February 8, 2021

Black History Month February is Black History Month and is the time when we, as a nation, collectively honor the tremendous contributions, achievements and significant role African Americans have had throughout U.S. history. The Office of Minority Health (OMH) joins fellow Offices of Minority Health at HHS and healthcare professionals around the nation to highlight the impacts of COVID-19 on minorities, especially African Americans, with underlying health conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension). Visit the Black History Month Toolkit webpage for more information, downloadable materials, events, and health resources below.

Learn More

American Heart Month Each February, American Heart Month is observed to remind us to take care of our hearts and adopt healthy habits that will help prevent heart disease. This year, heart health is even more important because of the increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), more than 800,000 people die from cardiovascular disease every year in the United States and about 1 in 9 American adults are diagnosed with heart disease. Find out how you can raise awareness about heart disease below.

Learn More

New Jersey Department of Health Virtual Town Hall February 11, 7pm ET Join this esteemed panel to discuss how the COVID-19 Vaccine can save lives in the NJ Black and Caribbean communities.

Register Here

New Jersey Department of Health Virtual Town Hall February 15, 7pm ET Join this esteemed panel to discuss how the COVID-19 Vaccine can save lives in the NJ Latinx communities.

Register Here

Community Resources The CDC's COVID-19 Webpage in Spanish - NEW! https://espanol.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html The CDC's COVID-19 Communication Toolkit has flyers in different languages: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/toolkits/community-organization.html As part of its mission to facilitate honest and vulnerable conversations about race, the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Diversity and Cultural Competence Council presents its inaugural Black Voices in Research Storytelling Event. Watch the event here. The COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community was an amazing and informative discussion on COVID-19 vaccines and clinical trials organized by Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. and features Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett and Dr. Barney Graham (NIH), Dr. Wayne Frederick (Howard University), and Dr. Wayne Riley (formerly with Meharry Medical College), along with other Black health experts and leaders.  Making It Plain: What Black America Needs to Know about COVID-19 and Vaccines was a powerful town hall discussion hosted by leading Black health, faith, and social organizations to address questions and concerns from Black communities.  The PANDEMIA Series was developed in partnership with the Latino Commission on AIDS to address the concerns of Latinx communities regarding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine trials. The session recordings of past episodes are available on the Coronavirus Prevention Network YouTube page .

New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/community/ This newsletter is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number, UL1TR003017 to Rutgers University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the NIH. You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member of NJ ACTS or have signed up to receive our emails. To add a subscriber, please click here. Send story ideas to njactscommunity@rwjms.rutgers.edu Copyright 2021 New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science, all rights reserved.