Category Archives: TFL

Global Crisis: COVID-19 and Vaping – How to stop both

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The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, St. Mary’s County Health Department, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland are pleased to host a webinar series featuring Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos. Dr. Galiatsatos is the director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins Bayview and an assistant professor in the division of pulmonary and critical care at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also the co-founder and co-director of Medicine for the Greater Good and Co-Chair for the Health Equity Steering Committee for the Johns Hopkins Medical System. Dr. Galiatsatos will present the following live sessions which will be recorded and posted here following the event.

Register for an upcoming session

Friday, January 22, 2021 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Biology of the Virus

Friday, January 29, 2021 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Recap of E-Cigarettes

Friday, February 5, 2021 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | COVID-19 & E-Cigarettes

Friday, February 12. 2021 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Media Training

Featuring Guest Speakers Dr. Elliot King, Professor in the Department of Communications at Loyola University of Maryland, and Aliza Friedlander, a freelance writer and content creator.

Call for Proposals – 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting

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The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership (HSMP) is seeking proposals for presentations for the 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting which will be held on September 19, 2019 at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center in California, Maryland.

The HSMP Annual Meeting is an opportunity for participants to network, learn from public health experts and receive updates on coalition-wide business. Each year, the HSMP Annual Meeting features learning sessions from distinguished presenters on topics related to the four health priority issues in St. Mary’s County: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living and Tobacco Use.

The HSMP Steering Committee is requesting proposals for presentations on current research and innovative or evidence-based practices relating to these four priority health issues. If you are interested in presenting at the 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting, please review the following information and submit a proposal by 5:00 p.m. on February 15, 2019.

For questions or assistance, please email: stmaryspartnership@gmail.com. For more information on the HSMP Annual Meeting, please visit: https://healthystmarys.com/hsmpannual2019/.

2019 HSMP Annual Meeting Presentation Information

Important Dates

  • January 17, 2019 – Call for Proposals issued
  • February 15, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. EST – Deadline to submit proposals
  • March 15, 2019 – Applicants notified of selection status
  • April 15, 2019 – Selected presenters must submit headshot, brief professional biography, and resume/CV
  • June 2019 – Registration opens for the 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting
  • August 15, 2019 – Presenters must submit final presentation title and summary
  • August 29, 2019 – Presenters must submit final slide presentation
  • September 19, 2019 – 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting

General Information

  • You will be asked to provide the following information via the submission process:
    • Primary presenter information
    • Co-presenter information (if applicable)
    • Working presentation title
    • Presentation description/overview
    • Presentation audience
    • Does your presentation address one or more of the priority health needs, objectives, or strategies in the Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 Plan?
  • The HSMP Steering Committee will review all proposals and select presenters. Priority will be given to presentations that focus on innovative or evidence based topics that directly relate to objectives in the Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 Plan.
  • If selected, presenters will be notified of a scheduled speaking time between 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the day of the 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting.
  • The primary presenter will serve as the point of contact for the 2019 HSMP Annual Meeting. This person is responsible for informing any co-presenters of the status of the proposal, deadlines, and all related presentation specifications.
Submit Your Presentation Proposal Now

Call for Table Applications – 2018 HSMP Annual Meeting

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The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership (HSMP) will offer the opportunity for a limited number of partners/community organizations to set-up an informational table at the HSMP Annual Meeting on September 13, 2018. 

The HSMP Annual Meeting is an opportunity for participants to network, learn from public health experts and receive updates on coalition-wide business. The HSMP Annual Meeting features learning sessions from distinguished presenters on topics related to the four health priority issues in St. Mary’s County: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living and Tobacco Use. For more information on the HSMP Annual Meeting, please visit: https://healthystmarys.com/hsmpannual2018/

If your organization is interested in tabling the 2018 HSMP Annual meeting, please review the following information and complete the table application form by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. 

Please Note: There will be no commercial sales allowed. Due to limited space, HSMP may not be able to accommodate all organizations that apply to table the event. If the number of applicants exceeds available space, the HSMP Steering Committee will make the final selection of organizations approved to table the event. Active partners and programs relevant to the work of the HSMP action teams to address health needs in St. Mary’s County will be given priority.

For questions or assistance please email: stmaryspartnership@gmail.com.

2018 HSMP Annual Meeting

Tabling Information

Important Dates

  • July 31, 2018 – Deadline to submit table application
  • August 13, 2018 – Applicants will receive e-mail confirmation of their acceptance status
  • September 13, 2018 – 2018 HSMP Annual Meeting

General Information

  • Commercial sales are prohibited
  • Active partners and programs relevant to the work of the HSMP action teams to address health needs in St. Mary’s County will be given priority.
  • All table applications will be reviewed and applicants will receive an email to confirm acceptance status
  • If your organization is selected to table the event:
    • You must be a registered attendee of the HSMP Annual Meeting. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-healthy-st-marys-partnership-annual-meeting-tickets-46621886317
    • You will be pre-assigned a display area. A table and two chairs will be provided.
    • You must set up your table display between 12:30 – 1:00 p.m. on the day of the event.
    • You are responsible for providing your own materials (tablecloth, display boards, promotional items, handouts, etc.). We will not have the ability to make extra copies the day of the event.

Submit your table application now

CALL FOR POSTER ABSTRACTS

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The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership (HSMP) is requesting abstract submissions for the Poster Showcase at the 2017 HSMP Annual Meeting, set for September 21, 2017, in California, MD.

The HSMP Annual Meeting is an opportunity for participants to network, learn from public health experts and receive updates on coalition-wide business. The HSMP Annual Meeting features learning sessions from distinguished presenters on topics related to the four health priority issues in St. Mary’s County: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living and Tobacco Use. For more information on the HSMP Annual Meeting, please visit: https://healthystmarys.com/hsmpannual2017.

This year, we want to hear how you or your organization is working to improve local health! The Poster Showcase is an open session featuring visual presentations of recent program initiatives, research findings, and other information of interest and importance to the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership action teams. These visual presentations allow the author(s) to meet and speak informally with interested viewers, facilitating a greater exchange of ideas and networking opportunities than with oral presentations. The Poster Showcase will be staged in the Center Hall Gallery, a very high visibility area during the event.

Please review the following information for the Poster Showcase and then submit your poster proposal by 5:00 PM EDT on Friday, July 14, 2017 for consideration. The HSMP Steering Committee will review poster proposals and make selections for presentations at the Annual Meeting. An email to confirm acceptance status will be sent by July 31, 2017.

Let 2017 be your year to share exciting information on an innovative program, effective outreach strategies, noteworthy research, or other news with your colleagues. For questions or assistance, please e-mail: stmaryspartnership@gmail.com

2017 HSMP Annual Meeting

Poster Showcase & Abstract Information

Important Dates

  • July 14, 2017– Deadline for abstract submissions
  • July 31, 2017 – Applicants notified by e-mail of presentation acceptance or rejection
  • September 15, 2017– Deadline to submit final poster copy in PDF format
  • September 21, 2017– Presentation of accepted posters

General Information for Poster Presenters

  • You must be a registered attendee of the HSMP Annual Meeting to present your poster. Register at: https://hsmpannual2017.eventbrite.com
  • You are responsible for all of your own materials, including the printing of your poster and any handouts to support your presentation
  • A PDF version of final posters must be submitted on September 15, 2017 and full poster content will be published on the HSMP website approximately one week after the event

Poster Session – September 21, 2017

  • Posters will be on display in the foyer area near program sessions.
  • Presenters will be pre-assigned a display area. Additional information on poster layout, size requirements, printing options and handout materials will be provided with confirmation of poster acceptance on July 31, 2017.
  • Presenters must set up their posters between 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. the day of the event
  • Poster presenters must be at their boards from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. for discussion and questions. It is suggested that presenters also be available to answer questions during break times scheduled throughout the event.
  • Presenters may take down their posters after 1:00 p.m. and no later than 3:00 p.m.

Criteria for Poster Abstract Submissions

  • The poster presents information on research findings, program implementation and results, or innovative solutions related to health improvement
  • Poster content is relevant to one or more of the priority health areas in St. Mary’s County: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living or Tobacco Use/Exposure to Secondhand Smoke.
  • Priority will be given to presentations that specifically address objectives or strategies in the Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 local health improvement plan.

A committee will review all submissions and evaluate them on: 

  • Relevance in terms of the priority health issues facing St. Mary’s County
  • Substance and clarity of content

How to Submit an Abstract

  • Complete the online submission form for your poster at: http://bit.ly/PosterAbstractHSMP2017 by July 14, 2017.
  • Submissions require contact information, a brief poster description and identification of which HSMP 2020 topic, objective or strategy are addressed.
  • Incomplete or late submissions will not be reviewed.

Submit your poster abstract now button

American Heart Month Feature

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Matters of Your Heart infographic. For more information visit: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Heart-and-Stroke-Association-Statistics_UCM_319064_SubHomePage.jspHeart disease is the leading cause of death in Maryland, accounting for 25% of all deaths. Sadly, in St. Mary’s County our numbers are even higher than state averages.

The good news?

Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Through lifestyle changes like smoking cessation, healthy eating, exercise, and managing diabetes, blood pressure and stress, you can greatly reduce your chance of heart disease.

This year, make control your goal!

Use the resources below to help you control your diabetes, blood pressure or other habits that increase your risk.

Smoking Cessation

Healthy Eating

Physical Activity

Managing Diabetes

Controlling Blood Pressure

2016 Town Hall Meetings: Youth Use of Tobacco & E-Cigarettes

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The Tobacco Free Living action team (TFL) of the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership facilitated a 2-part Town Hall Series on underage tobacco and e-cigarette use.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Selling tobacco products to youth under the age of 18 is illegal, yet nearly 9 out of 10 smokers started smoking by the age of 18 and about 19% of St. Mary’s County high school students use tobacco; higher than state and national averages. Please join us for these open community conversation about underage tobacco and e-cigarette use in St. Mary’s County.

For more information on the TFL Action Team please visit: https://healthystmarys.com/tobacco-free-living/

The 2016 Town Hall Series on Underage Tobacco and E-Cigarette Use was a great success! Thank you to everyone who attended these community conversations. Presentations from each town hall are available below.  

Part 1: Underage Tobacco Use

Special Guest Speaker: William Tilburg, JD, Deputy Director of the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy based at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. William has authored legal synopses on local authority to restrict the sale of tobacco products and regulating tobacco products based on pack size for the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, and filed petitions and public comments to the Food and Drug Administration requesting the agency regulate cigars and other non-cigarette tobacco products and reject tobacco manufacturer applications seeking designation as modified risk tobacco products.

Click here to view the meeting presentation.

Part 2:  E-Cigarette Use

 

Special Guest Speaker: Olesya K. Vernyi-Kellogg, J.D., is a staff attorney with the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. Olesya will present on related federal, state, and local regulations, provide a general assembly legislative update, and share some of the latest scientific studies on e-cigarette health effects.

Click here to view the meeting presentation.

For more information, call 301-475-4391

The Great American Smokeout

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November 19 Quit Like a Champion, Great American Smokeout Banner

Get ready to lose the habit, and become victorious over tobacco.

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society event the Great American Smokeout. The Great American Smokeout challenges people to stop using tobacco for this one day in the hope they may quit for good.

About 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. In St. Mary’s County, 25% of adults and 19% of youth are currently using tobacco products. Quitting — even for one day — has immediate and long term benefits for smokers and their loved ones.

On November 19, 2015, the Tobacco Free Living Action Team of the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership did outreach throughout St. Mary’s to celebrate the Great American Smokeout. Community members were encouraged to sign a pledge to quit smoking and were offered a free Quit-Kit to help!

Over 200 individuals were reached with these efforts!

Thank you to the following locations for participating in the Great American Smokeout:

Thank you to the partners of the Tobacco Free Living action Team for coordinating this event locally. Special thanks to the St. Mary’s County Health Department, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, the Minority Outreach Coalition, Walden Behavioral Health,  the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions and MedStar Family Choice. 

There are many tools that can help people quit and increase their chances of staying quit. For more information visit https://healthystmarys.com/tobacco-free-living/ or call (301) 475-4330.

Great American Smokeout Materials 

 

November 19 Quit Like a Champion, Great American Smokeout Banner

Inaugural HSMP Meeting: Tobacco Free Living Session

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The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership will host its first annual meeting on Thursday June 4, 2015 from 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown, Maryland. The meeting is only one month away – Register to save your seat now!

This meeting will be an opportunity for participants to network, learn from experts on the local health priority areas and to receive updates on coalition-wide business.

Spotlight – Tobacco Free Living

Kathleen HokeElectronic Cigarettes: Past, Present and Future

Kathleen Hoke, JD, Law School Professor and Director, Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy

The rapid rise in use of electronic nicotine delivery devices, or e-cigarettes has generated questions and concerns in communities nationwide. This session will provide an overview on e-cigarettes, current and anticipated regulations, and opportunities for local action.

Kathleen Hoke, JD, is a Law School Professor and Director of the Network for Public Health Law, Eastern Region and the Center for Tobacco Regulation at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. Hoke provides technical legal assistance to Maryland state and local health officials, legislators, and organizations working in the development of public health policy and tobacco control.  Recent work has focused on the regulation of cigars and the development of sound policies to create smoke-free multi-unit housing.

Learn more about Kathleen

Additional Forum Topics:

  • The Partnership and Local Health Improvement Planning
  • Access to Care
  • Behavioral Health
  • Healthy Eating & Active Living

Join us after the event for an optional Social Hour at the Oldetowne Pub in Leonardtown!

HSMP Seeks Public Comments on Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 Draft

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Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership Seeks Public Comments on Draft Plan for Local Health Improvement

LEONARDTOWN, MD (April 21, 2015) – The Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership (HSMP) is seeking comments on its DRAFT 2015 – 2020 Local Health Improvement Plan for St. Mary’s County, Maryland “Healthy St Mary’s 2020”.

HSMP members and community partners have engaged in a strategic planning process to draft Healthy St. Mary’s 2020. This process was informed by local and state data, both quantitative and qualitative. Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 will provide a framework and consensus-based recommendations for improving the health of St. Mary’s County residents. It will provide insight into long-term health solutions and present a road map for achieving optimal health for all community members.

Public participation will help shape Healthy St. Mary’s 2020, its framework, objectives, and targets. HSMP will provide opportunities for public input periodically to ensure that Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 reflects current public health priorities and public input. The updated set of Healthy St. Mary’s 2020 objectives will be published on www.healthystmarys.com and will reflect further review and deliberation by the HSMP Steering Committee.

Written comments will be accepted until 6:00 PM ET on Tuesday May 5, 2015.

Comments may be submitted via the Online Public Comment Form or:

Mail:      Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership
                 c/o St. Mary’s County Health Department
                 Attn: Jenna Mulliken
                 P.O. Box 316
                 Leonardtown, MD 20650
Fax:        (301) 475-4350
Email:    stmaryspartnership@gmail.com

HSMPThe Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership was established in 2013 to serve as the local health improvement coalition for St. Mary’s County. HSMP is a community-driven coalition of partners working together to improve health in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The coalition mobilizes members through four action teams to address the priority health issues in St. Mary’s: Access to Care, Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating & Active Living and Tobacco Free Living. For more information on the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership or to become a member, visit https://healthystmarys.com/

County Health Rankings

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County Rankings St. Mary's

Positive Report for St. Mary’s

LEONARDTOWN, MD (March 26, 2015) – St. Mary’s County ranks as the fifth healthiest county in Maryland, according to the sixth annual County Health Rankings, released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. This ranking reflects an improvement from eighth in 2014.

The County Health Rankings are an annual report that grade the overall health of nearly every county in the United States. The Rankings provide a snapshot of a community’s health, and helps to identify issues and implement solutions to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play. The St. Mary’s County ranking was positively impacted by local improvements in social and economic factors, quality of life, and premature death.  Since the 2011 Rankings, premature death in the county has decreased by 13 percent.

“Community partners, county leadership, health care providers, and our residents should take pride in knowing that work done to improve their own health, as well as the health of our community, has yielded such positive results,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “The rankings also reaffirms priority areas that our local health improvement coalition, the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, has identified and continues to address—access to care, healthy eating and active living, behavioral health, and tobacco-free living.”

The Rankings allow for relative comparisons between counties within a state on overall health and well-being. These comparisons are based on an assessment of four areas that influence health: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment. These factors are rated using local-level data from 30 measures that include smoking, education, physical inactivity, preventable hospitalizations, and the availability of primary care physicians.

Rates of adult smoking and obesity, preventable hospitalizations, and the ratios of residents to health professionals, including primary care physicians, dentists and mental health providers were areas where St. Mary’s County ranked low when compared to the other 23 Maryland counties.

“While the trend of an improving county health ranking for St. Mary’s is very encouraging,” said Dr. Brewster, “I am concerned about the challenges we face with access to care and risk factors leading to chronic illness. With the help of community stakeholders and the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, we continue to seek solutions for these issues.”

The Rankings are available online at www.countyhealthrankings.org. For additional information visit the health department’s website at www.smchd.org or the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership website at www.healthystmarys.com.