MW Health Blog
Our CEO, Martin Cohen, talks about why it's important for the Foundation to be audited every year. |
|
|
|
Meet Our Leaders The Foundation has selected 10 health professionals from the MetroWest region to participate in the Health Leadership Program's Class of 2012. The training program kicks off with a retreat in Boston where the Leaders will network and explore their personal leadership styles. From January until June, the Leaders will convene at the Foundation's offices to hear from experts in the field on topics like how to negotiate effectively, build strategic thinking skills, expand their knowledge about cultural differences and improve communication skills. This year's Leaders represent agencies that work to prevent teen pregnancy, promote health and wellness, protect public health, improve insurance access and provide psychiatric rehabilitation services. For a full list of Leaders click here. Throughout the program the Foundation will feature members of the Class of 2012 in a blog series called "Building Leaders." Our first Building Leaders blog is about Cheryl Aglio-Girelli, R.N., who is the program co-director of Strengthening Youth in a United Way at the Framingham Public Schools. |
Foundation-Backed Research Goes National
Education Development Center's (EDC) bullying and sexting research, based on results from the 2010 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, garnered local and national headlines last month and again this month.
The Waltham-based global nonprofit recently made a presentation about the damaging psychological effects of bullying and sexting before the American Public Health Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C. The research findings were featured in U.S. News and World Report, ABC News, The Boston Globe and the London Free Press. Lead researcher Shari Kessel Schneider was quoted in an U.S. News and World Report article earlier this month in an article about the prevalence of "sexting" among teens. EDC's research on "Cyberbullying, School Bullying and Psychological Distress: A Regional Census of High School Students" will be published in the American Journal of Public Health next month. Among the findings:
- A majority (59.7 percent) of cyberbullying victims were also school bullying victims and 36.3 percent of school bullying victims reported also being victims of cyberbullying.
- Reports of depressive symptoms were highest among victims of both cyber and school bullying (47 percent) followed by cyber-only victims (33.9 percent) and school-only victims (26.6 percent) compared with 13.6 percent of nonvictims.
- Attempted suicide was highest among victims of both cyber and school bullying (15.2 percent). However, it was also higher among cyber-only victims (9.4 percent) and school-only victims (4.2 percent) compared with students reporting neither form of victimization.
|
Community Hero
Do you know someone who reminds you of former state Rep. Deborah Blumer? Are they a MetroWest resident, a tireless advocate for the underprivileged and someone who cares deeply about the community they serve?
Blumer, who died in 2006 after five years in the Legislature, was instrumental in forming the foundation in its early years and served as the founding Chair of the Board of Trustees. Each year we honor a community member who emulates Deborah's passion for ensuring all residents have equal access to medical care and health insurance.
Nominations for the annual "Deborah Blumer Community Health Leadership Award" are due by Dec. 16th.
For more information about how to nominate your hero, visit the Community Health Awards page on our website.
|
Foundation Corner
- Rebecca Donham, senior program officer, was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Donham was nominated by Rep. Karen Spilka and will serve a three-year term starting in January. The commission was established in 1998 and works on issues such as domestic violence, pay equity, health care and business development.
|
|
|
|
|
