August 2007	In this Issue:
	Spokane Regional Health District Releases New Video Resources
	Introduction to Logic Models—New Training Module
	Protecting the Assets of Our Nation's Schools
	Calling Health Educators...
	Language Services Implementation Guide
	Mentor Diana Vinh
	What's New in H.E.R.E.?
	Update Your Listing in H.E.R.E.
	Submit Your Information to H.E.R.E.
	Contact H.E.R.E.

Spokane Regional Health District Releases New Video Resources

Four essential health prevention messages are now available in video format from Spokane Regional Health District: Pandemic Influenza (in Spanish), Shaken Baby Syndrome, Summer Cooking: Prevent Food Borne Illnesses, and West Nile Virus. Use these resources to deliver clear and relevant messages to the general public—they are free and ready for download. To learn more about the videos contact Mark La Gasse, Video Communication Specialist, Spokane Regional Health District. Spokane Regional Health District has many public health resources, on these topics and others. Please visit their website for more information.

Introduction to Logic Models—New Training Module

For those who run health education and promotion programs, applying logic models and outcome measures are an effective way to help track and improve program performance. A recently launched, free training module will help you better utilize logic models, outcome measures, and identify the goals and objectives of your program. In this forty-minute presentation, Betty Bekemeier, MPH, RN, PhD of University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, takes the viewer through several illustrative scenarios and exercises. The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice sponsored this module, and it is available at the website.

Protecting the Assets of Our Nation's Schools

In the corporate world, wellness programs designed to reduce healthcare costs, absenteeism, and improve productivity are well established. Now, a new guide is available to assist school districts in developing their own employee wellness programs. “School Employee Wellness: A Guide for Protecting the Assets of Our Nation's Schools” is a 64-page document that provides information on how to get funding and establish thriving wellness programs within schools. Directors for Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) developed this guide, and it is available for download at no cost at http://www.schoolempwell.org.

Calling Health Educators...

Volunteers are being sought to help coordinate the CHES credits registration table at the Joint Conference on Health, set for October 8 - 10 at the Yakima Convention Center. If you are able to spend 2-3 hours accepting CHES applications contact Ruth Abad at ruth.abad@doh.wa.gov. The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) will award continuing education hours to each Certified Health Education Specialist who completes this program and requests credit. There is a cost of $1.00 per Continuing Education Contact Hour. Have your CHES number with you. Certificates will be given out at the end of the conference.  

Language Services Implementation Guide

For local health agencies in Washington, understanding how to deliver culturally and linguistically competent services is necessary to accommodate increasingly diverse communities. A new web-based tool provides guidance on how to include translation and interpretation in the delivery of services for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). It includes case studies, resources, and worksheets to help you plan, implement and evaluate your own language access services. This is a free tool developed by the Office of Minority Health (OMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and is available at www.thinkculturalhealth.org.

Mentor Diana Vinh 

“Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;...
and not today's pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man.”
- James H. West

Diana Vinh is an advanced practice nurse specialist with King County Steps to Health. She has a diverse public health background that began overseas training health workers in West Africa and Thailand. She moved to the Northwest and continued her public health work with Public Health - Seattle & King County. She is experienced in a variety of areas, such as chronic disease prevention, maternal child health, communicable diseases, and emergency preparedness. Currently, Diana supervises community health workers doing asthma and diabetes visits in South King County and she co-facilitates the “Healthy and Active Rainier Valley Coalition” in Southeast Seattle.

Over the years, Diana has worked with several student interns and says, “They offer new ideas, time, and resources, such as professors and other students. Mentoring interns is a positive experience—I can link them to resources in the community and within public health, and offer instructive feedback on their work.” Diana has helped students develop many interesting health promotion efforts, such as the “Healthy Restaurant Initiative” and the “Shop Around Project”—both developed by students in the Masters in Public Health program at University of Washington. When asked how she handles the work once students move on she explains, “We write a work plan outlining what they are doing and how they are doing it so someone else can easily pick up where they left off. I also try to have students involved within a coalition of people to ensure others can carry on the body of work.”

Diana would be glad to share her experience recruiting and mentoring interns. She can also share information on community building, working with limited English speaking populations, and promoting evidence based programs. Diana is also passionate about providing information that is culturally appropriate, accurate, usable and targeted. She notes, “In my first years of work, I remember an experienced nurse advising me to really target my use of pamphlets and brochures, but I kept on handing them out until I really saw how people ignored most of them.”

Outside of work, Diana enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, hiking, and reading. She can be reached by email at Diana.Vinh@METROKC.GOV.

What's New in H.E.R.E.

Local Training and Events: August 2007 - September 2007
The following are local events on health education and health promotion. Be sure to view the H.E.R.E. Calendar for a listing of both local and national events over the next several months. Please let us know if you have an event you would like to promote!

Camera Ready Materials  
The following educational materials are from programs at the Washington State Department of Health. These PDF files can be viewed on your computer, and they are set up to be printed either from your desktop printer or by a professional print shop.

Materials Exchange
The following are new educational materials and resources developed or adapted by local public health agencies and organizations.

Websites   
The following websites have been recently added to the H.E.R.E. site to help link you to resources for your health education and promotion work.

Update Your Listing on H.E.R.E.

If you notice that any information you have posted on H.E.R.E. is out of date, please let us know. Or if you would like to submit new projects, materials or rolodex entries, we encourage you to do so. There are three ways to contact us:

1. Fill out a form online at http://www3.doh.wa.gov/here (forms available under Projects, Materials or Connections)
2. Send an email to here@doh.wa.gov
3. Send a fax to (360) 664-4500

Use These Forms to Submit Your Information

Contact Us

The H.E.R.E. in Washington newsletter is distributed bimonthly by the: 

Office of Health Promotion
Washington State Department of Health
PO Box 47833
Olympia, WA 98504-7833

Phone: (360) 236-3736
Fax: (360) 664-4500
Email: here@doh.wa.gov
Web: http://www3.doh.wa.gov/here