February 2021

NACDD continues to support Chronic Disease Units and military stakeholders in cross-industry partnerships to create healthier communities that support the health and well-being of military service members and their families.
 
The Military Partnerships Pilot, funded by CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) and the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), is working with Arkansas and Utah to explore pathways for developing partnerships with local military populations to advance tobacco prevention and control, and physical activity and nutrition strategies. These efforts will be described in two case stories that will examine how partnerships were established and outline future technical assistance needs to help Chronic Disease Units work with their local military stakeholders.
 
This month, the Building Healthy Military Communities Thought Leader Roundtable completed its third session. This five-part series builds on the lessons learned from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Building Healthy Military Communities (BHMC) Pilot and explores approaches to increasing strategic communication and partnerships between state and local public health, community development efforts, and the DoD. This Roundtable will produce a recommendations report to guide public health, military, and national partners in future collaborative efforts. The recommendations will focus on BHMC’s six priority areas:

• Adverse Health Behaviors including Nutrition, Obesity, Chronic Conditions, and Tobacco Use
• Transportation and Geographic Dispersion
• Mental Healthcare and Substance Abuse
• Family Supports including Childcare, Spousal Employment, Higher Education Opportunities, and Housing
• Communication and Coordination Between DoD and Community Resources
• Jobs and Employment

For more information on NACDD’s military health efforts, visit NACDD’s Healthy Military Communities project page or contact NACDD’s Project Lead, Catherine McCann, at cmccann_ic@chronicdisease.org.

Read more from the February 2021 issue of Impact Brief below.

• NACDD Launches Coordinating Center for Public Health Practice 2021 Fellowship Program
  February 2021 Last month, NACDD welcomed 20 chronic disease prevention and health promotion leaders from 14 states into the inaugural cohort of the Coordinating Center for Public Health Practice Fellowship. Over the next several months, these fellows will work with our NACDD STAR team and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to take a deep… Read more: NACDD Launches Coordinating Center for Public Health Practice 2021 Fellowship Program
• NACDD Celebrates Cancer Prevention Month, Launches Campaign to Encourage Regular Screenings During Pandemic
  A coalition of cancer prevention organizations including the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) celebrated National Cancer Prevention Month this February by releasing a video public service announcement campaign, “Cancer Doesn’t Wait,” that encourages the public to resume regular preventative cancer screenings despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• NACDD Awards Funds to States for Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC)
  February 2021 NACDD recently awarded funds to 20 states funding and technical assistance to implement the BRIC Program. BRIC will work through partnerships at the national, state, and community levels to implement actions supporting nutrition security, physical activity access, and social connectedness to reduce isolation. This program specifically focuses on activities currently being implemented in… Read more: NACDD Awards Funds to States for Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC)
• Improving Patient Care by Standardized Testing
  February 2021 NACDD is collaborating with the CDC’s Clinical Standardization Programs, the Endocrine Society, and the Partnership for the Accurate Testing of Hormones to improve patient care and public health by promoting the use of accurate and reliable laboratory measurements for chronic disease biomarkers in healthcare and research. The project uses a multi-pronged approach, including working to increase the… Read more: Improving Patient Care by Standardized Testing
• Creating Healthier Communities for Military Families
  February 2021 NACDD continues to support Chronic Disease Units and military stakeholders in cross-industry partnerships to create healthier communities that support the health and well-being of military service members and their families. The Military Partnerships Pilot, funded by CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) and the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), is working… Read more: Creating Healthier Communities for Military Families