Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota

We loved this recent piece about how Food as Medicine interventions — utilizing a healthy, nutritious diet to help combat debilitating disease — must include the entire family, including children. Even though kids are naturally at lower risk of the kinds of diseases that affect their grownups, keeping the entire household in mind when developing programs that fight food insecurity, for example, can have a positive impact on the health of the whole family. Read more: https://bit.ly/3NJjh76

We offer data analyses every quarter so our community can evaluate recent information on routine wellness and influenza vaccine coverage rates, children’s well-being, and the social vulnerability levels in our state. Our newest health snapshot captures data for the second quarter of 2024, including selected child health factors tracked by North Dakota KIDS COUNT, a statewide resource for data on the well-being of children in North Dakota. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Us0tgi

It's not too late to join our Vaccine Advocacy Learning Community! For more information and to receive updates about upcoming sessions, visit: https://bit.ly/4c8z5dA The VALC is a FREE online community designed for North Dakotans looking to learn more about vaccines. It runs through April 2025 and includes hour-long interactive virtual sessions held over the lunch hour. Each session features vaccine education from a topic matter expert, opportunities for discussion, and training on grassroots advocacy techniques to help folks move from, “Someone should do something about this!” to “I can do something about this!” We hope you'll join us.

We believe the people in our communities want the best health outcomes for themselves, each other, and all North Dakotans. By working in collaboration with local communities and individuals, we can help identify and remove health barriers and build a healthier state. If you have a story to share about how community wellness or a related illness has impacted your life, we want to hear from you. Your experience could help other North Dakotans! Share your story here: https://bit.ly/3uoYZt4

We're humbled and honored when people trust our organization enough to tell us how an illness or health-related experience changed their lives. Over on the FHND blog, Bethany shares with us her story about her 4-year-old daughter, Amiah, who died in 2017 after contracting influenza B. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Nh1Vyc

Fall is the perfect time of year to get the family outdoors for a seasonal adventure! Our state has so much to offer, from pumpkin patches and corn mazes to fall festivals and beautiful foliage. Check out North Dakota Department of Commerce's guide for more ideas or, better yet, share your favorite fall activities here in the comments! https://bit.ly/47VbEUk

We're thrilled to announce another step forward in fostering the health and wellness of North Dakotans: The North Dakota Multi-Partner Health Collaborative (MPHC) named Dr. Carlos Miranda, a pediatric cardiologist at Sanford Health, as Chair of the MPHC, and Megan Langley, executive director of Strengthen ND, as Vice Chair. The Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, American Heart Association - North Dakota, and ND Health and Human Services teamed up to launch the MPHC this year with the vision of making North Dakota the healthiest state in the nation. This marks another big step in our collaborative efforts to promote resources and community-wide initiatives that advance public health priorities. The members of the MPHC extend our congratulations to Chair Miranda and Vice Chair Langley on their appointments.

Protect yourself and your loved ones against influenza and RSV as we transition into the fall and winter months with these six tips from Dr. Nagpal of Sanford Health: 1. Wash your hands regularly. 2. Cover your cough. 3. Minimize contact with others when you're sick, even if you don't feel *that* lousy. 4. Exercise regularly to keep your body's endurance high⁣. 5. Keep up to date with influenza, COVID-19, and RSV shots⁣. 6. Work with your doctor to control any underlying medical issues. For more tips like these, watch our full webinar with Dr. Nagpal to learn more about respiratory illnesses: https://bit.ly/3PDZdUq

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as you age, you might be wondering ... when exactly am I supposed to start getting mammograms? According to our colleagues at ND Health and Human Services, women between the ages of 40 and 44 should meet with their health care provider to discuss their family medical history and determine when they should start getting regular mammograms. All women should then start getting annual mammograms beginning at age 45. And of course, it's never too early to begin doing self-exams at home — and reaching out to your doctor if you feel anything new or suspicious. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4envgTF

Our team recently made the trip to California for a three-day Change Leaders Academy training, where we expanded our leadership, collaboration and communication skills. It's always great when we can come together and learn alongside each other, and we're eager to incorporate what we learned into our work back here in North Dakota!