News
Building healthier communities during National Diabetes Month
Preventing and managing diabetes involves individual action, but no one should have to do it alone. Drawing on Wade Norwood’s personal experience and information from the New York State Department of Health, this National Diabetes Month blog explores how stress, work, access to care, and other community conditions affect people’s ability to protect their health.
Collective care offers a path to better maternal health outcomes
Improving maternal health outcomes requires more than any one provider, program, or organization. At this year’s Dr. Bernard Guyer Lecture in Public Health, global, national, and local maternal health experts explored how trusted relationships, connected services, and shared responsibility can better support mothers and families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
Bridging the gap: community health ambassadors extend care beyond the doctor’s office
Through trusted relationships, training, and community outreach, ambassadors help residents understand health information, navigate resources, and take charge of their well-being long before they get to the exam room.
Rochester Celebrates BIPOC Senior Adults
The Senior Adult Community Engagement (SACE) initiative celebrated BIPOC Senior Adult Recognition Month with an event honoring the leadership, service, and contributions of older adults of color. Community leaders, faith partners, and student scholars came together for awards, reflections, and intergenerational conversations focused on legacy, community, and the importance of elevating older adults' voices.
Partner Spotlight: New York Dental Foundation
The New York State Dental Foundation works to improve oral health across New York by expanding access to dental care, supporting community outreach programs, and strengthening the dental workforce.
Two decades of health, joy, and sisterhood
What began as a modest gathering of family and friends has since grown into one of Rochester's most beloved traditions: A Call to Women of Color. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the event was transformed into a three-day experience, bringing together generations of women and girls for reflection, learning, healing, celebration, and sisterhood. Across a film screening, a community gathering in Genesee Valley Park, and a Little Black Dress event, one message echoed loudly: Women of color have spaces where they can be seen, supported, and celebrated.
In The Headlines
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Through deserts and swamps
City MagazineNovember 13, 2026 - At the 2026 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference, Candice Williams, food policy coordinator at Common Ground Health-FLPPS-Rochester RHIO, shared insights on the Rochester Community Food System Plan and its vision for a stronger local food system.
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Weekly news roundup: ICE cases in western New York; latest with Regents exams; supporting local seniors
WXXI, Connections with Evan DawsonNovember 12, 2026 - Phyllis Jackson, community wellness project manager of Common Ground Health-FLPPS-Rochester RHIO highlights the power of intergenerational service in reducing isolation among adult home residents. Donations for the Not Forgotten Program are being accepted through December 16.
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New 19th Ward playground aims to break barriers
WXXIOctober 14, 2026 - “Play is such a powerful resource for children because it creates spaces for healing, and I think it creates places for negotiation and for learning life,” said Wade Norwood, chief advancement and government relations officer for Common Ground Health–FLPPS–Rochester RHIO.
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City launches plan to combat food insecurity, warns about rise in hunger since the pandemic
News 10 NBCOctober 1, 2026 - Candice Williams, Common Ground Health-FLPPS-Rochester RHIO’s Food Policy Coordinator, said the food policy council’s priorities support a more equitable and accessible food system for Rochester.