Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Hooked” by Lonny Shavelson. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Join us for an ongoing education presentation for community members and Community Health Workers. We’ll be discussing the infrequently talked about but ever-present aspects of healthcare. For the month of August, we’ll be discussing end of life care and advocacy. The focus is to teach CHWs about compassionate end-of-life care and the Death Positive movement and explore the role of death doulas in how they allow the dying person to make choices based on what they consider a good death. Examples of topics are providing practical support to individuals and their families during the sacred journey of dying from navigating difficult conversations to fostering a peaceful transition and ensuring end of life wishes are followed through. Our speaker for the event is Becky Shumake, Senior Director of Palliative Care at Community Healthcare of Texas.

Want to get a CE for this event as a CHW?

Waco AHEC and Piney Woods have partnered together to provide CEs for this event. In order to get your certificate, you will need to take the intro and outro quizzes, as well as stay the entire duration of the Zoom webinar. Shontel Minor will provide the certificates, contact her at shontel.minor@txaheceast.org

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “The Black Angels” by Maria Smilios. This book covers the nursing shortage during the tuberculosis crisis of the 1930’s, and then Black, Southern nurses who showed up to turn the tides against it. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Join us for an ongoing education presentation for community members and Community Health Workers. We’ll be discussing the infrequently talked about but ever-present aspects of healthcare. For the month of July, we’ll be discussing what harm reduction is in the context of substance abuse. Our speaker for the event is Gaby Libretti, Harm Reductionist, QMHP. Her role is Capacity Building Manager with Texas Harm Reduction Alliance.

Understanding Harm Reduction

Join us for an insightful webinar on harm reduction, a public health approach aimed at minimizing the negative consequences associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors. This webinar will cover the following key topics:

• Introduction to Harm Reduction: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices that define harm reduction.

• Barriers to Healthcare for People Who Use Drugs (PWUD): Explore the challenges PWUD face in accessing healthcare services.

• Strategies for Addressing Barriers to Healthcare for PWUD: Learn effective interventions and solutions to improve healthcare access for PWUD.

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Rough Sleepers” by Tracy Kidder. This book discusses the challenges of treating the homeless, and makes the bold claim that there will not be health without social justice for the transient population. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Join us for an ongoing education presentation for community members and Community Health Workers. We’ll be discussing the infrequently talked about but ever-present aspects of healthcare- starting with our presentation on Cultural Humility with Armando Molina from the Valley Aids Council.

The fourth and final installment of Mix it Up will feature BSW providers discussing the challenges of trans healthcare in Texas, as well as the promise of continuing research for our community.

The Mix it Up series is hosted in partnership with the All of Us Research Program. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program here: Joinallofus.org/togetherDALLAS

Join Rural Health Book Club for a brief (but educational) departure from nonfiction. "The Frozen River" covers a murder, the brutal realities of older medicine, and a midwife who's never lost a baby. It's based on the fascinating diary of said midwife- and we can't wait to see you react to the twist ending. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

The third installment of Mix it Up will feature four speakers on the intersection of disability and healthcare. Join us for a discussion of disability at every level- research, lived experience, local activism, and national awareness.

The Mix it Up series is hosted in partnership with the All of Us Research Program. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program here: Joinallofus.org/togetherDALLAS

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” by Robert D. Putnam. Community members and Scholars will discuss the modern “loneliness epidemic” and the way that social capital influences health outcomes. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

The first installment of Mix it Up will feature our speaker, Dr. Cook, in a discussion of issues of intersectionality in medical research.

Dr. Stephanie Cook is a James Weldon Johnson Professor in the departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Biostatistics at New York University School of Public Health. She is also the Director of the Attachment and Health Disparities Research Lab (AHDL). Dr. Cook’s substantive methodological and statistical focus is in the development and application of longitudinal study designs (i.e., intensive longitudinal designs) for determining the ways in which dynamic changes in features of minority stress (e.g., daily and momentary discrimination events) are associated with changes in risk behaviors and physical health (e.g., substance use and pre-clinical cardiovascular disease) among racial/ethnic and/or sexual minority young adults. Dr. Cook’s overarching research focus is to understand how structural- and individual-level minority stressors contribute to mental health, physical health, and health behaviors across the lifespan in the virtual and physical worlds. Further, she seeks to understand how features of close relationships can exacerbate or buffer the negative effects of minority stress on health. Her work primarily focuses on young adults transitioning to adulthood who are at the intersection of racial/ethnic and sexual orientation status. In addition, much of her current work examines the links between minority stress (i.e., daily experiences of discrimination), biological markers of stress and disease (e.g., cortisol and C-reactive protein), and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (e.g., cardiometabolic health behaviors). Dr. Cook has won numerous awards for her research, service, and teaching including the Matilda White Riley Distinguished Early-Stage Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health, the Emerging Scholar recognition from Diverse Magazine, and the AmStat News “Data for Good” Challenge in Human Rights Award.

The Mix it Up series is hosted in partnership with the All of Us Research Program. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program here: Joinallofus.org/togetherDALLAS

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents” by Marea Goodman and Ray Rachlin. Community members and Scholars are invited to look more into the world of alternate family building and the role that healthcare plays. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “We'll Fight It Out Here: A History of the Ongoing Struggle for Health Equity” by David Chanoff and Louis W. Sullivan. We will discuss how a coalition of Black health professions schools made health equity a national issue, and the implications for our community as a whole. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

ATS, CV, and more, oh my! Job hunting in the LinkedIn era can feel overwhelming, but fortunately we’re here to help. Join us for a job preparation session on Zoom during lunch or dinner for accountability and expert advice.

ATS, CV, and more, oh my! Job hunting in the LinkedIn era can feel overwhelming, but fortunately we’re here to help. Join us for a job preparation session on Zoom during lunch or dinner for accountability and expert advice.

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande. We will discuss death care, and the different elements within our modern society. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

The first installment of Mix it Up will feature Dr. Gabriel Benavidez, an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at Baylor University, as well as Ashley Bearden, MPH, the Executive Director of Waco AHEC.

Disease doesn’t impact every population equally. If COVID-19 demonstrated one thing, it’s that inequality shows up plainly in epidemiology, and that our conversations around public health need to expand. Join us for an intersectional look at the science of disease and the way it spreads. Questions are encourgaed, and attendees will get the opportunity to chat with our experienced public health professionals.

The Mix it Up series is hosted in partnership with the All of Us Research Program. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program here: Joinallofus.org/togetherDALLAS

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed” by Lori Gottlieb. We will discuss the intersection of therapy with the rest of the healthcare field, as well as personal experiences with mental health. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke In the Richest Country On Earth” by Sarah Smarsh. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

ATS, CV, and more, oh my! Job hunting in the LinkedIn era can feel overwhelming, but fortunately we’re here to help. Join us for a job preparation session on Zoom during lunch or dinner for accountability and expert advice.

ATS, CV, and more, oh my! Job hunting in the LinkedIn era can feel overwhelming, but fortunately we’re here to help. Join us for a job preparation session on Zoom during lunch or dinner for accountability and expert advice.

Register now for Rural Health Book Club on “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Register now for September’s Rural Health Book Club on “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World” by Tracy Kidder! More information on the Rural Health Book Club can be found by clicking here.

Join Texas AHEC East Scholars for our first Rural Health Book Club meeting! This month we will be discussing queer healthcare through the book Felix Never After, by Kacen Callender. This will count for a didactic hour, and is an opportunity to network with other Scholars across our region.

Entry Questions (have answers ready for the beginning of the discussion):

How do Felix's intersecting identities affect the way he receives healthcare?

What does gender dysphoria mean for Felix? What brings him gender euphoria?

What role does the Center play in his journey?

The Community Opportunity Event, also known as the COE, is an exciting event scheduled for May 20, 2023, at the Dewey Recreation Center as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dewey Park (925 N 9th St). The Community Opportunity Event is a community wellness and resource fair co-hosted by Waco Police Department, City of Waco Parks and Rec, Waco Family Medicine and Waco AHEC. The event is intended to promote individual, family, and community well-being by partnering with community resources to provide educational and interactive health services, education and career opportunities, and fun for the whole family.

Our youth represent the future and therefore we, as a community, need to do everything we can to guide them on the right path to be successful. The COE promotes a holistic approach that addresses the root causes of teen gun violence through community resources and healthy lifestyle choices which can help create safer and more positive environments for young people.

It's the final Mix It Up, and we're thrilled to host another amazing clinician. The community is welcome to join us in learning ways to preserve cultural safety for trans and gender-nonconforming patients. Can't attend but have questions? Send it to us via our social media.

The Mix it Up series is hosted in partnership with the All of Us Research Program. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program here: Joinallofus.org/togetherDALLAS