The PublicHealthMaps Blog
Feed your mind…please.
Landsat 8 celebrates its tenth anniversary this week on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The technology of the satellite and its instruments, revolutionary in 2013, continues to provide important and timely data for scientific observation of the Earth’s land surfaces. Landsat 8 continues to image the Earth with Landsat 9 and Landsat 7.
by Paulina Sosa / @psosa077
Social: #BoostUpTour #BoostUpLatinx #BoostUpTexas
Twitter: @LatinxVoicesLLC
Facebook: @latinxvocesllc
Latinx Voces is back on tour this 2023! We are coming through 20 cities between now and May 31st!
The Beta version of the Federal Student Loan Debt Relief is now live at https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application and is available in English and Spanish!
It will take you less than 5 minutes to read through and complete and you do not need to login to studentaid.gov. You may apply immediately, but no later than Dec. 31, 2023.
by Paulina Sosa / @psosa077
Social: #BoostUpTour #BoostUpLatinx #BoostUpTexas
Twitter: @LatinxVoicesLLC
Facebook: @latinxvocesllc
The Latinx “BoostUp” Tour is visiting 14 cities across the United States and Puerto Rico. This pop-up tour will share key COVID-19 and vaccine resources from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Juntos Si Podemos campaign with local communities, leaders, and families. In addition, this tour will also showcase the city’s local COVID -19 community efforts, Latinx small businesses and artists, and the culture of their Latinx community.
For more: https://latinxvoces.org/
by Elizabeth Carter / @lizcarterc
This is the first in a series of blog posts from Elizabeth about her ongoing summer experience working with the Emfasis Foundation in Athens, Greece.
The summer of 2021 represents the strange yet special time between the end of my college experience and the beginning of my official entry into the workforce. Relaxation after a grueling five years where I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees mixed with the overall uncertainty of the future, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So when the opportunity to intern for a non-profit organization in Athens, Greece fell into my lap, I counted my lucky stars and packed my bags. Now, nearly a month into my time here, I can navigate the city with relative ease, order my coffee correctly, and am beginning to appreciate how this experience of serving others while learning new ways of doing things will impact me long after I return to the United States.
by Chris Espiritu / @MrEspiritu
When the pandemic started, my family went through a rough time. In April of last year, we lost two relatives and two family friends within two weeks. By late June, my employer decided on a hybrid schedule of working from home and the office (one week in/one week at home). About 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare neuromuscular disorder and I would discover last summer that I have lost a lot of muscle strength. The commute was stressing because I work in NYC and it consisted of a bus ride into the city, a subway train and walking. I barely could step onto my bus and I had a couple hard falls on my commute. I made a tough decision to start walking with a cane which made me feel horrible, embarrassed and somewhat emasculating since I also couldn't contribute as much with chores in my house. But thank god I have a loving and supportive wife by my side.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is organizing the first-ever Student Sleep Health Week, Sept. 14-20, 2020, to encourage students to get the healthy sleep they need to excel this school year. The AASM will be hosting online events throughout the week with the hashtag #StudentSleepWeek. Join the conversation and learn all about the importance of sleep for students, including healthy sleep tips and more. Supporting partners include: American School Counselor Association, American School Health Association, National Association of School Nurses, National PTA, National Safety Council, Project Sleep, Society for Health and Physical Educators, Sleep Research Society and Project Sleep.
By Emily K. Dalton / @Sigh__Borg
June 3rd, 2020, will remain a polarizing date worthy of celebration and contemplation. Around the world, social media streams were dominated by the successful launch of Falcon 9 by SpaceX, as well as international protests against police brutality.
Naturally, these two major political events in tandem catalyzed further curiosity into the other business ventures The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, is involved in including the Neurotechnology company he founded in 2016, Neuralink, whose premier product will be the brain computer interface aka BCI.
by Sydney Garcia / @GarciaSydney
Since COVID-19 hit, my younger sisters and I have been sheltering-in-place at my parents home in the suburbs of northwest Houston. When one grows attached to the same routine and only sees the same four people everyday, it's only natural to long for other places to go and people to interact with. For a long time, I thought I was basically single-handedly saving the world by doing everything to not get Covid. Almost never leaving the house, wearing a mask, wiping down the groceries, washing my hands till they cracked, etc.
August is the big time for Summer vacations in the United States, however, the impact of COVID-19 has decimated potential for travel. While some people have decided to take a trip, many of us are still home bound. Despite limited option of travel, it is still important to take some time off, if possible. You may not be able to go anywhere, but if you are lucky enough to still be employed, taking time off is important for your mental health.
COVID-19 now appears to be spreading uncontrolled through much of the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans reported not having enough food to eat last week. With a haphazard and unclear strategy moving forward, despite pressure from the Federal government, many schools have shifted to virtual learning with limited in-person attendance in some cases.
Suffice to say, the phrase, “The next few weeks will tell us a lot” is just as important and timely now, as it was earlier this year.
When it comes to Public Health AND Maps, July is one of the busiest and exciting times of the year full of nonstop conferences from the beginning to the end of the month.
With all of the virtual options this year, our team was able to attend many of these events throughout the month. Be on the lookout for some upcoming posts on our experiences at these virtual offerings and what we learned that may be relevant to you and your work.
By Emily K. Dalton / @Sigh__Borg
DISCLAIMER:
This is a controversial contribution embedded in an already atypical platform.
This text only reflects one point of view that exists within a kaleidoscope of potential scenarios that are subject to continuous change dependent on each individual observer peering through the lens of the present.
July is always a great time for public health and geospatial conferences. The infamous Esri User Conference and NACCHO Annual Meeting (now NACCHO 360) always take place during this month. There’s a slate of other well known conferences going on like the 23rd International AIDS Conference, State of the Map (Global) and QGIS North America 2020 and many others. What do they all of these have in common? They are all completely virtual this year!
As June comes to a close, let’s take a look back at the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Maps Of The Week, selected health observances and events, and the launch of our new Instagram page to coincide with PublicHealthMaps’ third birthday!
PublicHealthMaps Three Years Later…
Can we all agree how fast time flies? June 27th marks exactly three years since the founding of PublicHealthMaps! In that time, we’ve been making strides to help empower people with greater understanding about public health, maps, and a variety of other topics. Our efforts have included increasing our online resources available to people, expanding our pool of talented volunteers, and growing our presence on social media.
Here is a quick rundown of our latest additions and what we have in store for the future:
White supremacy and police brutality are global problems. Every Black life lost to police murder globally matters and mattered. The above list contains the names of Black people murdered by police brutality in the U.S. since 2009. This is because the U.S. is the origin of the Black Lives Matter movement and currently the heart of the resistance.
Where you can donate:
Donate to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund.
Donate to the I Run With Maud fundraiser for Ahmaud Arbery.
Donate to the Justice for Mike Ramos fundraiser.
Find and donate to bail funds via the National Bail Fund Network.
Reclaim the Block has published a Google Doc of organizations to donate to.
We will update this list as appropriate.
Credit to this list: https://nodejs.org/en/
By Emily K. Dalton / @Sigh__Borg
You think you may know Sydney Garcia as PublicHealthMap’s Environmental Health Lead... However, the following personal account of her professional achievements may skew your perception! (positively!)
In 2016, I met Sydney Garcia by mere coincidence at our shared undergraduate alumni, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, which boasts over 4,000 students. Although our encounter could be deemed almost statistically impossible, okay, highly improbable, we somehow connected in the same course that some eyewitnesses recount that I was doing poorly in. These claims (unsubstantiated) eventually resulted in a strong friendship and years of fruitful collaboration.
June’s selected monthly health observances highlight Alzheimer’s disease, men’s health, and injury prevention with weekly awareness observances about the hazards of rip currents, the importance of lightning safety, and the critical need for mosquito control. Daily observances honor cancer survivors and encourage people to seek HIV testing.
For a full listing of all June events, go to our June 2020 Events page!
PublicHealthMaps was created to highlight the critical intersection of public health with location and other fields. The goal will not be to reinvent the wheel, but to take it to the next level by serving as a nexus for information, training, and other resources.