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‘Blog’ Category

HealthStreet, a community engagement program through the University of Florida’s Department of Epidemiology, works to improve community health by reducing health and research disparities. It is celebrating its fourth year by hosting a birthday event in partnership with local organizations, clinics and UF programs to provide a fun, health-promoting day of activities for families and students.

The celebration will include organizations that specialize in many health topics including diabetes, high blood pressure, dental, mental health, maternal and infant health, physical therapy, elder services and more!

WellFlorida affiliates […]

An informative discussion on Interoperability, Community HIT Standards and how contemporaryprotocols such as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and Project Argonaut will have an impact.

Presentations and discussion to be led by:

Arien Malac:

-Member of Interoperability Standards Advisory Task Force

-Member of Health IT Standards Committee (HITSC), a Federal Advisory Committee formed to advise the National Coordinator

-Vice President for Data Platform Solutions a RelayHealth

Kendra Siler-Marsiglio, PhD, HCC

-Recipient of the 2013 Critical Access and Rural Hospital Champion Award from Office of the National Coordinator of HIT

-Lead for Florida’s Health […]

WellFlorida Council has recently released health data for each county in North Central Florida and the collective region.

WellFlorida provides annual county health profiles to give residents and community leaders an overview of the health status of each county and how it compares to the state.

Categories including lifestyle, access to healthcare, and maternal and infant care are just a few examples of the type of data included in the profile.

County health profiles can be used as a starting point that may lead […]

The following diabetes self-management education (DSME) applicants have been awarded funding to expand access to people with diabetes:

The Florida Department of Health in Putnam County

The Florida Department of Health in Bradford and Union Counties

The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County

LifeStream Behavioral Center, Inc.

Oasis Community Solutions, Inc.

The Florida Department of Health, Division of Community Health Promotion partnered with WellFlorida to distribute grant funding and provide technical assistance and expert mentoring services to DSME programs in North Central Florida.

For more information, please contact Lindsey Redding at 

This blog is reposted from HealthIT Buzz. It was written by Leila Samy, Rural Health IT coordinator, ONC, and Gina Capra, director, Office of Rural Health, US Department of Veterans Affairs. http://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/rural-health/transforming-veterans-care-rural-practices/

Following the lead of the White House Rural Council, we in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the VA are working with our public and private partners to ensure rural providers and the communities they serve have health IT tools to help them avoid scenarios like this one.

Nearly […]

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. Many times deaths and injuries can be prevented by proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts.

According to a survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), parents are making five significant mistakes when using car and booster seats:

Wrong harness slot used – The harness straps used to hold the child in the car seat were positioned either too low or too high;
Harness chest clip […]

The University of South Florida (USF) has been awarded more than $5.9 million in federal grants for its Navigator program statewide. Through a subcontract with USF, WellFlorida Council will continue to manage the Health Insurance Marketplace Navigator program in 15 counties in North Central Florida.

The Navigator program provides free and unbiased help in evaluating insurance options and enrolling in a plan through the Marketplace on Healthcare.gov. Navigators share tips on how to use healthcare coverage and help alleviate uncertainties when navigating the […]

Interested in learning more about the future of telehealth both in Florida and across the country? Want to hear how leaders across the health and technology sectors envision the health and care system of the future?

The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force is co-hosting a policy summit with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville on October 1. The Summit, Building Broadband Health Ecosystems in Florida and Beyond, will highlight how broadband-enabled health technologies can transform health and care for seniors and people with disabilities. The Summit will […]

The Florida Healthy Kids insurance plan is scheduled to dramatically increase in the cost of its premium on Oct. 1, 2015 for those who have the full-pay option plan. Healthcare.gov is now allowing those families who will be experiencing the rate increase to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) on the Health Insurance Marketplace. This will allow families to shop for alternative, more affordable coverage for their children outside of Open Enrollment.

Allowing families in this situation to gain an SEP will affect many children […]