It's rough out there! Time for a special edition of Five on Friday: Only Weekly Wins! Instead of just one dose of good news, we've gathered five pieces to lift your spirits, all recommended by MCN staff. 

Weekly Win: Kaethe shared the news that Oakland has declared racism a public health crisis – and is funding two new positions to address the health aspects of racism within the city's Department of Race and Equity. (The California city joins numerous other cities making the connection between racism and health – you can look at this APHA map of declarations to see if your town has taken action.)  Oakland Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis

Weekly Win? Not so fast... Candace shared the New York Times’ Morning Today article that celebrated improved vaccination rates for Black and Latinx populations, which appeared to reduce the death rates among those populations as compared to whites. Outreach efforts are called out as a primary driver. COVID and Race. Kaethe followed up the article with a piece from Your Local Epidemiologist, however, which has a different breakdown of the data. The Morning Today Is...Wrong. It's a mixed Weekly Win at best, but we love the shout-out to outreach workers and community health workers! 

Weekly Win: Claire shared good COVID news on two fronts. Moderna is close to releasing its new booster with protection “so strong that it could potentially last a year,” says Moderna's CEO. Moderna Says Its New Vaccine Booster Shows 'Superior' Response to Omicron. Additionally, next week may be the week that so many families have been waiting for! White House Gets Ready for COVID Vaccine Approval for Youngest Children

Weekly Win: Renée applauded US Senator Alex Padilla, who, through a UFW campaign, toiled with farmworkers in the field. Sen. Padilla is Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and represents California. Alex Padilla First US Senator to Work in Fields Alongside Farm Workers as Part of the ‘Take Our Jobs’ Campaign

Weekly Win: Amy shared the announcement from Health & Human Services of a new Office of Environmental Justice which will “address climate-related health issues particularly affecting poor and marginalized Americans,” according to this article in The Hill. Looking forward to seeing its efforts. HHS Announces New Office of Environmental Justice

Have a safe and healthy weekend!

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