1. RICHES
My Health Journal
Ring in the New Year by joining RICHES!
Do you serve women of childbearing age and/or provide
services to infants and young children? Is your organization
looking to connect and network with other agencies and
organizations with similar goals and interests? If so, RICHES is just what you need. Now in its
second year, RICHES (Resources In Communities Helps Encourage Solutions) is excited to
embark on new activities for the new year and would like
you to be a part of our growing network.
To encourage more women to
Based on the self-help interactive booklet, My Health
start the New Year off on the
Journal, the webisodes provide tips on how members can
right track, RICHES I s encourage the women they serve to plan for a healthier
launching the My Health life and future.
Journal Train-the-Trainer
Webisodes this month. This Ava Crawford, RICHES Project Coordinator and Women's
series of three short videos Health Program Manager at the North Carolina Healthy
were developed to train Start Foundation, believes it's important for healthcare
providers and organizations serving women to be great
RICHES members on how to
motivators because women often put others before
guide women to better monitor
themselves. "In addition to being the mom, wife and sister,
their health and set personal most women take on the role as caretaker," she said. "It's
health goals. important that they take time for themselves and take care
of their health because healthy women build healthy
communities."
All three webisodes highlight key chapters in My Health Journal. The first webisode
demonstrates how health and human service providers can use the journal and incorporate it
into their everyday setting, whether it's one-on-one with a client or with larger groups. The
second webisode discusses the importance of women knowing their health history and how to
document it using My Health Journal. The third webisode encourages trainers to move their
clients into action and provides ideas on how to improve women's health. The My Health
Journal Train-the-Trainer Webisodes are available to RICHES members and can be accessed
from the RICHES homepage under the Member Login.
This spring, RICHES is looking to move members into action with six regional meetings
scheduled throughout the state. The regional meetings will focus on reproductive health and
includes training on the new family planning flashcards, a teaching tool used to discuss various

2. birth control methods. The locations and dates of the regional meetings
will be announced at a later date.
In addition, RICHES will host one webinar per quarter throughout the year.
The first webinar, "Making the Connection, Linking Through Facebook," is
scheduled for January 14th and will introduce the new North Carolina
Healthy Start Foundation's Facebook page. This webinar will also teach
members basic navigation tools and how to interact and network with
other organizations using Facebook. Don't worry if you miss it on the 14th.
All of our webinars will be archived and available through the RICHES Member Login on our
Web site. The Facebook presentation will be followed by webinars on storytelling and working
with the media, the new Friendship Project and educational materials for working with women
and their families available from the NC Healthy Start Foundation.
RICHES is opening new doors for members by initiating social networking opportunities,
trainings and introducing various educational resources and tools for the new year. This year,
be a part of a statewide network dedicated to helping women lead healthier lives. For more
information on RICHES and how to join, please visit www.NCHealthyStart.org/RICHES or email
RICHES@NCHealthyStart.org.