RHHD Blog: Well Read

We’re officially in fall and winter virus season, and for the first time, vaccines and treatments are available for all three major viruses—flu, COVID-19, and RSV. RHHD’s Public Health Nurse Supervisor, Joanna Cirillo, is making sure that as many residents as possible have access. “Most of my thinking is focused on how we keep up... Continue reading→

Attention, expectant parents and parents of little ones: the WIC program is changing offices. Monday, Nov. 6 is WIC’s last day in the 400 E. Cary St. Office. They’ll be open for business on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Richmond Community Hospital. The move is designed to meet growing participation on the East End. Here’s the new contact... Continue reading→

CDC has just made V-safe available to adults 60 years and older who have received the RSV vaccine. The service, which began to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in 2020, will send regular check-ins through text or email. These confidential check-ins will ask how you’re feeling after your vaccination. Registering for and responding to these check-ins will help the CDC... Continue reading→

Nov. 1 marked the start of the 2024 Affordable Care Act open enrollment season. This year for the first time, Virginia is using its own Insurance Marketplace. Virginia residents will need to visit that site to enroll. The Virginia Marketplace provides information about translation services and contact options. Enroll by Jan. 15 for coverage in 2024! Continue reading→

En RHHD, los trabajadores comunitarios de la salud están ideando formas creativas para enseñar sobre salud en sus iniciativas educativas y de divulgación. Los trabajadores comunitarios de la salud trabajan en centros de recursos de RHHD o con grupos que tienen necesidades de salud únicas. Algunos trabajadores comunitarios de la salud multilingües trabajan en comunidades... Continue reading→

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 5. While you’re changing your clocks, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also encourages you to test your smoke detector and replace the batteries for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. In addition to CPSC’s advice, Firefighter Cody offers the following tips: Place smoke detectors on the ceiling because smoke rises. Position your detectors... Continue reading→

Across RHHD, Community Health Workers—or CHWs—are coming up with creative ways to build health literacy into their education and outreach efforts. CHWs work in RHHD’s resource centers or with groups who have unique health needs. Some multilingual CHWs work in communities where English is not a first or even second language. When these CHWs create community programs, even if... Continue reading→

Health and education organizations have an obligation to ensure that their resources are as accessible as possible, no matter your personal health literacy. At the same time, there are some things you can do to flex your own health literacy muscles, whether you’re at a doctor’s office, a clinic, or at home. Practice Ask Me 3  Ask Me 3 encourages patients to have three... Continue reading→

We may have reached November, but RHHD is reflecting on the Health Literacy Month that was. Health literacy isn’t just an October project for us—it guides the work we do all year long. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services talks about health literacy having two components: personal health literacy and organizational health literacy. Personal health literacy is... Continue reading→

The week ahead: No newsletter, just voting! All RHHD clinics and offices will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and Friday, Nov. 10, in observance of Election Day and Veterans Day. Both days are important for public health workers—and our communities—to observe: Elected officials make critical decisions about how to support and fund public health and resident well-being,... Continue reading→

El horario de verano termina el domingo 5 de noviembre. Mientras cambia la hora en los relojes, la Comisión de Seguridad de Productos del Consumidor (CPSC) de Estados Unidos le recomienda que pruebe sus detectores de humo y reemplace las baterías de los detectores de humo y las alarmas de monóxido de carbono. Además de... Continue reading→

The scariest thing about Halloween should be your child’s homemade zombie cheerleader costume, not speeding cars. RHHD Policy Director Ruth Morrison offers some tips for getting home with every candy bar intact (except the ones you eat on the way!): If you don’t have to drive, don’t!   Reducing the number of cars on the road... Continue reading→