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March Health Awareness Campaigns

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Brain Injury Awareness Month

National Kidney Cancer Awareness Month

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month

National Myeloma Awareness Month

National Nutrition Month

National Endometriosis Month

Workplace Eye Wellness Month

National Save Your Vision Month

Hemophilia Month

National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month

American Red Cross Month

Learning Disabilities Awareness Month

National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

National Eye Donor Month

National Poison Prevention Month

National Professional Social Work Month

Save Your Vision Month

For those in community or public health, the topics in this article will be nothing new-but as busy professionals ourselves, we often find it helpful to be reminded of the basic premises of our chosen fields. It’s so easy in our hectic-and very important-drive to complete work tasks that we lose sight of those core values for which we strive.There are a growing number of evidence-based interventions for use by community and public health professionals to promote health and prevent disease. [Leeman, Calancie, et al: 2015] These practices have the potential to improve environments, behaviors, and health outcomes in our communities. In order to adopt these practices, however, public health agencies and community partners often need additional tools, strategies, and training to enhance their capacity to improve health outcomes.The most effective prevention strategies actively engage the communities they are intended to serve. Effective health promotion and health-enhancing social change require communities to identify, plan, channel resources, and take action. The concept that a community is the solution to its own problems is not new. There is considerable support for designing community-based interventions to improve the health behaviors and overall health status of community members. According to Sotomayor, Pawlik, and Dominguez in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, “These community-based interventions are important because health disparities and the high rate of chronic diseases in minority populations, particularly among those who are poor and lack access to community resources, are not likely to be prevented without them.” [Sotomayor, Pawlik, and Dominguez: 2007]The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020 strives to

Identify nationwide health improvement priorities.

Increase public awareness and understanding of the determinants of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress.

Provide measurable objectives and goals that are applicable at the national, State, and local levels.

Engage multiple sectors to take actions to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by the best available evidence and knowledge.

Identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs.

Many health prevention and promotion consultants stress the importance that local leaders play in building community health. The Healthy People 2020 toolkit Identifying & Engaging Community Partners, answers the question “How Do You Define Meaningful Citizen Participation?” in this way:

Power to make decisions and affect outcomes

Citizen driven; from the community up, not top down

Proactive, not reactive

Encourages and facilitates broad community involvement

Inclusive, not exclusive; accessible to all

Balanced representation in the participation process; not just major “partners”

Consensus-oriented decision making Compromise; give and take

Opportunities for involvement in all levels of activity, which include creating a vision, planning, prioritizing, deciding, evaluating [ODPHP: 2010]

Building strong relationships with necessary community partners can be time consuming. Facilitating meetings to allow the meaningful participation outlined above requires a particular, practiced set of skills. Here’s where a community health consultant could be extremely valuable. Each community health consultant is different, of course, but in general he or she will have significant experience with the following tasks:

Developing health education and promotion programs, such as school or community presentations, workshops, trainings, etc.

Writing and formatting health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address public health concerns.

Developing working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health.

Designing and conducting evaluations to assess the quality and performance of health communication and education programs.

Collaborating with community groups and public health officials to identify community health needs and the availability of services needed.

Writing press releases and public service announcements, conducting media campaigns, or maintaining program-related Web sites.

Developing grant proposals to obtain funding for health education programs and related work.

One of the best things that you can ever do for your online business is becoming an email marketing expert. By learning how to master email marketing, you give yourself an advantage that others only wish that they could have. As an email marketing expert, you give yourself the chance to achieve predictable results. You’ll be able to rely on your numbers and estimate how much money you’re going to make each month.Some people tend to believe that email marketing is on the decline but I TOTALLY disagree. I believe this because I practice email marketing everyday, and believe that I am an email marketing expert myself. The first thing on my marketing task list everyday is to implement an email marketing strategy that will boost my conversions, boost my click through rates, and boost my leads to sales ratio. This is how I’m able to scale in my business each month.So what kinds of things should you be doing and know how to do to propel your email marketing results right away? I want to give you a few tips on what you should be doing so that your overall online marketing efforts are balanced by the results that your email strategy is doing. Because once you master the email side of things, everything else in your business becomes a lot easier. Here’s one thing you can start doing to become an email marketing expert in a short period of time:1) Track your link clicksIn most email autoresponder programs (such as Aweber, GetResponse, Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, etc), you will have the opportunity to view how many people on your list clicked on the link(s) in your emails. All you have to do is simply make the decision to turn this option on or off. It’s that simple. And you want to do this because it makes a huge difference in email sequencing.You don’t want to send out emails blindly without knowing what kinds of results you’re getting. Let’s say for instance that you’re getting 100 leads per day onto your mailing list, and it takes you an average of 10 emails to get a sale – when they’re spaced out 3 days apart. Here’s what you want to recognize, because it could alter the amount of profits that you make exponentially.Regardless of how far apart you’re spacing each email out, if in the 5th email you send you realize from the numbers that 4% of your 100 new leads are unsubscribing in that email, but in all of the rest of the emails you’re getting click through rates such as 30% and you’re getting sales… this should be a clear indication that the email needs to be revised – or totally removed altogether.By changing or removing that 1 single email, you could save yourself 4 leads – that could continue to stay on your list and even purchase from you in the future. And depending on your product price, and your cost per lead, this could be the difference between a lot of revenue for you – or mediocre to NO revenue for you at all. So as an email marketing expert, this is one of the things that you need to spot and take notice of so that you can make as much money as possible. Here’s another way to become an email expert in no time at all:2) Only mail to good and qualified leadsSome people believe that all leads are good. You will find that some people generate leads in any way that they can so that they can feel good about themselves, and post pictures of their large lists in forums and Facebook groups. This is not a good idea. Only generate and put people on your email list who are interested in what you have to offer – or who have purchased something that is really close to what you have to offer.I know some people who love the idea of solo ads. Solo ad marketing is when someone has an email list, and they allow people to mail to their list for a fixed price. Then once the mailing is over, they allow somebody else to mail to their deadbeat list in all in attempts to con them on the idea that their list is golden and supreme. This is not at all true. You should never attempt solo ad marketing.As an email marketing expert, the best kinds of leads to mail to are leads that you generate yourself. You typically do this via some form of display or pay per click (PPC) advertising, joint venture, viral marketing, or referral marketing campaign that you implement. But with solo ad marketing, how do you know how the leads where generated? Are you going by what the list owner has told you?You don’t know this person. They could have bought a 100,000 email lead database from some bulk lead company for $10, and are charging you $80 for every 100 leads that they send your message to. Not only do they scam you and you get no results in the form of income, but you could also get your website blacklisted. An email marketing expert would know this and would stay away from this form of marketing – because they know it’s a waste of time and money.To truly succeed online email marketing is essential, so becoming an expert is a necessity. Never rely on list brokers or buy email lists from someone. Generate leads from people who have sought YOU out, and know your conversion rates. When you have leads coming in from paid advertising and free marketing, you’ll lower your cost to get each lead, and you’ll be in control of what happens in your business.Which would you rather have? An unpredictable email campaign or a predictable one? This simple factor alone will save you 5-10 years of heartache and waste of time. This is something that you truly need to consider. If you want the most success in your business as possible, become an email marketing expert starting today.

Nowadays, people always think of money. They spend long, tedious hours working for and earning money. They often forget about eating or releasing stress through eating. Stressful lifestyles can have a hazardous and irrevocable effects to your health. Fatal diseases like cancer can hit you if you don’t act on your health now.Health coaches are more than your typical physician, nutritionist and psychologist. They do not individually look at your physical, emotional or mental health. Health coaches look at all aspects to ensure you achieve optimal health. They will help make your body and brain to feel better.Without the help of a health adviser, people tend to worsen their health condition by doing things by themselves. The following is a list of three things to avoid preventing worsening of health conditions:1. Guessing about your Health2. Trying all diet plans3. Self-medicationGuessing what among the diet plans is effective for you by trying all of them may cause irrevocable effects to your health. You may take higher dosage of some vitamins and minerals than the level of dosage that your body needs. You can also get an ulcer with some diet plans that include fasting and drastic changes in food intake. Diet plans should be personalized and specific. It should meet the needs of the body. Moreover, it should consider the metabolic type of your body. Self-medication is not only infamous for causing different health troubles but also for causing the death of some people. We should be reminded that the food, vitamins and minerals and even food supplement we take can turn into poison when the dosage is not right.To have a better health status, however; you have three things to do:1. Ask for the help of a health coach2. Know your metabolic type3. Aim for Optimal HealthThese things are actually connected. Health coaches can help you know your metabolic type and formulate with you a personalized diet. The metabolic type of person is studied to be key to a healthier life. When you know your metabolic type, you’ll also know how much and what food you should eat. Thus, you can formulate your diet, but you can’t do it alone. Formulating your personalized knowledge needs the expertise of a health coach. With a health coach, you are sure to have a healthy body and more. You can call it optimal health, the health that covers not only the body but also your wellness.

The field of education is constantly changing and growing with technology. In this digital era, children grow up with computers from the time they are very young. In order to reach these children, educators need to adapt to technology in education and learn how to teach students using technological tools. It’s nearly impossible to avoid using technology and computers these days, especially when it comes to education. Most students have grown up with computers since birth or childhood and use them to learn too. It’s important to know how to use computers if you want to be an effective educator.Getting a certificate in instructional technology is designed to improve classroom technology and integration skills and inspire teachers interested in improving their classroom instruction through technology integration. Beyond this, completing an instructional technology program also helps build resumes. Teachers interested in learning more about technology or enhancing their technology skills should strongly consider pursuing a certificate in instructional technology as a way to improve their careers and expand their knowledge.It’s important for teachers to know the foundations of educational technology. This will help form a basis for which to build upon. Learning about educational technology usually begins with understanding how a computer works, including hardware, operating systems, and networking for educators. This includes learning how to upgrade, repair, maintain, and troubleshoot computers for the purpose of providing positive learning environments and experiences for a diverse array of end users including teachers themselves. Even for teachers who aren’t interested in teaching technology, learning about the basic foundations of educational technology can be helpful for teachers and students alike.Some courses show teachers everything from the beginning, including how to use a computer, so you don’t need any experience before taking any classes. Classes in the foundations of educational technology will focus on everything involving computers, even the details for beginners including how to use a printer. This can be extremely helpful for educators, especially those who have not had much or any practice and experience with computers. Whether you don’t own one or are not part of the digital generation, you can still learn by starting from scratch. This will advance both your personal and professional lives for the better because whether you teach technology or not, you will definitely need to use it one day if you continue with a career in education.Because technology is so important, you should understand not only the basics, but also how to incorporate it into the classroom setting as well as within lessons and classroom activities. However, before that can be possible it’s necessary to understand the social and historical development of the use of technology in education. Learning about the evolution of technology and its applications to education and having an understanding of the social and historical development of the use of technology within K-12 education will take you much further than merely learning how to use a computer.Computer ethics, etiquette, the digital divide, equity regarding students with special needs, English as a second language, and socio-economic factors are also important themes to explore and discuss. Research can show you a lot about the equity issues concerning access and use of computers and related technologies.Perhaps the best part about expanding your knowledge of instructional technology is the effect it has on learning for students. Project based and collaborative learning with computers are fun and effective ways for students to learn. This learning can be implemented in a regular classroom or in a computer laboratory, but either way, ethics, etiquette, and safety online for students and teachers should be of utmost concern at all times.

Why effective internal crisis communication is importantYour employees are perhaps your most important ‘stakeholders’ during a crisis. Poor internal crisis communications can undermine all your efforts to manage a crisis externally, and the lack of trust, low morale, employee turnover and poor customer relations that result can compound the issues you face.So see your employees as your front line to the world. Keep them informed, up-to-date and involved in your organization’s response to the crisis. Read on for some ideas for internal crisis communications – before, during and after a crisis.Good employee communications can avoid a crisis in the first place.Crises seem to come from nowhere. However, very often they are the result of bad practices or issues which have been smoldering for some time. Your leadership team may not have known about them but your employees almost certainly will have.Remind people at least once a year about the policies and processes your organization has in place. For example, tell them about your health and safety, security and financial policies and processes and what they should do if they have an issue.Raise the profile of important messages. Digital signage on screensavers is a great visual way to raise the profile of important messages. Think legal compliance, financial compliance, health and safety… A compliance desktop alert is another useful way to ensure employees read and acknowledge important messages. And an on-line forum that allows anonymous posts can let employees ‘blow the whistle’ and bring smothering issues to the surface so that you can address them before they become a crisis.Planning is the key to effective internal crisis communication.Set up internal crisis communications channels.Make sure your internal crisis communications channels are in place before the crisis hits. The middle of a crisis is not the time to be asking your IT team to set up a new discussion forum or be training your employees to use a communications channel.Make sure the internal crisis communications channels you choose are easy to use, effective and simple to activate and manage.Have a range of internal crisis communications channels available to communicate during a crisis, not just one. Depending on the nature of the crisis, some channels may not be effective so build in some redundancy.These are some crisis communications channels you may consider using:Desktop alerts can be a fast way to get messages to employees who use computers.
Message reporting tools can show which employees have read the messages and identify ‘gaps’ in your coverage. These gaps may indicate that your computer network is down in a particular area and that you need to find other ways to communicate with some employees. Back up these desktop alerts with digital signage on screensavers, and use desktop newsfeeds to update employees on progress.
Set up ‘sleeping’ discussion forums and blogs in advance, target the employees you want to reach and the rights you want to give them (e.g. view, read, comment), and choose moderators. Then just click to activate the discussion forum or blog when you need it. As soon as an employee posts a comment, your moderator will receive a desktop alert notification. You can activate other communications channels quickly too (e.g. desktop alerts, desktop newsfeeds and digital signage on screensaver), to make employees aware that these discussion forums and blogs are available.Use social media to listen to your employees.Some organizations shy away from setting up social media channels internally as they are concerned they will turn into an ‘on-line complaints desk’. This can be a valid concern. However, you cannot turn off employees’ dissatisfaction just by refusing to hear it and many crises start as small, smoldering problems that people have chosen to ignore. Social media are a good way to bring these issues to the fore. While they may create more work in the short term, they will let you keep a finger on the internal pulse and respond to issues early.Set up target audiences in advance.Use an internal communications solution that lets you target the employee groups you communicate with.Connect people in advance and help them collaborate.Use an internal crisis communications solution that lets you set up a crisis management team as one of your target messaging groups. So when your emergency strikes, you can communicate with the crisis team quickly and easily. You can also set up, in advance, a secure discussion forum for the crisis team to use to share ideas during the crisis. Both features will help you respond to the crisis quickly.Carry out scenario planning and plan messages ahead.Set up different messages in advance, target them to the relevant employees and store them without publishing them. So when a crisis hits, you can update the relevant messages and publish them to your targeted employees within minutes, using a range of channels: digital signage on screensavers, desktop alerts, desktop newsfeeds, discussion forums and blogs.When a crisis hitsMake and communicate decisions quickly.Fast, effective decisions are critical during a crisis. But making the right decision at the right time often means bringing together busy people in different time zones. An online discussion forum can help here. Set it up in advance and activate it quickly when you need to. Use the targeting, security and authentication features to restrict access. Delete or archive the messages when you no longer need them.As soon as you have made your decisions, tell your employees. If they understand your decisions, and the reasons for them, they are likely to get behind them. An approval desktop alert can helpful here, particularly if one or more people needs to approve messages before they go out. Use the recurrence settings to get quick sign-off. This will help you finish messages and push them out to employees in a timely way.Tell your employees first.Whenever possible during a crisis, communicate internally before you spread the word externally. Open, timely communication with your employees will help build trust and make them willing to represent your organization and support the way it is handling the crisis.Communicate face-to-face.Face-to-face communication can be one of the most effective ways of communicating during a crisis. However, small, personal gatherings tend to be more appropriate than large ‘town hall’ meetings. Use a RSVP desktop alert tool to offer different session times and gather employees’ questions and concerns before the meetings.Listen to your employees.Use a popup staff survey tool to ‘temperature check’ and gather employees feedback quickly and easily as you respond to the crisis. Deliver your survey onto the desktop of the employees you target and repeat and escalate the message, to encourage employees to reply.Employee discussion forums let you gather qualitative feedback. Employees may be reluctant to disagree openly with the way you are managing the crisis but, if you let them voice their opinion online (anonymously, if needed), they are likely to be more candid. You may not want to hear some of their comments but they will give you a valuable point-of-view.Offer answers to employees’ questions.An interactive Q&A forum can be a simple, effective way to provide answers to concerned employees. You may not be able to predict all the questions they may have, as the situation may be changing fast, so use this online forum as an evolving FAQ.Manage ‘data deluge’.'Information overload’ is a problem in most organizations at the best of times. During a crisis, managing this issue is more critical than ever. Employees may become confused about where to find correct, up-to-date information and important messages may be buried in the deluge of data.Shield employees from low value, mass internal communications. You may wish to defer all communication that is non-critical. Or consolidate ‘lower value’ updates into a ‘one-stop magazine’.Managing information overload helps increase the chances that employees will notice your internal crisis communications. An acknowledgement desktop alert also lets you check whether employees have read and acknowledged important messages. Use the up-to-the-minute reporting tools to see which messages employees have read and where you may need to use other channels to get your message across.Make sure your leaders are seen to be leading.The more visible your executives are during the crisis and the more open they are about what is happening, the better. An executive blog can be an effective way to communicate during a crisis and show the executive team leading from the front. If face-to-face meetings are not possible, video can be a fast, personal alternative.Involve your line managers.Employees will look to their direct manager for information about the crisis and what it means for them. So make sure you give your managers the information they need. The urgency of the crisis may force you to update employees directly, rather than ‘cascading’ information through your managers in the way you usually would. However, there are other ways to support your managers. Consider using a discussion forum for them to ask questions and share concerns. Or set them up as a targeted group and use tools like desktop alerts and RSS feeds delivered onto the desktop to remind them about the important role they play in leading their employees through the crisis.Keep your messages short and simple.Crises breed concern and concern breeds short attention spans. So keep your messages short and simple. Use simple terms, short sentences and features like headings and bold type to highlight your main points.Repeat messages using a range of internal communications channels.A crisis can be a crazy, distressing time. Different people absorb information in different ways and at different times, so repeat your important messages regularly, using a range of channels. For example, consider using:
Desktop alerts for fast ‘cut-through’;
Face-to-face meetings, information hotlines and discussion forums to communicate, listen and give more context;
Screensavers, desktop feeds and e-mag articles to remind and reinforce;
Helpdesks, Q&A spots and the intranet for more information;
SMS messaging and audio-conferencing for employees without computers.Focus on employee well being.Some crises put employees’ health and safety at risk. Addressing this risk should be a high priority. Until you can reassure employees that your organization is taking appropriate steps to deal with the crisis, they are unlikely to be able to focus effectively on anything else. The Swine flu pandemics have been recent examples.Screensavers can be a great way to focus on the precautions the organization is taking and to encourage employees to ‘do their bit’. Highly visual messages help reassure employees that the organization is prepared.Focus employee discussion internally.Due to social media, messages can now spread faster and wider than ever before, both inside and outside your organization. They can be subjective, distracting, hard to manage and inaccurate. In fact, social media can spread panic as effectively as they reassure.One way to limit the negative effects of social media is to provide your own social channels and to restrict their use to within your organization. While this will not stop employees posting on external sites, it will reduce this and concentrate the debate inside your organization. Any external postings employees do make are more likely to be accurate and support the organization’s response to the crisis.Use secure internal social media channels that let employees have their say in a way where you can follow the postings and correct any misinformation. Unlike email which can end up in the hands of people outside your organization, be sure to use channels that are designed to keep internal messages exactly that – internal.After the crisisGet back to ‘business as usual’ as soon as you can. Focus your internal communications back on the things that matter to your organization – your strategy, how you are performing, new projects, the good work your employees are doing.Recognize how your employees have contributed during the crisis.Use screensavers, posters or the staff magazine to thank your employees and profile those who have played an important role in dealing with the crisis.Lighten upIf you have been controlling some of your channels more strictly than usual during the crisis (e.g. moderating social media more closely or editing internal communications more tightly), lighten up on the controls.Wipe the slate clean.Remove old messages that only serve to remind employees of the difficult time your organization has been through. Replace visual messages, remove old discussion forums or archive old posts. Your focus needs to be on the present and the future, not the past.Learn from the crisis – and start planning for the next one.Every crisis brings opportunities to learn. So take the time to review. What worked well? And what could you have done better? Use this information to refine your internal crisis communications plan. Review your scenarios, update your draft messages, improve your internal crisis communications channels.

Trading and investing into the financial markets has never been more popular. More and more people are starting to see the benefits of taking a little time to, first invest in themselves through a trading and investing education, but also using that knowledge on the financial markets.Whilst traders may take quicker positions and investor will most likely be holding positions for much longer, perhaps months or even years. So, if you fancy investing into the financial markets successfully, and profit from companies you already know about like Google, Facebook or Microsoft, then these are the ten essential things that an investor must do and know before they start. Let’s take a look…1. What are your goals?It sounds simple but many people start investing into a trillion dollar market without any type of plan which, let’s face it, is essentially a gamble. Whilst it can be very simple to invest profitably for the long-term you must define your goals as this will align your expectations correctly, so you don’t kick yourself in the teeth if you don’t hit a million dollars in one day. For example, knowing whether you are investing for the next five or twenty-five years can make a huge difference to how you decide to invest.2. Start early for compound interestThe single biggest reason to the success of most billionaires is the power of ‘compound interest’. Even Albert Einstein regarded this as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. It basically means that your money makes you money as all the gains you make you put back into an investment so it compounds and builds over time. Sounds good right? It definitely is! The earlier you start the better but no matter how old you are it’s never too late to start but imperative that you do actually start!3. Every little helpsNo matter how little or how big you can invest, it is well worthwhile investing on a regular basis. It sounds so simple but most people don’t see the point in investing just $10 per month. However, if you look to the future by the time you’re very old that amounts to a lot especially if you parked it into some good investments over the years. Of course, most people have a ‘spend today and save tomorrow’ mentality and that’s the trap folks. Save and invest regularly to reap the rewards in the long run – you’ll be glad you did.4. DiversifyIt’s imperative to spread your capital across a wide range of investments to reduce your risk and increase potential returns over the long-term. Whilst some investments are doing poorly some others may be doing great, thereby balancing it out. However, if you’re fully invested into just one thing then it’s either 100% right or wrong. There are thousands of markets across currencies, stocks, commodities and indices so the opportunity is there.5. Educate yourselfBy far the most important tip. You must educate yourself and learn your craft. After all if you’re investing your hard-earned capital it makes sense to do your homework. Even if you read all the articles here and watched all the videos you’ll be doing far better than the majority of investing wannabes who simply give away their money to the markets.6. Have practical expectationsOf course, we all want that million dollar investment and for many it will come at some point. But you can’t plan for that, if it happens great if not then you still need a plan to survive and to reach your goals as discussed in the first tip. Remember it’s the journey that’s the most beautiful part and what you do on a daily basis that makes the difference.7. But don’t limit yourselfIt’s important one must remain conservative in deciding which investment to take. However, that shouldn’t limit you to just what you know. Be creative and find opportunities no matter how uncomfortable they may be. After all if it was that comfortable everyone would be doing it. Be adventurous in finding opportunities but be conservative in deciding which ones to take.8. Manage your riskSuccessful investing is all about managing risk. If you have $1,000 to invest then there’s no point in putting all of that on just one investment. You’re basically saying it has a 100% success rate… which of course is highly unlikely. If you follow the steps above, like making sure you diversify, then you’ll be on the right path.9. Review constantlyA very simple step to achieving more from what you are already doing is to review your investments constantly. However, this does not mean to look at your profit and loss of a five-year investment every single day – you’ll never make it to the fifth year as markets move up and down. But it’s important to review what investments have worked and have not worked. Concentrate on doing more of the stuff that has worked and find out where you’re going wrong with the stuff that hasn’t.10. Have fun!Sounds simple but most people forget that are best work comes from when we enjoy the process. Whilst investing is a serious process you are allowed to enjoy it too. In fact the buzz of finding an opportunity, researching it, investing into it and then seeing the result is exciting in itself.There you have it ten essential tips for successful investing.