Health In Your Hands Issue #6 Winter 2013 | Page 5

T O U G A L O O C O L L E G E O W E N S H E A L T H & W E L L N E S S C E N T E R From Campus To Community! Creating Connections Between Campus and Community Through Partnerships and Collaboration Sigma’s Fight To End Obesity It’s 2014. That would be 100 years since 1914, the year that Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity was founded. On January 18, 2014, members of the Mu Sigma Chapter joined OHWC in our mission to equip and encourage the metro Jackson community to live healthier and more active lifestyles. The event, which was held at MetroCenter Mall, included health screenings, fitness demonstrations, a boxing exhibition and massage therapy. Que Delta Plots Talks On December 5, 2013, Tougaloo College Greek-letter organizations, Gamma Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority and the Rho Epsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, participated in the first text-enabled conversation on mental health. The event was designed to strengthen mental health on campuses & in communities. Democratic Education in America? Democratic Education is an educational ideal in which democracy is both a goal and a method of instruction. There is a movement in Jackson, MS that aims to mobilize action to advance meaningful learning and build a more just and sustainable democracy. OHWC Director of Campus Life and Community Outreach, George “Chuck” Patterson, writes a short blog highlighting examples of democratic education in action. The blog can be found at: www.democraticeducation.org/ index.php/blog/ Team Work In Tunica The Tougaloo College/Delta HealthPartners North team (Marky Holland BSW, and Chelesa Presley ; Outreach Consultant) hosted it’s Tunica County Consortia meeting on October 31, 2013 at Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, Mississippi. The guest speaker of this event was Dr. Juanita Graham, DNP, RN FRSPH, who gave a presentation on “Infant Mortality in the MS Delta”. Dr. Graham explained that Mississippi historically leads the nation in rates of infant death. Mississippi is not alone in infant death rates. 7 of the 10 highest Infant Mortality of Rate (IMR) in the United States are among the Southeast states such as; Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Dr. Graham stated that the leading causes of death among Mississippi infants in 2012, were Birth Defects, and Low Birth Weight infants. Dr. Graham stressed that, in order for moms to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth outcome, moms must be healthy in the baby’s first month of life. ! Representatives that participated in the consortia were Glenn Grant Coroner of Tunica County, representatives of Rosa Fort High School, Region I Mental Health, Tunica County Recreational Center Boys & Girls Club, Delta HealthPartners consumer/client of Coahoma County, and Healthy Homes Mississippi. Health In Your Hands "5