The American Public Health Association (APHA) has a new Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge, perfectly aligning with the Pennsylvania Public Health Association’s (PPHA) January theme of Healthy Communities. APHA, in partnership with the Aetna Foundation — a private foundation affiliated with CVS Health — and National Association of Counties, will provide $100,000 in funding and nonfinancial support to selected communities to address access to foods that support healthy eating patterns and access to health services through systems-level approaches and resident engagement over a two-year period.

The Challenge invites applications from cities, counties and federally recognized tribes with a population of up to 600,000 in California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia that are prepared to work across silos in order to advance health equity and prevent chronic diseases.

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The U.S. Census Bureau released new 5-year estimates from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest source of small area statistics for social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics. The 2014-2018 ACS five-year estimates are available on data.census.gov, the new platform to access data and digital content from the Census Bureau (full story).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s national and state population estimates, forty-two states and the District of Columbia had fewer births in 2019 than 2018, while eight states saw a birth increase. With fewer births in recent years and the number of deaths increasing, natural increase (or births minus deaths) has declined steadily over the past decade (full story).

The U.S. Census Bureau launched an update to 2020census.gov that includes content in 59 languages, including language assistance guides and videos that explain how to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire online, by phone or by mail when it becomes available in mid-March. People can respond to the census online and by phone in 13 languages. The expansive site includes in-depth information in both English and Spanish (full story).

KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal appeared on the WAMU radio program “1A” to discuss the issue of community hospitals merging with larger, corporate systems and what that means for communities around the country. Rosenthal is the author of “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back.” Click here to listen.

In anticipation of the 2020 decennial census, we look back at trends in Pennsylvania’s population. Our latest brief tracks population change from the start of the 20^th century to the most recent decennial census data for 2010.

The brief shows that Pennsylvania’s population, while still growing, is growing at a much slower rate than it was at the start of the 20^th century. The regional analysis shows that South Central Pennsylvania has been the fastest-growing region since mid-century and the only region to have maintained population growth each decade since 1900.

Click here to read the full brief.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new resources for healthcare providers and patient advocates to help overcome the challenges diabetes treatment can present. The Diabetes Medication Management: Directory of Provider Resources will facilitate diabetes treatment for primary care teams, especially those working with Medicare and vulnerable populations who experience a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and its complications. And last, but not least, CMS released A Culturally and Linguistically Tailored Type 2 Diabetes Resources Inventory that features a catalog of diabetes prevention resources tailored to racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency.

On Jan. 27 at 3:00 pm, the National Institute of Mental Health will host a free webinar on expanding career pathways and opportunities for youth and adults on the autism spectrum. This webinar will provide autistic youth and adults, caregivers and employers with information and resources to support access to workplace accommodations for individuals. Please click here for further information on how to access the webinar.

A new report by the University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies describes state incentive programs that provide loans, scholarships, and other incentives for allied health professionals in exchange for service in rural and underserved areas. This study examined the operation of these programs across the U.S., allied health professionals targeted, and efforts to gauge programs’ success in recruitment and retention through a review of publicly available information on state programs and interviews with program leaders in 27 states. Read the report.

Nearly half of U.S. worksites have a workplace health promotion plan. A new guide from the Centers for Disease Control explores ways employers can help workers incorporate short physical activity breaks into the workday. The ideas are scalable, and most require little to no equipment. View and save the 22-page PDF guide.