April 2023
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
We've had quite a few responses to our survey, and the overwhelming majority of Partners are looking for printed handouts in 2023. The job is currently with our printer, so expect that very soon! We are still in the procurement process for translation services, but that is close too. Stay tuned!
Here's what else we heard:
- more community meetings
- more preparedness resources
- resources in different languages
Keep your needs and suggestions coming! https://forms.office.com/g/E0jaQxyYD9
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 April is National Autism Month, and we want to use this time to help families who have children or other members of their family with autism prepare for emergencies.
Children are affected by disasters differently than adults. Mental stress from a disaster can be harder on children because they may not understand what is going on around them and don’t have experience bouncing back from difficult situations. Having autism can further compound this stress for a child and their family.
Any parent of a child with special needs will tell you that it takes patience and perseverance to accomplish even everyday tasks. Preparing your child for something as potentially disruptive as a natural disaster might sound stressful or maybe even seem impossible depending on the exact needs of your child. Here are some tips we hope will help.
Small change…big problem
As you are well aware of, minor change of plans can cause big problems for children on the autism spectrum. While it might seem daunting to imagine how responding to an emergency such as a tornado warning might impact your son or daughter, thinking through all of the potential complications can help you prepare for your child’s specific needs.
A few years ago, a new neighbor came to Sesame Street. Her name is Julia and she’s helping dispel decades-old stereotypes about autism. Julia is a little girl with autism and her move to “where the air is sweet” coincided with April being Autism Awareness Month. Our new neighbor is helping us think about the challenges of parenting a child of autism. One of those challenges is preparing children with special needs for public health emergencies. Click the link above to find resources about autism that will help both families and children, including some newly-released videos featuring Julia and her friends!
Read more at https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2017/05/autism-and-preparedness/
The organization Autism Speaks also has resources for families specifically related to natural disasters. https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-speaks-natural-disaster-resources
 Since 1970, the month of April has marked a celebration for ecological activism and global calls for environmental protection. Initially proposed in 1969 as a day to honor the earth, a proclamation signed at the United Nations established a nationwide “environmental teach-in”, as more than 20 million people joined the cause on April 22nd, 1970, in what is known today as Earth Day. The significant of this event is historic, as it marked the largest single-day protest in human history and to date, we celebrate the event by raising awareness to the ever-growing challenges to sustainable living.
While the impacts of environmental degradation are felt across all populations and cultures, its affects are felt disproportionately across communities. Historically, minorities and other underserved communities experience the most severe harms, as they are often the least able to prepare for and recover from disasters. The disparities in socioeconomic inequality become more prevalent in the instance of an emergency, as unfavorable environmental conditions exacerbate living conditions for populations in these communities. As our commonwealth becomes increasingly diverse, understanding how environmental challenges impact populations of different racial and societal backgrounds is imperative to addressing the problems they encounter.
The vulnerability of Virginian communities to severe weather is evidenced across regions and localities. Population centers near coasts and tidal rivers experience flooding and are often susceptible to the threats of sea-level rise, as recent studies depict more than 400,000 homes (many of which are located in Hampton Roads) face increasing risks. (cite understanding Virginias vulnerability doc). Minority communities that house people of color, people with limited English proficiency, the elderly, rural areas, and other disproportionately impacted communities include some of the populations at risk to the impacts of pollution, as the influx of hazardous waste, toxics, and other high-risk chemicals.
To combat the adverse impact of these natural and man-made disasters, VDEM as an agency / the Office of Community Impact consistently aims to better understand the threats of these challenges, and the communities in which they occur. Through partnering with non-profit organizations, faith-based leaders, community centers and other local entities, we work to ensure that all communications, plans, and programs are accessible for historically underrepresented communities throughout the 5 phases of emergency management: Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Readiness, Response. To this effort, our office is currently working with the planning division to embed equity into local emergency operation plans, to provide support to local and inter-jurisdictional agencies, as they prepare for emergencies and inclusively identify the communities that are most vulnerable.
-Negus Assefa, Community Impact Specialist
 Since the beginning of the year, the VDEM Hurricane Program office has been busy preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. We have taken advantage of the off season to review plans, improve decision-making tools, and attend various events. In January, we sent 4 people to the Hurricane Preparedness for Decision-makers course, which was held at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL. This course is intended to help local emergency managers to better understand risks to their community from hurricanes and the various products and tools to help them make life saving decisions when a hurricane threatens. This is the first time the course has been held in 3 years, due to Covid. In March, the Hurricane Program Office attended the annual Interagency Coordinating Committee on Hurricanes (ICCOH) meeting, held this year in Atlanta, GA to discuss priorities and goals of the National Hurricane Program. We will be attending the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, LA during the first week of April. This annual conference usually offers great learning opportunities which allow us to fine tune our hurricane program in Virginia. We are expecting to learn lessons from Florida’s response to Hurricane Ian, which resulted in 149 deaths. And finally, Colorado State University will release its first forecast for the 2023 hurricane season on Thursday, April 13 at 10:00am. Stay tuned!
 Did you know that Virginia’s history of improving public health goes right back to the first colonists?
In 1610, three years after Jamestown was founded, the first sanitation law was passed. By the mid-1630s and beyond, colonists were thinking about collecting vital statistics and regulating the practice of medicine.
Since those early days, public health in Virginia has evolved with the establishment of the state Board of Health, in the tracking and treatment of diseases, discovery of vaccines, oversight of public water supplies, oral and maternal health, sewage treatment and so much more.
Public Health Week goes through Sunday. During Public Health week, we recognize the efforts of public health workers to protect and promote the health of all Virginians.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has over 3,000 employees across 35 health districts and 119 local health departments.
The VDH vision is for Virginia to become the healthiest state in the nation. Public health workers promote healthy lifestyle choices, educate the public to prepare for emergencies and other threats to health, and track disease outbreaks in the state, just to name a few.
Employees use data-driven approaches to stay informed about diseases, drug overdoses, vaccinations and many social determinants of health such as poverty.
Data dashboards posted on the VDH website help the public learn about how widespread some issues and diseases are in the state. Information is also available on programs, offices and topics such as substance abuse and mental health.
VDH employees aren’t the only ones who can play a role in promoting health in the state. You can get involved by volunteering for the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps or the COVID Community Ambassadors program.
Want to learn more about what VDH does, the history of public health and Public Health Week in Virginia? Visit the VDH website and iampublichealthva.org and watch for posts throughout the week on VDH social media sites. VDH also invites you to upload photos of you and your community participating in public health activities, like cleaning up a green space, helping someone in need, and more. Use the hashtag #IAmPublicHealth when posting your pictures.
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