Honors, Awards and Achievements

Eudora Burton, a social-services specialist for Opening Doors, a program of PHMC initially funded by the Pew Foundation and currently supported by the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey was recently featured in the Philadelphia Daily News. Opening Doors provides supports to PHMC affiliate National Nursing Centers Consortium’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), the Philadelphia branch of a national nonprofit organization that provides first-time, low-income mothers with a public health nurse home visiting program. In her role, Burton helps mothers increase their knowledge and skills to secure safe, affordable housing for their families. To find the article in the Philadelphia Daily News in full, click here.

On December 11, Shenille Melton, PALMS (Preventing AIDS through Live Movement and Sound) Project coordinator was featured on Huffington Post for her work on GenerationNext: Uncovered, a documentary she wrote, directed and produced. The 19-minute video captures teens and young adults talking about living with HIV. The video project was a collaboration between iChoose2live, a media and performing arts based company, and Take Control Philly, a Philadelphia Department of Public Health STD program. To watch the documentary in full, visit the Huffington Post website.

The December edition of Philadelphia SmartCEO Magazine features Richard J. Cohen, PHMC’s CEO and president in an article titled, “How Philadelphia business leaders are preparing for 2013.” To read the article online, click here.

Jason Schwalm, Out-of-School Time program specialist, recently contributed an article in AfterSchool Today. In the article, Schwalm writes about how project-based learning is an ideal vehicle for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as a part of the Out-of-School Time curriculum. Project-based learning (PBL) emphasizes hands-on activities and is driven by student interest and authentic inquiry. PBL classrooms engage students with new ideas—while preserving the fun and freedom of after-school programming. Program specialists at OST have observed an increase in STEM activities since the advent of PBL in Philadelphia.

In February, “Tapestry of Life,” a broadcast of Community College of Philadelphia’s CCPTV, featured Interim House, a PHMC affiliate. Host Pascal Scoles, Jr., professor of CCP’s Behavioral Health Human Services Program, Department of Behavioral Sciences, interviewed Interim House director Kathy Wellbank along with former client and current staffer Thelma Yancey. To watch the full episode of “Tapestry of Life—Women in Recovery,” click here.

Students Run Philly Style, a program of National Nursing Centers Consortium, a PHMC affiliate, was feature in this month’s issue of Sports Illustrated. Read the article, “How running changed the life of one Philadelphia teenager,” online now.

Grants

In February, Interim House, a PHMC affiliate, received a $12,500 Career Development for Women in Recovery grant from Women’s Way. The grant provides 15 successful graduates of Interim House with the opportunity to participate in a rigorous program to become certified in Pennsylvania as peer recovery specialists. They will receive academic and GED training with Interim House’s teachers and career training from PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization — Achieving Community Together). As certified peer recovery specialists, they will receive more opportunities for well-paying careers helping other people who struggle with drug abuse or behavioral challenges.

In February, five environmental education projects received a total of $25,000 in grants from National Nursing Centers Consortium, through the US Environmental Protection Agency. The grant recipients include Briar Bush Nature Center, Sustainable Business Education Initiative, GreenTreks Network and more. To read the full list and to learn more about the projects, read the full story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

As of February, Community Health Data Base is excited to announce the release of the data from the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. “The results of our 2012 Household Health Survey provide an excellent snapshot of the well-being of our communities and their residents,” says PHMC research associate Rose Malinowski Weingartner. “They allow programs to better understand the needs of the people they’re serving.” To read the full CHDB press release, visit the PHMC website. Additionally, visit our Public Health Dialogue blog for a Philadelphia Daily News article about the CHDB data release.

PHMC affiliate Metropolitan Career Center, a nonprofit workforce development organization that educates and trains individuals who have limited access to resources, has been awarded a two-year, $717,000 grant by STRIVE International to provide training and employment services to formerly incarcerated juveniles and young adults. The grant will enable MCC to serve 120 youths in Philadelphia through a new US Department of Labor (USDOL)–funded initiative called STRIVE for the Future.