistently brought out into the public spotlight for debate and decision-making often without the consent or input of those most directly affected. Because of this, these [...]

Moment of the Month January/February 2022: From Moments to Movement Reaffirming Commitments to Racial Justice and Healthy Communities Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the National Cathedral on March 31, 1968 | Image from cathedral.org/ “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” Speech given at the National Cathedral, March 31, 1968. New years often kick off with individuals and organizations assembling plans and setting intentions. Reflecting on the length of road [...]

Moment of the Month December 2021: Accelerating Active Transportation Cities of Niles, Warren Adopt Active Transportation Plans & WRTA Expands, Enhances Services From L to R: US DOT Secretary Pete Buttegeig, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) Almost one year ago to the day, when U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was still a nominee, he was questioned by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), a co-sponsor of the National Complete Streets Act of 2019 and 2021, to share his position, and hopefully support, for a more complete approach to transportation policy: SCHATZ: Many local transportation [...]

Moment of the Month November 2021: It's Time to "CHA-CHA," again Representatives from Mahoning & Trumbull Counties Kicked-Off the Start of the Next Community Health Assessment Andy Williams popularized the song now signaling the start of the holiday season. It’s that wonderful time again. No, not that wonderful time. It’s time for our public health and healthcare partners to begin to update the Community Health Improvement Plans (a.k.a. CHIPs) and launch a new Community Health Assessment (a.k.a. CHA). Not quite as glittery and glamorous, but it is an incredibly valuable, priceless process that is a [...]

October 2021 Moment of the Month: Healthy Community Partnership Members Participate in the Ohio Community Development Corporation Association's Annual Conference Several HCP members presented, participated in conference activities and made connections between public health and community development. Social Drivers of Health Graphic from UCLA Health Many multi-sector collaborations across the country have been working together to recognize and reckon with the unsettling fact that what goes on outside the walls of a healthcare facility (ex: housing, employment, education, food, transportation, public policy, social and institutional norms, etc.) has an outsized impact on our health. When accounting [...]