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ICR Celebrates 25 Years!
Please save the date for ICR's 25th anniversary celebration. For 25 years ICR has been dedicated to improving the lives of local and global communities through research partnerships in public health, education, and cultural conservation fields. Formal invitation to follow.
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Honoring Marlene Berg
On January 27th friends and colleagues celebrated Marlene's
retirement from 40 years of service to ICR and Connecticut communities (and beyond!). photos from the event
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MAS Camp Grant Funding
ICR has been awarded $30,500 through the City of Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant Program. ICR and the CT International Caribbean Carnival Association will produce Mas Camp 2012, teaching young Hartford artists how to make and display West Indian Carnival costumes.
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Stand Against Racism
On April 27th ICR will be joining a host of organizations in the Hartford area to mark the Stand Against Racism Day. Our event will be open to the public and held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at ICR. For more information contact Chichi Obidoa at 860-278-2044 ext. 303 or chinekwu.obidoa@icrweb.org
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ICR has launched a Facebook page! By "liking" us on Facebook you will get event notifications, photos from programs, news, links, and updates. |
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RESEARCH FINDINGS
Good Oral Health
Significant oral health disparities exist among older low income and minority adults in community housing. Project Good Oral Health is a three year collaborative study with the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, the North Central Area Agency on Aging, and residents of senior housing in Hartford, New Britain, and Meriden. Project goals are to discuss oral health concerns and their impact on general health, and to develop a research agenda focused on oral health issues affecting older adults and adults with disabilities. Residents were given oral health presentations and opportunities to consult experts about health problems they found important; residents participated in discussion groups leading to new research projects; two volunteer resident committees were recruited to develop oral health education materials; and a cadre of residents identified an interest in research and advocacy to improve access to dental care. An Oral Health Research Strategic Alliance (OHRSA) was formed that includes representatives from health and social service agencies, universities, oral health associations, advocacy organizations, and senior housing sites. Members of the OHRSA provide links to information, reveal research and service gaps affecting older adults, endorse ideas that come from residents, inform on policy, and contribute to the development of a long term joint research agenda to address issues in older adult oral health. more info |
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CULTURE
New! Online Store
ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program now offers online sales of exquisite hand work by Connecticut folk and traditional artists who participate in our programs and projects. CHAP's Sewing Circle Project brings together artists who come from countries such as Somalia, Bosnia, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Burma, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Romania, Lithuania, and many more. The traditional arts practiced by these talented women go back hundreds of years, yet are renewed and revitalized each time the artists practice their craft. Being in a new land often gives them new ideas and materials, while their familiar art forms connect them to their homelands. By purchasing their work, you are contributing to their successful settlement in America, and the preservation of their important art forms! Each piece is handmade, so orders will be taken for items pictured, and once purchased, the artist will make the piece for you. Changes in color or size can be accommodated; specific commissions are accepted. Pay online via Paypal, a safe and secure service which also calculates tax and shipping costs for you. more info & shop now |
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YOUTH
 Teen Researchers Film Video About Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is a growing epidemic among American teens. A team of seven West Hartford high school youth created two YouTube videos depicting common scenarios of prescription drug misuse in their town. This participatory video action research project began with developing a research model that contained various independent variables and scenarios thought to influence the dependent variable of prescription drug misuse among their peers. The scenarios will be acted out, filmed and edited for YouTube dissemination and the youth will be involved in making these videos "go viral" by reaching a large number of their peers through various social media channels. more info
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INTERNATIONAL
 Smokeless Tobacco and Reproductive Health
India is one of the world's largest producers of tobacco products, most of which are sold domestically in the form of smokeless tobacco. Typical forms of smokeless tobacco include mishri or gul (toasted tobacco powder), paan (betel leaf, betel nut, slaked lime and loose tobacco), and gutkha (packaged tobacco mixed with chemicals, lime and flavorings). They are inexpensive and readily available in many different locations, such as paan shops, general stores, tobacco shops, and tea shops, and appeal to men, women, and even children. Across India 18% - 60% of women have reported using smokeless tobacco products, some even during pregnancy. Density of these shops is high in lower income communities in Mumbai. A joint study conducted by ICR and the Mumbai-based National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health revealed that, despite new packaging with graphic displays of health consequences, residents see little reason why smokeless tobacco should not be used and recognize a number of benefits to use, including assuaging toothaches and mediating stress. Tobacco control efforts are required to reduce the density of shops selling these products and provide harm reduction and cessation programs, especially for women who are heavy users during pregnancy. The study is supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute and the Fogarty Center, NIH. More information is available from an article to be published this spring in Tobacco Control. |
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