| A belated Happy October to you all. My sincerest apologies for the delayed release of this month’s newsletter. In an unhappy accident, I was ill the first week of this national Health Literacy Month. While that delayed our newsletter, among other things, it gave me an opportunity to be thankful that our state has so many school-based health centers dedicated to helping our children become health literate and navigate the healthcare system. Whether you are an adult like me (that’s me with a receding hairline in the cartoon below) or a young person, the skills it takes to access healthcare (where is a clinic that is open now?), follow healthcare instructions (when do I take this medication?), or understand medical jargon (what does pulse ox mean? why am I signing a consent form?), can be hard to learn. So, as you navigate the rest of this month of October, remember to thank the providers, teachers, and others who’ve helped you navigate what can be a dauntingly complicated healthcare system. And if you want to celebrate Health Literacy Month, check out: www.healthliteracymonth.org or www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/. |
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Two Special Notes:
Sending strength and best wishes to the students, staff, families and public health colleagues working to address teen suicide across the state. With another teen suicide in an Albuquerque High School just over a week ago, NMASBHC is taking hope from the 100+ students who attended a subsequent school board meeting and from all the community members rallying to address this crisis. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Congratulations to San Felipe’s SBHC and Onate High School’s SBHC for winning the directory and survey update completion incentives. Thank you for your prompt participation, and watch the mail for your gifts!
Wishing you all good health,
Nancy Rodriguez
nancy@nmasbhc.org
Read our October 2019 Newsletter or sign up to receive our monthly newsletters!