Patients receive health support through Geisinger 65 Forward 

From the start of the Geisinger 65 Forward program, 10 new facilities have launched within the region.

The program functions as an addition of the Geisinger Gold Insurance plan, and even though the program is geared toward patients 65 years and older, other individuals can participate to gain critical primary health care services.

Services are provided by doctors and trainers as well as dieticians, and include customized recommendations, physical exercises, and technological training. 

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Internet coverage spreads in Lackawanna County 

At the start of 2023, Lackawanna County approved $620,000 to invest in improved Wi-Fi connectivity across various housing authority establishments as well as broader access throughout the region.

IT and internet company Icon Technologies will provide their services over the course of several months in order for the community to benefit from ‘hot spots.

The importance of providing households with efficient internet connection has been highlighted during the pandemic.

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Publicly available test strips offer potential to save lives

Pennsylvania has made naloxone available to the public since 2017, and nearly 23,000 opioid overdoses have since been reversed.

Now that fentanyl test strips are legal, a similar approach to distribution may save thousands more lives.

Fentanyl is a synthetic drug proving to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine.

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New mental health response strategies create impact in rural areas

Community residents – particularly those in rural areas – face growing barriers to accessing mental health care. Leaders across the country are adopting innovative new methods for navigating these barriers.

A crisis response team is now available in 18 Iowa counties, for instance, and police in South Dakota carry iPads to help them connect people with counselors.

Several such initiatives have resulted in cost savings and reduced crime.

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Indigenous crop growing methods help battle Phoenix heat 

A team in Phoenix has carried out Indigenous methods to maintain useful crops with low water supply and poor irrigation due to long-term drought.

A Tempe-based nonprofit called Salt River Project successfully uses a flooding technique mastered by the Huhugam people.

One effort, a community garden funded by Keep Phoenix Beautiful, yields about 5,000 pounds of produce each year. 

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Financial services remain scarce in indigenous communities 

Eighty-six percent of Native indigenous communities lack access to financial institutions.

They also lack reliable access to broadband connectivity and therefore have minimal access to financial education and related assistance.

The CEO of Oweesta Corporation, which offers services to Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), has answered an array of questions about the value of financial literacy and CDFI impact.

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