Madison County Rural Health Council Inc

Mental Health First Aid-Our Team of instructors has doubled our impact training 3,215 community members. The program that has seen the most growth is our teen Mental Health First Aid curriculum as we are in 16 school districts across Broome, Chenango, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Otsego Counties. Our team has trained more than 2,300 teens across our local area in just two short years. At the 2023 Mental Health First Aid Summit, two of our instructors were named Top Instructor in New York State. The Impact by Numbers: 83 trained in Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)21 trained in Rural MHFA798 trained in Youth MHFA2,313 teen MHFA

Our Doula program has expanded our service are to cover Madison and Oneida Counties and we are now offering End of Life (EOL) Doula services. MCRHC has 8 community members trained as birthing Doulas and 8 community members trained in EOL Doula. Our Birthing Doulas are offering support for pregnant residents who qualify as low-income and/or may have challenges accessing prenatal, birth, and postnatal support at no cost. The Impact by Numbers: 9 Pregnant clients matched with a Doula; 12 Referrals for Doula Services; and 6 Doula-Supported Births.Our EOL Doulas will help to create space to hold conversations leading to increased communication and understanding as well as enhancing spiritual and emotional well-being.

Wellness WalksIn 2023, we held four Walk with a Doc events in Madison County. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we hosted three walks with three different mental health professionals on the Cazenovia Monday Mile. Our fourth walk was held on the Oneida Monday Mile. Topics included how physical activity can support positive mental health, the importance of building mental health into the regular healthcare process, the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and how stress can impact and activate our nervous system and heart health.

DiabetesWith Full CDC Recognition until 2027, we continue to offer this proven program to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes for those living in our communities. Currently, we have one year-long program running in partnership with the Madison County Office for the Aging with plans to start an in-person program in May 2023 with a newly trained Lifestyle Coach. Our collaboration as an Umbrella Hub Arrangement with Cayuga Community Health Network and Seven Valleys Health Coalition for the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program continues to be a service available to Medicare beneficiaries in our communities and with the goal to support program sustainability.

Live WellThis year in partnership with Bassett Living Well and Madison County Office for the Aging, we delivered two six-week workshops for Living Well with Diabetes and one for Living Well with Chronic Pain. These workshops focus on self-management skills such as: learning how to better manage symptoms, communicating with others, action planning and decision making to encourage a more active, informed, and fulfilling lifestyle.

Other community programs

Eat Healthy Be Active ( EHBA)- EHBA is a 6 week workshop series based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020 and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The program provides information on nutrition and physical activity to help reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease.