News

January 20, 2023

Healthy Start’s BIRTH Plan Community Kickoff

Share your voice as community members, parents, and advocates! Join Healthy Start at this in-person event to discuss Allegheny County’s action plan for infant health equity: the BIRTH Plan for Black Babies and Families.

All are welcome. This event is family friendly and open to the community (including children, though formal childcare will not be provided). Light refreshments and infant health resources will be provided.

Event Details

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 | 2:30 – 5 p.m.
Hosanna House
807 Wallace Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Register

More Information

Healthy Start is committed to working with you to create real change.

Haven’t read the BIRTH Plan yet? Don’t worry! The Healthy Start team will detail the top four priorities for Black infant health in Allegheny County. There’s a place at the table for you.

News

NBCDI & Sesame Street in Communities Present: Happy and Healthy

Join the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) and Sesame Street in Communities for this webinar on child health equity and whole child wellness.

Part of NBCDI’s Virtual Learning Series, this event aims to create an equitable and just future for children by prioritizing children’s health and ensuring caretakers have proper health resources.

Session Details

Thursday, January 26, 2023 | 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Register

News

February 9, 2022

Understanding Health Disparities in the Black Community

Join the Homewood Community Engagement Center for an event focused on celebrating the legacy of Black health professionals and addressing pervasive health disparities.

About the Event

The national theme for Black History Month 2022 is Black Health and Wellness. In honor of the theme, the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Wellness Pavilion and the Community Engagement Center in Homewood will be hosting a panel of Black Health & Wellness Professionals and University of Pittsburgh students. The panel will focus on celebrating the legacy of Black health professionals and addressing pervasive health disparities in the Black Community. Following the panel, community organizations and Pitt units will be tabling with information about health and wellness resources available through Pitt and in the community.

Register to Attend

Registration is available on the Homewood CEC website. Space is limited. Face coverings must be worn.

Location

Homewood CEC
622 N. Homewood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

News

January 27, 2022

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Workshop Series

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center for a three-part workshop series focused on infant and early childhood mental health. Registration for this event is available online.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a capacity-building intervention that supports the mental health and social-emotional well-being of children, families, and providers who work with them. Family Connections is an evidence-based, system-wide model for mental health consultation and professional development.

This three-part virtual workshop series based on the Family Connections model is for you if you are a Mental Health Consultant, Family Service professional, or early childhood systems leader. Each workshop provides knowledge, skills, and strategies that you can bring right back to your setting and implement them in service of the staff and family well-being. And, for Mental Health Consultants, this series will provide you with a workshop model for professional development in the programs for which you consult.

Workshops

Workshop topics include:

Overcoming barriers to family-staff partnerships | 3/10, 2-3:30 p.m.
- Building strong family-staff relationships – key to young children’s development- is an ongoing process. Explore challenges to building these relationships and strategies to overcome them.

Understanding depression and fostering resilience | 3/17, 2-3:30 p.m.
- Learn more about depression, and how you can help family-facing professionals reach out to family members about mental health concerns while keeping in mind their cultural values and beliefs.

Talking to children about sensitive topics | 3/24, 2-3:30 p.m.
- Learn how to support family-facing professionals when discussing sensitive issues with children and families from diverse backgrounds, and how they can care for themselves during these conversations.

Cost

Each workshop costs $35, or all three workshops may be bundled for $90. Group rates are available by contacting Brazelton Touchpoints Center.

News

January 14, 2022

Healthy Homewood Project

Join a free 10-week program to get on track to feeling like your best self! These classes will help you stay accountable to a healthier lifestyle with exercise classes, motivational coaching, and professional wellness advice.

Meetings will be held at the Homewood YMCA. To join, contact Brandon Marzke at 412.315.0991 or bmarzke@ymcapgh.org.

Goals of the Program

This program is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh, Homewood YMCA, and the Community Engagement Center. The program seeks to aid individuals in the following ways:

Improve Health: Individuals can get help lowering their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol
Fit Friends: Individuals can make lifelong friends, bonding through a healthy lifestyle
Enjoy Exercise: Individuals can learn different types of workouts
Fun Foods: Individuals can get advice on how to make healthy meals

News

December 29, 2021

Behavioral Health at The Children’s Institute

The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh offers families a choice of outpatient, on-site evaluations and treatment in Squirrel Hill or virtual behavioral health services for children and young adults ages 5-21. In addition, Virtual Social Skills Groups for individual with autism, ADHD, anxiety, communication impairments, or other unique needs are offered. Classes will be scheduled soon for the new year.

The behavioral health team of licensed therapists, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP), and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist work closely with each client and their family to develop skills to manage mood, thinking, and behaviors – making the move towards resiliency, healing, and becoming happier and healthier at home, school, and in the community.

Additional details on any services are available on The Children’s Institute website.

News

January 11, 2021

Virtual Vitality Cafés

If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness.

About

Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café.

Virtual Vitality Café Dates

Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates:

Receiving Support

Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss.

Registration

To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend.

More Information

For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.

News

December 18, 2020

Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health

Join the Creative Learning Network on Wednesday, January 6 for their Lunch Break session, “Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health.”

About

During this session, participants will gain an understanding of foundational principles related to the intersection of anti-racism, trauma-informed, and holistic health in out-of-school (OST) programs for the purpose of supporting young people of color.

Registration

To register, visit the online registration page.

News

December 16, 2020

Safe and Healthy Homes Program in Allegheny County

Would you like to receive a free visual inspection of your home to check for potential health or safety hazards? Apply for the Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes Program!

About

The Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes (SHHP) Program provides free in-home health and safety assessments to qualified participants in Allegheny County, as well as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The purpose of this program is to reduce hospitalizations, injuries, illnesses, or deaths from preventable home health or safety hazards.

The program will include a free visual inspection for potential dangers in the home such as asthma triggers, allergens, mold, moisture, inadequate ventilation, lead-based paint, pest infestations, fall hazards, and child safety hazards. The program will also offer educational materials, information on follow-up medical care if threats to health are identified, and referrals to community organizations that can offer further assistance.

Eligibility

To qualify, households must:

- include at least one pregnant woman or a child/dependent under the age of 22,
- meet applicable income limits, and
- live in Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, or Westmoreland counties.

Application

To apply, complete the online application. Individuals may also apply by calling 412.350.4048.

More Information

For more information, visit the Allegheny County Health Department website. A Healthy Homes Maintenance Checklist is also available. Share this brochure with your network.

Information provided by the Allegheny County Health Department.

News

November 20, 2020

Stay-At-Home Advisory in Allegheny County

On November 18, the Allegheny County Health Department issued a stay-at-home and stop social gatherings advisory to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. If left unchecked, the spread of COVID-19 poses a risk to communities and healthcare systems in Allegheny County.

About

Beginning immediately, Allegheny County residents are asked to stay at home and stop social gatherings to stem the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the county. Residents are advised to only leave home to go to work or school, for essential needs such as seeking medical care, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, getting food, or the like.

Residents must always wear a face mask and practice physical distancing by staying at least six feet away from others in accordance with the November 17 state masking order. Additionally, residents are strongly encouraged to:

- not have guests in their homes unless they are essential workers (e.g., home healthcare providers, child care workers, or educators),
- cancel traditional Thanksgiving celebrations and celebrate virtually with non-household members,
- avoid unnecessary travel, and
- limit social event gatherings.

This advisory will remain in place for 30 days or until such time as the Health Director determines a change to the guidance is appropriate. All restrictions put in place by the Commonwealth and the Pennsylvania Department of Health remain in effect.

More Information

To view the full list of recommendations, please read the full advisory.