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HEALTH & THE FOOD SYSTEM
The fact that our food system is largely dependent upon factory farms and monoculture to feed the masses comes at a huge cost to the planet and our collective well-being. The concentration of corporate power in the current food system has effectively spurred a contemporary health crisis…
View postHEALTH & FOOD AGGREGATION AND DISTRIBUTION
Across the country, Americans are increasingly disconnected from the food they consume and how it was produced. In large part, our food system hinges on factory farms and commodity crops — pervasive problems plaguing our collective health. Unhealthy food systems come at a steep economic cost...
View postHEALTH & NUTRITION SECURITY
Food is the most basic of human needs; still, roughly 41 million adults and children across America live in food-insecure households — a staggering fact that sheds light on one of the nation’s leading health and nutrition issues.
View postHEALTH & BROADBAND
In rural communities, the digital divide remains vast — as evidenced by the 19 million Americans lacking access to reliable broadband service (or high-speed internet) according to the FCC. In the absence of this critical infrastructure, the broadband health gap (defined as the time and distance between doctors and patients) is widening as well. Outcomes clearly show the least connected communities exhibiting the highest rates of chronic disease…
View postHEALTH & THIRD SPACES
The social support garnered in third places has been shown to protect health and well-being across one’s lifetime. Still, it takes a wide range of third places to cultivate healthy conditions within communities. From libraries and laundromats to barbershops and bars, “third places have long been an important part of American culture, and their role continues to evolve.”
View postHEALTH & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The single biggest indicator of a thriving community is residents who take an active role in the process of cultivating positive change. From voting to volunteering, engaging in the community allows individuals to both develop and use knowledge, skills, and voice to shape the environment in which they choose to live, work, and raise their families.
View postWorking to ensure members of the local immigrant community thrive
Since its founding in 2005, Northeast Dutchess Immigrant Services (formerly Grace Immigrant Outreach) has been an integral community resource. Serving the rural towns of Pine Plains, Amenia, Stanfordville, Millbrook and Dover, NEDIS prides itself on connecting members of the local immigrant community with valuable resource...
View postHEALTH & AFFORDABLE HOUSING
As more people experience the burden of severe housing costs, a dangerous spiral ensues — one where more children are living in poverty; more neighbors don’t know where their next meal will come from; and more community members are in poor health.
View postHEALTH & HOUSING
Where we choose to live — which, by extension, is ultimately dictated by where we can afford to live — impacts our access to key factors of health like quality of schools and employment opportunities to safe communities and nutritious food.
View postHEALTH & RURAL COMMUNITIES
Less than 11 percent of physicians in the U.S. practice in rural areas, yet about 20 percent of the U.S. population resides in rural areas. For this and a myriad of other reasons, rural Americas tend to be older and sicker than their urban counterparts. In this issue, we’ll focus on rural social determinants of health and how they influence access to services and health outcomes.
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