2022 October UniteNews

SEEKING Minority & Women Contractors

All Specialties of licensed and insured contractors are encouraged to participate in the City of Springfield’s “HUD” financed Housing Rehabilitation Projects.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Veterans

You Belong

One Door

Springfield

We welcome • General Contracors • SUb-contractors covering all residential building trades

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Are you without a home, at risk of becoming homeless, do not have a safe stable place to stay or need affordable housing, call 417-225-7499 or visit the Spring field Affordable Housing Center at 300 E. Central, Springfield.

Questions? Call(417) 864-1031 Applications are available at: City of Springfield, Planning & Development Dept. Neighborhood Conservation Office 840 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO

Making Sense of Money

February 5, 12, 19 and 26 –(Basic Budgeting Series) Free interactive class to learn how to manage money better. Registration is required and you must attend all four sessions. Contact 417-888-2020, ext. 150 or register online at http://www. cpozarks.org/financial-literacy/.

Letter to the Editor

H a l l o w e e n W o r d

Continued from Page 7 to being truly inclusive. Never theless, I dream of an inclusive society with mutual respect: something that Americans can be proud of. Above all, I love because of this revelation. “Disagreement does not equal hate.”

pumpkin bats ghost candy

story about a boy who

excited to dress up

what

Designed By: Audrey Welhoff

From the Editor

MANAGEMENT

MANAGING EDITOR & PRESIDENT, Samuel G. Knox ASSOCIATE EDITOR, Tyra K Knox

CONTENT

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Melesha Bailey

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Jacqueline Jadidian

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Gwen Marshall

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Kathleen O'Dell

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Darline Mabins

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Heather Noggle

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR, Christella Payne

I always look forward to the month of October. Not only is Octo ber is my birthday month, lots of people participate in the Halloween holiday in some fashion, wheater you support the spooky side or not. In this issue, we decided to share information about the Haunted History Walk and Bus Tour sponsored by the Springfield History Museum on the Square. I personally don’t celebrate the history behind Halloween. Still, I do take the opportunity to give out candy and connect with the kids and families in the neighborhood who come by looking for sweet treats.

Also this month, you can learn about Alberta’s Hotel—A Green Book destination along Route 66 here in Springfield.

We are also promoting an important event discussed during the Mental Health Panel last month at the SpringMO Black Wellness Kick off event. Nina Smart-Dixon, the owner of Recovery Outpatient Servic es, participated as one of the panelists at the wellness event. She will be sharing her story and guide a discussion on addiction, abuse and recovery. This will take place at Timmons Hall located in Silver Springs Park.

As always, if you have news or information you would like us to con sider writing about, email or give us a call. Your news leads and stories are always welcomed.

We hope you enjoy our October issue and find an empowering way to celebrate the Fall season.

Best, Samuel G. Knox

President & Managing Editor www.unitenewsonline.org unitepublication@yahoo.com

CREATIVE TEAM

GRAPHIC DESIGN, Bradley Knox WEB DEVELOPER, Christoper Palma GRAPHIC DESIGN, Axela Frost

The Unite. publication is a monthly newspaper published by Unite of Southwest Missouri, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization. Our goal is to promote a broader understanding and appreciation of the African American talent, community resources, and opportunities avail able in the Springfield/Greene County area.

Distribution of Unite. is by free circulation at various locations. You may, subscribe and have a copy delivered by mail to your home or office by writing to UniteNews, P. O. Box 1745, Springfield, Missouri 65801. For a one-year subscription, please send $25.00 for postage and handling.

Those wishing to make a contribution or become a monthly sponsor should direct correspondence to the same address. Reader’s comments and questions are welcomed. The opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite. of Southwest Missouri, Inc. The UniteNews Publication in accepting advertising in this publication, makes no independent investigation concerning the services of products advertised and neither endorses nor recommends the same and assumes no liability therefore.

For more information, you can contact us at our business office at (417) 864-7444. Email: unitepublication@yahoo.com

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Discover the Maker Space in the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library. Try it Oct 17- 22 Call to register

MANAGEMENT

MANAGING EDITOR & PRESIDENT Samuel G. Knox

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tyra K Knox

CONTENT

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Melesha Bailey

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Sativa B-Sloan CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Gwen Marshall

CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Kathleen O'Dell

W.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER, Daniel Ogunyemi

CREATIVE TEAM

PHOTOGRAPHY, Erin Gamble

FESTIVAL GRAPHIC DESIGN, Bradley Knox

COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP

Have you and your family discovered the fun you can have togeth er at the Maker Space in the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library? Try it during a Halloween Vinyl Stickers Monday-Saturday, Oct. 17-22. Grades K-adults can make an appointment anytime 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. to learn how to operate the US Cutter SC2 and create a Hallow een-themed vinyl sticker silhouette for your water bottle, car window or trick-or-treat bag. Materials will be provided. Youth under 18 must be with an adult. To register, call 417-837-5011. Two authors are coming to the Library Center as part of a series featuring the horror genre. The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. As part of the series, teens and adults are invited to a free screening of “Young Frankenstein” at Moxie Cinema from 8-10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21.

COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Christopher Palma

COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Jasmine Bailey

COMMUNITY ADVISORY MEMBER, Diana Vargas

Silvia Moreno-Garcia will talk about her book “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20. Her book mixes action, romance and monsters to tell a compelling coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 19th-century Mexico. On Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., hear Weaving Horror and History with Author Alma Katsu. She will discuss her latest novel “The Fervor,” blending the story of World War II-era Japanese internment camps with elements of Japanese folklore and more.

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Could you be a future community leader? Grade 6-adults are invit ed to attend So You Want to Get Involved in Local Government from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in the Midtown Carnegie Branch upstairs meeting room. Local journalists and politicians will teach you how to get involved in your neighborhood association, school board and city council, run for local office and stay informed.

The Unite. publication is a monthly newspaper published by Unite of Southwest Missouri, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization. Our mission is to promote a broader understanding and appreciation of the ethnically diverse talent, community resources and opportunities available in the Springfield/Greene County area. Distribution of Unite. is by free circulation at various locations. However, request for home delivery by mail may be directed to Unite. P. O. Box 1745, Springfield, Missouri 65801 and accompanied by $25. for one year’s postage and handling.

Those wishing to make a contribution or become a monthly sponsor should direct correspondence to the same address. Reader’s comments and questions are welcomed. The opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite. of Southwest Missouri, Inc.

“The Unite Publication in accepting advertising in this publication, makes no independent investigation concerning the services of products advertised and neither endorses nor recommends the same and assumes no liability therefore.”

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For further information, you can contact us at (417) 864-7444.

Email: unitepublication@yahoo.com

We revisit personal stories from the Vietnam War on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Center auditorium. Local Vietnam War veteran Larry Rottmann and retired Army officer Mike O’Brien will share their experiences including encounters with the opposition.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Center, watch “Voices from Vietnam,” an original narrative by Rottmann and score by Ray Castrey that accompany photographs and film footage of Viet nam. A Q&A with Larry, Ray and director Mark Biggs will follow.

Make A Contribution Today!

If you would like to make a contribution to the Unite News Publication and it’s mission, please mail your gift to Unite, P.O. Box 1745, Springfield, MO 65801 or contact our office at (417) 864-7444.

Kathleen O’Dell is the community relations director of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. She can be reached at kathleeno@thelibrary.org.

“Let’s build a stronger community together.”

- Samuel Knox Managing Editor

Community News

People In The News

Desi Banks Samuel Cummings Shaun Munday

Desi Banks is an Atlanta comedian, actor, and writer that is known for his short videos showcasing his sketches featuring popular characters Parlay, Lil Johnny and Grandma Reese. With over 4 million followers on Instagram, he will be appearing at the Blue Room Comedy Club, October, 21 2022 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now! Call 417-2288403.

Central High School junior Samuel Cummings receives national award from College Board. Samuel was selected as a College Board National Rec ognition Program awardee. The national award recog nizes academic achievement in school and outstanding performance on the PSAT and/or AP Exams, grueling tests that require a mastery of upper-level courses prior to a student’s senior year.

Shaun Munday is a oneof-a kind talent and blends soul-drenched vocals with show-stopping bass guitar technique. Shaun will be appearing at the Best of Luck Beer Hall on October, 5, 2022 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. He is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA where he studied and performed with some of the greatest artists and educators in the industry.

Haunted History Walking/Bus Tours Thru Oct 29th

Springfield, MO— Let the History Museum on the Square help you get into the Fall/Halloween Spirit by getting to know some of Springfield’s history and some of the spooky stories connected to it. The tours balance telling historical stories in the places they occurred and some of the more prevalent ghost sight ings and creepy stories in downtown Springfield.

Tour Dates:

Haunted History Walking Tours will run on Fridays and Saturdays at 5:30 pm starting September 16th through October 29th. Haunted History Walking Tour – Non-Members $20.00, Members $15.00 per person.

Cyber Security Column Protect Your Good Name

by Heather Noggle

Springfield,MO—Cybersecurity works as a set of best practices keeping your data and computing operations safe from people who don’t belong in your business - personal or work. As individuals, we don’t seem on the surface to be prominent targets for hackers looking for a big score.

Mentally count in your mind the number of scam phone calls and scam emails you’ve gotten in the past couple of days. Over 10, maybe 20? Probably. Many are not targeted to you personally - your hobbies, fu ture, and family, but their goal is the same - get either money from you or infest your computer/network to get more money later by gathering information about you. You are - at least demographically - a target if you’re online.

Identity theft feels personal. It is often interrelated with cybersecurity - what pieces of of your data must you protect? Social security number, driver’s license number, and other personally identifying information data like name, maiden name, and address come to mind. If you’re a homeowner, your property’s address is public record can be found fairly simply online at the Assessor’s Office webpage for many counties, making data that uniquely identifies you even more necessary to protect. Expect cybercrimi nals to be expert researchers. They have a term for it - OSINT. Open Source Intelligence, which means the information someone can find out with clever Internet use. The more data they know, the more they can narrow the data they find and determine if it belongs to you personally or someone else with the same name.

Proud of your credit? If someone were to assume your identity, your good credit will be extended to that person in immediate buying power.

History Museum on the Square

Haunted History Bus Tour – Non-Mem bers $25.00, Members $20.00 per person.

Viruses. Malware. Antiviruses are the first line of defense against easy attacks thrown at your comput er via the Internet, and they’re a necessary part of your cybersecurity strategy. Training videos in cyber security recommend strong antivirus capabilities, so consider the more premium, comprehensive options. You can check out Malwarebytes, AVG, Kaspersky, McAfee, and Bitdefender. You can start with a free Continued on page 12

Dami Odunewu: A ministry and life calling to provide access to healthcare in third world countries by Darline Mabins

Health disparities among other things, have become a big topic of conversation. The pandemic placed a glaring spotlight on areas where equity is lacking. Some people have argued that unequal access to re sources and health services has been one of the drivers of the pandemic in our country. Dami Odunewu is one small business owner that is doing what she can to try to fill those gaps. Both here in the states and abroad. Born and raised in Nigeria for the first 20 years of her life. Dami

began her medical journey in Mar yland, with her pursuit of a degree in medical engineering. As a result of conversations with a close friend. She began to question if she was in the right career field. She felt the administration or communication side could be a better fit for her. She went online in the hopes of finding a pro gram in medical communications… she instead saw that Missouri State University was one of five schools in the country that offered a degree in Health Communications. In 2013 she

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Nina Smart Dixon, with Recovery Outreach Services, shares her story and guides a discussion on assisting youth and families faced with separation, addiction, abuse and/or neglect.

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Dami shared that it was not until she joined the work force in Spring field that she experienced what she felt was a culture shock. For six years she worked for Cox Hospital in two different employment positions. Her first position was as one of the only African American supervisors at the time (that she can recall). She was responsible for thirty-three direct reports and found that she strug gled with microaggressions coming from some of her team. Her second position was with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, through Cox Health. She felt this position was a great learning ground for her. This role was beneficial in assisting, what she feels is her life’s purpose. The Di vine Mission Health Center, which is the nonprofit that she started in 2007.

Divine Mission Health Center is what Dami calls, “her ministry and life’s calling.” This organization looks to support low to moderate income in dividuals in third world countries with their medical needs. Pre-pandemic,

they would take groups of medical professionals into a different country to provide medical services for a week at a time. The organization also worked to build relationships with the local clinics in the countries they have visited as well. She shared a sto ry about receiving a text message one morning form a clinic in Africa. The text explained that there was a wom an who had a still born child, that she could not deliver due to lack of money. The cost of the procedure was the equivalent of $59.00 to $60.00 US dollars. Dami approved the request for funding which allowed the Clinic to bill the nonprofit and perform the operation on the woman. She shared that making healthcare accessible is the driving purpose of the nonprofit.

Her story does not end there. Dami is also employed by Momen tum Wheels for Humanity in their fundraising department. This non profit organization works to provide mobility and rehabilitation services to people with disabilities in over seven ty countries.

Dami Odunewu, founder of The Divine Mission Health Center

Why extracurricular activities are important for your student

by Gwen Marshall

Many times, when our schools offer sports and extracurricular activities parents, do not allow their children to participate. Some students also feel that they do not need the activities, all they need is to concentrate on their books. In some cases, teachers have to convince parents to permit their children to participate in extracurric ular activities. This is due to the fact that parents feel that extra activities will distract their children from studies.

Co-curricular activities are just as impor tant as academics. Research suggest that when a student is involved in academics and co-curricular activities they are more likely to become well-rounded students.

Generally, students have lots of activities to choose from. Cultural activities, sports activities, competitions, the arts and many

Dami Odunewu

continued from page 6

She is also working on a no-resume hiring software called Purpose Connect. Their mission is to make hiring more human. Their target market are employ ers looking to diversify their workforce as part of the DEI initiatives. If you thought, her story ended there; Dami is also a mother to a young 4-year-old she is thankful to have the support of her mother to assist her with childcare as she continues to work in the many fields that she is passionate about. Her goals for the future? To establish more partnerships within the nonprofits she works with. She has begun to look at how she can better assist the local pop ulation in areas where health disparities exist. She hopes to better aid minority women in the future because they have a higher rate for miscarriage, among other needs. Dami’s passion is to make a difference in the medical field through her nonprofit work.

more. Some students are even interested in more than one activity and they do partici pate in both keeping in mind their academ ics.

“The National Education Association (NEA), for example, asserts that extracur ricular activities “instill great values like teamwork, responsibility, and a sense of community” while also increasing school at tendance, academic success, and aspirations for continuing education. Additionally, they are linked to healthier choices like avoiding drug use and maintaining a healthy body weight.” That’s a powerful force for good in a student’s life.”

They are also crucial for students be cause they allow students to make friends, improve their social skills, and get involved in new activities that might not otherwise be accessible to them. They can also help students find their passion in life.

Students also learn new skills which are useful in school life. Skills such as: how to lead a group, time management, goal setting and many more. Students who par ticipate in sports and other activities have better leadership skills and learn how to grow and build relations with one another.

I encourage you as parents to allow your student to get involved in some extracurric ular activity. The research further shows that it will greatly increase your student’s quality of school involvement and they will learn valuable skills that will last a lifetime.

Here are a few extracurricular activities offered by Springfield Public Schools: Youth Alive, Golf, STEAM Club, Film Club, Brother to Brother by SAAB, Science Olym piad, Equity and Diversity Empowerment Groups, Drum Corp,...

If an activity is not offered, you can make a request to your school’s principal to add the club of your child’s interest. If several students and a staff member are interested, an activity may be added.

Coming Events: October 22, 2022, Professional Day (Staff Work Day/Students Out All Day)

Your Health & Wellness News

How Kidney Disease affects the Black Community

Prevention

by Melesha Bailey

Have you ever thought about your kidneys? What do they do, and what is their importance for your health?

Our kidneys filter waste and ex cess fluid from the body. Kidney damage happens when waste products build up in the body re sulting in kidney failure. Kidney disease affects blood pressure and how the body cleanses the blood. Healthy kidneys balance water and minerals such as potas sium, sodium, and phosphorus in the blood. Waste that comes from muscles, exposure to chemicals, or medications gets eliminated through the blood after digestion. Just a note, pharmaceuticals can cause damage and place stress on the body to filter the medicines through the blood.

The first signs of kidney disease are nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swell ing of feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, and difficulty urinating too much or too little. These symptoms are the result of the body not cleaning the blood properly.

Kidney disease causes more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer (NVS 2021 report of 2018 data. It is an under-rec ognized public health crisis and affects black people more than any other ethnic group.

• Kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million people in the U.S.

• 90% of those with kidney dis ease don’t know they have it.

Validation Therapy and Alzheimer’s Go

An

Most of us have experienced firsthand of a loved one with dementia or at least know of someone that has the disease. An estimated 6.5 million Americans 65 years or older have Alzheim er’s. Caregiving for someone that has the disease can be quite challenging and exhausting espe

cially as the disease progresses. As the disease progresses the person living with the disease will eventually forget how to perform ordinary daily living tasks such as household chores/upkeep, eating/cooking, bathing, personal hygiene, medication management, finances/bills, short-term

• 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. (ap proximately 80 million) is at risk for kidney disease.

• Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S.

• Black people are more than four (4) times as likely as White people to develop kidney failure. Black people represent 13% of the U.S. population, while 35% of those with kidney failure.

Risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, family history of kidney disease, older adults, and medications are the major causes of kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation.   Doctors measure blood creatine levels to calculate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A score of over 90 is good, and a score of 60-90 needs monitoring. You must know your numbers to reduce your risk of damaging your kidneys and causing irreparable harm.

Treatment for chronic kidney disease centers on slowing the progression of kidney damage by controlling the source, and even that can be difficult to keep kidney damage from progressing. Chronic kidney disease can con tinue to end-stage kidney failure, becoming fatal without artificial filtering (dialysis) or a kidney transplant.

memory recall, turning off appli ances, and driving.

For a year I helped my family take care of my grandma whom I truly admired and had Alzheimer’s. As I watched her disease progress, she could not recall anything from her short-term memory. When she did converse, her stories were not factual, didn’t make sense, or she was reliving

her past as if it was the present. During these moments we as caregivers or as a stranger should never try to correct them and make it our point to help them face the present moment. A technique that I learned years ago while overseeing a memory care com munity was a method called Validation Ther apy. is a therapeutic method to

Health Coach, Melesha Bailey

Jacqueline Jadidian

Kidney Disease

continued from page 8

Harvard Health explains the higher rates of kidney disease in African Americans because diabetes and hypertension lead to kidney disease. In addition, poor access to insurance and medical care can delay diagnosis and faster pro gression. Therefore, reducing the rates of kidney disease in African Americans, in general, is focused on diagnosing and treating diabetes and hypertension.

Prevention is the key to reducing your risk of Kidney disease. Get tested if you have any of the risk factors. Find it early and treat it ear ly. Watch your blood sugar numbers and maintain a healthy range of an A1C below 6. Get active, and losing some weight will help if you are overweight. Quit smoking and work with someone to help you create a healthy kidney-eating plan.

Remember, it’s an under-recog nized health crisis with devasting effects of dialysis, a kidney trans plant, or even death. Know your numbers and ask your doctor to measure your blood creatine levels. Be proactive in decreasing your risk factors with a healthy diet and exercise because it’s vital and could save your life.

Validation Therapy

continued from page 8

help the person with dementia feel comforted and understood, while the listener tries to understand where the person is in their mind versus telling the person with dementia what is/is not reality. For example, if a person with dementia begins to talk about things of the

past that seem present to them or they see things that we do not see, we would not try to correct them.

We as the listeners would agree with what they are seeing or ex periencing, while also comforting them with our understanding, and smoothly transition the focus to something else especially if they are agitated or fearful of what they are experiencing in that moment.

If you have worked with anyone that has the disease you will realize quickly that the person cannot rea son or remember well. Validation Therapy helps us as the listeners to realize that we cannot try to make the person understand that what they are experiencing is not reality; they do not have the reasoning to understand. Validation Therapy

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focuses more on the person’s cur rent emotional state versus what is reality, and helping them reduce

their stress, worry, or fear.

Enroll in the Neighboring 101 series on our website. Search Neighboring 101 at http://extension.missouri.edu or email David Burton at burtond@missouri.edu

ART EXHIBITS

Mon-Tues: Closed Wed- Fri: 12pm-8pm

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Prevention

Continued from page 10

Creating Access to public and private healthcare resources was the goal

Here are some easy things you can do NOW to help prevent lifestyle diseases:

by UniteNews Staff

Springfield, MO—Creating improved access to public and private healthcare resources was the goal of the SpringMo Black Wellness Kickoff event held last month at the Robert Plaster Free Enter prise Center in downtown Springfield.

1. Choosing a diet consist ing of whole, unrefined plants and minimally processed foods. Eating more plant-based helps prevent heart disease and cancer risk.

Fifteen health and wellness related organizations were represented at the event. Approxamately sixty members of the black community attended the half day workshop that included expert panel discussions, exercise demonstra tion and personal stories. Funding for this event was provided by MO Office of Minority Health, City of Springfield, CoxHealth, UniteNews Publication, Springfield NAACP, Love 4 Life Well ness and Nurse Hustle Recruitment.

2. Physical activity and move ment help all your body’s internal organs and mind. Most experts recommend that a consistent 30 minutes of moderate physical ac tivity five days a week will make a significant difference.

3. Good sleep is essential. Aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. No matter how busy your life is, having a consist

ent bedtime and wake time, even ness, meditation, and gratitude to relieve stress to improve your

5. Social connections, and lov ing people, keeps you emotionally and physically healthy. Although

health now before it’s too late. An ounce of prevention is worth a of diseases, disabilities, and death.

Safety Is Key

Continued from page 10

safeguard

3. If you’re taking more than 4 prescribed medications, it would be best to schedule an appoint ment with your physician to re view your med list and make sure they will not affect your cognition

4. Specific potential causes: loose rugs, shower floor or any bare floor getting wet, not wearing rubber sole or non-slip footwear, having to bend over or reach high for items, not using your assistive device correctly (walker or cane), bed level is too high or too low, not having your nightstand closer to your bed,

people, including myself, and turn a blind eye. Take care of your

on a hot stove burner, electrical fire, while smoking dropping the cigarette on self and/or in home, smoke detectors not working properly, unsupervised lit candles, fireplace not having a

W h e n y o u ' r e r e a d y , w e ' l l b e h e r e

FIND YOUR COVID 19 VACCINATION OPPORTUNITY AT

V A C C I N E 4 1 7

Individuals receiving

automatically

Second booster doses

Individuals

Vaccines,

Sometimes things are inevita ble and out of our control where we must move into a senior living community; however, there are practical ways, like the list above to prolong that decision.

C O M

Vaccine Clinic

Registration Check In

Melesha Bailey with Nicole Massey, Nina Smart-Dixon & Keke Rover

Questions from the audience

Taj Sulleyman and Councilman Abe McGull Springfield Health Director, Katie Towns

TAKE YOUR BEST NEXT STEP

Heather Hardinger, Rana Coleman & Dr Shannon White

Rebecca Caceres, Dr Ron Woodard and Brandi Bower

Jonathan Bell, Latasha Harris and Reggie Harris

Healthcare information tables Community Participants Attendee engagement with agency

Healthy lunch choices were provided

Cyber Security

continued from page 5

version and determine whether to upgrade to a paid version. If you’re a Microsoft Windows User, learn what you can about the operating system’s built-in firewall, Windows Defender.

Privacy and security are highly in terrelated. Keep up your home secu rity. In addition to the antivirus, pick a unique password for each website. License a password manager and use a strong passphrase to access it. Use long, unknowable passwords; I recommend 20 characters. Mul ti-factor authentication, especially using Authy, Duo, Google Authenti cator, or another app on your phone versus unencrypted plaintext texts that often pop up their numbers on your message notifications. These are simple to do when you know about them, and they help keep your private information safe.

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