Interim House Gears Up for Cycling

Research has long shown that regular exercising improves self-confidence, reduces symptoms of depression and boosts one's overall mood. With those goals in mind, PHMC affiliate Interim House began offering its clients the opportunity to ride bicycles through the nonprofit organization Gearing Up, whose mission is to provide adults in recovery with the skills, equipment, and guidance to ride a bicycle for exercise, transportation, and personal growth.

Interim House, the oldest residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment program for women in Philadelphia and one of the first on the East Coast, helps women develop the knowledge, skills and supports necessary to promote sobriety, manage emotional and behavioral difficulties, chose and maintain healthy lifestyles, and develop healthy relationships with peers, family and the community. As part of that mission, Kristin Gavin, executive director of Gearing Up and fitness instructor at Interim House, started the Breaking Cycles program, which aims to stop the cycles that contribute to addiction.

To learn more about Gearing Up and the programs it offers, join the staff of Interim House and Gearing Up for an informational session.

When: Friday July 10th at 7:30PM
Where: Breakaway Bike Shop
What: Includes remarks from Kristin Gavin, reflections from program volunteers and a raffle!

For more information, please contact Kathy Wellbank, director of Interim House at 215-849-4606 or kwellbank@phmc.org.

Centre County Residents Asked to Answer the Call to Improve Local Healthcare and Social Services

Throughout this July and August, Centre County residents will be able to help their county better plan and improve health services by sharing information about their health and health care experiences. PHMC's Community Health Data Base (CHDB) will conduct its Household Health Survey, a major survey now reaching Centre County.

Since 1983, CHDB has surveyed Philadelphians and, since 1991, all of Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. In 2008, the survey reached still further to Berks, Lancaster and Schuylkill counties. It now comes to Centre County for the first time.

CHDB will contact Centre County residents at random by telephone, including a sample of 150 cell phone users. CHDB keeps all interviews and individual information confidential. Some topics include:

• Insurance status (both medical and dental) with focus on the uninsured
• Transportation barriers to care
• Cost barriers to care
• Access to emergency medicine and medical specialists
• Chronic conditions (including asthma, diabetes, hypertension)
• Obesity status
• Tobacco usage and exposure
• Mental health
• Physical activity

Area hospitals, government agencies, universities, managed care organizations and others can access CHDB data to better assess community health needs, address community health concerns, and plan and evaluate programs.

CHDB's Household Health Survey is one of the largest regional health surveys in the country. The Pew Charitable Trusts, The William Penn Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and over 350 local agencies from the health, government, nonprofit, and academic sectors help to support the CHDB. To view previous data news releases, please click here. For more information, please visit http://www.phmc.org/chdb.

Interim House and Linda Creed Honored

Impact100 Philadelphia, an organization that encourages women to engage in philanthropy to support local nonprofit organizations, designated PHMC affiliates Interim House and Linda Creed as finalists for its inaugural grant. Out of 36 applicants, Interim and Linda Creed placed second and fifth-place winners, respectively.

Each member of Impact100 donates $1,000 and pools their donations with those of fellow members to provide a local organization with a high-impact grant. This year, the organization's inaugural year, 111 women joined Impact100 and donated $1000 a piece for a combined grant offering of $111,000.

Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) Senior Vice President John G. Loeb received an Alumni Achievement Award from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research awarded at a ceremony on May 29, 2009. Loeb earned his Master of Social Service degree from Bryn Mawr in 1969. The award recognizes contributions in the field of social work and celebrates individuals who serve as a vital part of maintaining and extending the tradition of excellence that is central to the mission of social work and the school.

During his 37-year tenure at PHMC, Loeb has been instrumental in guiding the organization's growth from a small, experimental, federally funded program to one of the largest and most respected public health institutes in the nation.

PHMC Affiliate Program Featured in Grid Philly

Recently featured in Grid Philly, Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance (PUFFA) is a collaborative between Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, White Dog Community Enterprises, Thomas Jefferson University, other entities and many community partners. Learn more about PUFFA here.

*Photo by: Albert Yee

Grid Philly is a free, local paper that focuses on building a sustainable Philadelphia. Read the entire article here.*

{youtube}DuBggj7Zd3A{/youtube}