The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) recently released a new series of briefs entitled Addressing inequities in education during the COVID-19 pandemic: How education policy and schools can support historically and currently marginalized children and youth. The series contains five briefs, each two pages in length. For more information and to access the briefs, please click here. https://www.srcd.org/research/briefs-fact-sheets and scroll down.

In this post, I will discuss the complex issue of substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic with a specific emphasis on the likely negative impacts on the family unit. I also offer recommendations to help support individuals and families. View the complete article here.

Discussions centered on the importance of partnerships, particularly among community members, community organizations, and educational institutions, to enhance the lives of diverse children, youth, and families. The panelists provided an overview of PACT and its goals as well as the context in which community organizations are operating and responding to meet the communities’ needs. Also, panelists discussed the importance of community-university partnerships during difficult times, the benefits for community organizations and members in such partnerships, and best practices for community collaboration. The panel discussion ended with opportunities to get involved in research projects as well as information about local resources. To view the presentation, click here.

Dr. Bray's presentation took place on July 22, 2020, as part of a webinar series powered by Latino Connection and Penn State Reach. Her presentation included information on strategies and resources for caregivers of children with disabilities. To view the presentation, please click here.

PACT welcomed Eugenia R. Moten as Assistant Director effective July 1, 2020. PACT is a university-community partnership that provides Penn State researchers and community stakeholders an equal voice in crafting, refining, and/or implementing salient and relevant research with an emphasis on enhancing the lives of children, youth, and families of diverse backgrounds in the greater Harrisburg area. The PACT Assistant Director is part of the Administrative Team for PACT, which includes the PACT Director and Associate Directors, Community Engagement Coordinator and Liaison, Latino Outreach Coordinator, and Graduate Administrative Assistant.

Eugenia received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and had a long career of over 30 years working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is a certified Life Coach and the founder and CEO of Teens Let It Out Ministry, a support group for teenagers and young adults. Eugenia is also the founder of SAMM (Single and Married Moms Ministry), which provides a forum for married and single mothers to discuss family issues and concerns. She served as a Family Coach where she provided services to youth aging out of the foster care system and she has experience providing one-on-one mental health therapeutic support services for special needs children. Eugenia is active in the church; she ministers, and she serves on numerous church boards and several faith-based organizations. She volunteers faithfully throughout the community ministering to at-risk youth. Eugenia has been committed to serving the community for over 40 years and specializes in healing of the whole family.

Please join us in welcoming Eugenia!

This webinar focused on current knowledge about COVID-19 and pregnancy and the postpartum period. The presentation included online resources especially relevant to pregnant/postpartum women that may help address mental and physical health risks. Click here to view the series.

PACT Community Engagement Coordinator, Carmen Henry-Harris, recently participated in the Black Girl Health (BGH) Phoenix Rising 5K. BGH is dedicated to helping women achieve healthier lifestyles. The purpose of the 5K was “to encourage healthy habits and physical activity while showcasing the resiliency and strength of black women even in the face of a pandemic such as COVID-19.” Click here for more information.

The Road to New American Health is a webinar series powered by Latino Connection and Penn State Reach. The presentation can be viewed here.

Latino Connection, in partnership with various organizations, hosted a webinar series with professionals in health and finance to discuss topics and resources for minority health and wellness. Click here to view the series.

Kristin Buss, head of the Department of Psychology in the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts, has been named the Tracy Winfree and Ted H. McCourtney Professor in Children, Work, and Families.

“I came to Penn State because it is one of the best places in the world to be a developmental scientist,” said Buss, who, among her other accomplishments, was instrumental in establishing Parents and Children Together (PACT), a university-community partnership and research initiative that works to promote the health and well-being of children, youth and families from diverse backgrounds in the greater Harrisburg area.

View the full article here.

Hamilton Health Center, in Harrisburg, is a one-stop “Medical Mall” for community health. They provide a range of services including adult and child primary care, OB/GYN, dental, eyecare, mental health, and social services.  Hamilton Health Center’s mission is to improve families’ health through the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered services regardless of families’ health, economic, ethnicity, language, place of origin or insurance status. From humble beginnings in 1969, Hamilton Health Center began as a social justice response to the lack of healthcare access in the community. Since then, Hamilton Health has experienced exponential growth, expanding from a small trailer in front of the St. Augsburg Lutheran church to having its own building with satellite locations in additional counties! Brad Gebhart, Development Director at Hamilton Health Center for six years, attributes a great portion of this growth to the leadership team and staff, especially their CEO Jeannine Peterson, who have used their vision to launch Hamilton to great achievements. Hamilton serves over 30,000 patients annually with over 110,000 visits in 2019. Dedicated staff continue to receive numerous Innovation and Health Care Hero awards showcasing their outstanding commitment to health and community. Additionally, Hamilton continues to establish multiple collaborations to support the community. Hamilton has been a collaborating member of PACT, serving the well-being of children and families, since 2007 and they recently collaborated with Penn State Health and Dr. McGarrity to provide free colonoscopies to the community.

On March 5, 2020, Hamilton celebrated its 50^th anniversary with a gala attended by fellow community members and friends where exciting plans were unveiled for a future expansion of services. “We’re a community health center. We want to be responsive to the community and always try to help,” said Mr. Gebhart. In the works, Hamilton will be raising money for a new Women and Children’s center. Additionally, Hamilton will be collaborating with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to identify solutions for food insecurity in the community. Together they hope to identify a location to provide free food for families in need, with additional space for a teaching kitchen so the community may learn more about preparing nutritious foods in different settings. Hamilton is also identifying new resources for workforce development, including training opportunities within the Center for new healthcare providers and auxiliary professionals.

We look forward to Hamilton Health Center’s new initiatives and truly thank them for their continuous efforts to support our community’s health and well-being! In turn, the community can support Hamilton and their services by promoting and donating during their fundraising events and by helping to identify additional grant and collaboration opportunities. Find out more about Hamilton Health Center at its website: https://www.hamiltonhealthcenter.com/ .