Category : Health

5 barriers pregnant women in poverty face to getting the care they need

07/01/2020 334

Everyone deserves to have a healthy pregnancy free of anxiety and worry. However, many pregnant women worry about where their next meal will come from, how they will pay the rent, and if they will truly be able to provide for their unborn child. Here are five areas where pregnant women living in poverty often need support to have a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Health

We have the resources to build a better food system here in Iowa

05/08/2020 178

In this Des Moines Register op-ed, HealthConnect Fellow Aubrey Alvarez talks about the role we all play in bridging the gap between the food we have available in our community and those who need it.

Health

What we should do about COVID-19 racial disparities in Iowa

05/06/2020 200

In this Des Moines Register op-ed, HealthConnect Fellow Lina Tucker Reinders talks about how COVID-19 is a perfect storm of inequities and what we need to consider as we respond.

Health

4 ways to understand weight stigma and promote a healthier community

02/17/2020 313

Weight stigma and bias are so common in our society that we often don’t know when we’re exposed to it. Yet, weight stigma can actually perpetuate and worsen health conditions for the children and adults we know and work with in our community. Here’s what you need to know in order to promote a healthier, supportive community.

Health

Exploring a new use for the Count the Kicks app through fellow connections

12/02/2019 754

Educated and empowered moms are key to saving babies. As we become aware of the powerful work of Iowa ACES 360 and a pilot at Broadlawns in conjunction with EveryStep, we want to study whether our stillbirth prevention tools, like the free Count the Kicks app, can play a role in reducing adverse childhood experiences.

Health

One voice for a children’s mental health system

11/15/2019 573

Chaney Yeast shares her journey as part of the first cohort of fellows. Her project focuses on improving children's mental health through a coordinated, collaborative approach.

For all children in Central Iowa to have equal opportunity for good health, greater attention and resources must be directed to addressing the fundamental causes of poor health for children and youth. These fundamental causes, or social determinants, of health are often largely impacted by public and private, organization, local, state and federal policies and practices.

The Mid-Iowa Health Foundation HealthConnect Fellowship strives to engage and build the capacity of key professionals working to improve social determinants of children's health, and help them grow as public policy change agents to improve children's health in central Iowa.

This HealthConnect Fellowship Blog is intended to share learnings from the Fellows and other national experts with our broader community of children's health advocates.