How Public Health Efforts Lead to Resilience and Stronger Communities
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of smart public health strategies to improve health outcomes. Here are some real-world examples of public health in action and recommendations for how to move forward so that everyone is afforded an opportunity to live positive, healthy, and safe lives. The “What” There has been a renewed [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: ‘Authentic Voices’ – An Interview with Shaun Pryor (Episode 17)
This episode is the first in what we hope will be a new series called, 'Authentic Voices', where we speak with individuals in communities across the US to hear how their lived experiences and interactions in the retail environment impacted their journey with tobacco. In this episode, we speak with Shaun Pryor, a Chicago-native and [More]
We must listen, learn, and act
The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are a devastating reminder that overt and institutional racism persist in our country every single day. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with cases and deaths disproportionately impacting Black Americans, has been another reminder. While we feel angry, sad, and frustrated by the injustices that the [More]
Collective Response to the COVID-19 Impact on African Americans
COVID-19 is exposing America’s health inequities. This unwelcomed disease vividly highlights pervasive intrinsic characteristics of American society that lead to systematic disadvantages for African Americans and other socially and economically high-risk population groups. Preliminary data from coast to coast has suddenly cast a harsh spotlight on the pandemic's impact on African American communities across the [More]
Using a place-based approach to meet the challenge of COVID-19 and health equity
Place has a profound impact on our health. We need to examine the root causes of health inequity and tell the stories of our community's health. Here are a couple resources that provide helpful information on equity implications of COVID-19. While the virus that causes COVID-19 does not discriminate, our preparation and response certainly has. [More]
Healthy POS Webinar Series: Tobacco Ad Messaging Strategies at Point-of-Sale – A Health Equity Focused Case Study
Register for our next quarterly webinar in our Healthy POS series - May 27th at 1pm EST. Dr. Rosario of UNC Greensboro will be presenting a case study on tobacco advertising in African American communities in North Carolina. Despite evidence of disparities in exposure to tobacco retailers and point-of-sale advertising, little is known about the [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: The Tobacco Industry’s Targeting of Low SES Communities (Episode 14)
The tobacco industry spends over $9 billion dollars each year marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States. This episode dives into the ways in which the industry allocates this exorbitant amount of money to target communities of low socioeconomic status, and examines how the industry’s manipulative tactics impact disparities in tobacco use and [More]
Generally Unhealthy: A Look at National Chains Using Maps
Every morning, I scroll through LinkedIn’s Daily Rundown, an easy-to-digest recap of trending “professional news,” while enjoying my first sips of coffee. I don’t know if the content is tailored to me by an algorithm, but back in January, this headline caught my eye: Dollar General’s secret to success, why scooters are taking off in [More]
My Place: That’s So ‘South of Shaw’
"My Place" is a series of blog posts authored by the Counter Tools team that aims to shed light on the impact place has had on each of our lives. In this My Place post, we hear from Executive Director Nina Baltierra. I grew up in Fresno, CA—the center of San Joaquin Valley and, really, [More]
Reflections on Place and Safety
Last weekend, the US saw the worst mass murder of Jewish people in its history with a shooting at the Tree of Life Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. Just days before, a man in Kentucky shot and killed two black men at a grocery store after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the First Baptist [More]
Charla Rios featured in Carolina Public Health!
Our very own Charla Rios (Hodges), Sr. Project Director and Food Retail Environment Coordinator, was featured in Carolina Public Health's Spring 2018 issue! The magazine interviewed young alumni from all eight academic units at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health for their Trajectories article.
