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Strategic Alliance Newsletter |
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March 2006 |
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Local Policy Highlighted in Strategic Alliance Web Forum On January 18th, the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments held its second interactive web forum which showcased local and state policy efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity environments throughout California. Panelists Address Local Policy During the panel on local policy, participants heard from three experts who have been instrumental in instituting local change. Leah Fraser of Latino Health Access addressed efforts to create land use policy that establishes parks and greenspace in Santa Ana. Edie Jessup of Fresno Metro Ministries spoke about her work with the Fresno Health Department’s Built Environment and Food Policy Council to address community food concerns, including the diminishing access to supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods. Connie Stewart, former mayor and city councilwoman of Arcata highlighted the policies she implemented during her tenure, including creating a zoning law that restricted the number of fast food restaurants in Arcata and land use regulations that ensure complete services (such as grocery services) in each neighborhood. For those interested in creating local environmental change, the Strategic Alliance will have its Local Policy Database up and running this spring. The Public Health Law Program’s General Plans and Zoning toolkit is also a resource. State Legislation for 2006 Participants also engaged in a discussion on statewide coordinated action. Jessica Reich of California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA) and Amanda Purcell of California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) were on hand to share what to expect from the California Legislature in 2006. There are a number of bills addressing food access and physical education in schools that CFPA and CCPHA are supporting. Some particular legislation of interest sponsored by CFPA and CCPHA include:
Strategic Alliance Steering Committee members also highlighted the upcoming ENACT 2006: Nutrition and Activity Day, an opportunity for advocates from around the state to develop skills to communicate effectively with elected officials. One exciting outcome of the forum was the opportunity for individuals from around the state to connect around important issues facing their communities. For instance, Amor Santiago of Healthy Silicon Valley raised his concern regarding the closure of the only major grocery store in downtown San Jose. As a result, Amor collaborated with California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPHEN) and Strategic Alliance’s Rapid Response Media Network to write an op-ed addressing the impact of the closure, which was published in the San Jose Mercury News (See the “In the News” section to read the op-ed piece). Join the Rapid Response Media Network.The Strategic Alliance looks forward to continuing to utilize web-based forums to create a virtual space for members of the Alliance to come together to exchange ideas concerning statewide efforts and opportunities, as well as to learn from positive changes taking place at the local level. If you missed the forum but would like to access resources from the event, click here. Stay tuned to the Strategic Alliance e-newsletter for updates on future web forums! Starting Earlier-Preventing Overweight in Early Childhood: A Forum for California Leaders and Decision Makers On February 7th, over seventy key leaders, early childhood experts, advocates, and frontline representatives gathered at a day-long forum organized by the California WIC Association (CWA). The purpose of the forum was to begin to address the issues which put our youngest children at risk for childhood obesity – and how we can strengthen prevention through collaborative policy efforts over the next five years. The turnout was strong, and the energy and “buzz” in the room was high! Morning activities included a welcome from CWA Executive Director Laurie True, an overview of the issues and a review what the data and research shows from consultants Sarah Samuels and Jane Heinig, and presentations from four content experts. Content experts included Dr. Scott Gee of Kaiser Permanente, Patti Miller from Children Now, Leslie Mikkelsen from Strategic Alliance, and Donita Stromgren from California Child Care Resource & Referral Network. Small groups worked in the afternoon to come up with specific key policy strategies that will support early childhood institutions and families in improving their nutrition and physical activity. They laid out the barriers, key players, and resources needed to tackle the various options. Laurie True, CWA Executive Director and Strategic Alliance Steering Committee member commented, “We were extremely gratified by the strong turnout and the level of discourse at this first-ever Forum on preventing obesity in early childhood. The next step will be to create a realistic action blueprint for local and state policy changes we need to pursue together over the next five years.” For more information on the forum, including a detailed summary of the event and speaker handouts and presentations, please visit the CWA website. Sugary Syrup fuels spat over school food
Women’s Health Initiative Fat Reduction Study The Women’s Health Initiative garnered national headlines on February 8th 2006 with the publication of a multiyear study that questions the benefits of a diet low in total fat on decreasing women’s risk for cancer and heart disease. The news coverage of the study, however, oversimplified the findings. The study diet focused on reducing total fat and did not differentiate between “good” fats, such as those found in vegetable oils and fish, and “bad” fats such as saturated fats and the trans-fats associated with processed foods. In addition, while study participants were asked to cut fat out of their diet, they were not required to follow a healthy diet. There is overwhelming evidence that a diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats is healthy and contributes to a lower incidence of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. While the effect of the total fat in a diet is being debated, it is important to note that there are still many neighborhoods where residents are unable to choose the nutritious foods that we know are integral to health. The Strategic Alliance responded by issuing Talking Points outlining these concerns with the study. If you would like to receive up-to-the-minute alerts on stories, such as this one, so that you can respond to media coverage please e-mail sana@preventioninstitute.org to join the Rapid Response Media Network. Strategic Alliance members recently shared their outrage with the closing of the only grocery store in downtown San Jose in an Op-Ed published on February 13th by the San Jose Mercury News. Ellen Wu, a Strategic Alliance Steering Committee Member and Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and Amor Santiago, director of Healthy Silicon Valley discuss the implications of grocery store closures on low-income communities and communities of color, and recommend immediate actions and long-term strategies San Jose elected officials can take to ensure that all residents have access to healthy and affordable food. Read the article here. Since the publication of the op-ed piece, the outrage generated by the closure of the grocery store has prompted a group of Bay Area investors to acquire the lease for the vacant store and they plan to open a new, full-service supermarket this spring. Food Politics Lecture Series at UC Berkeley Wednesdays, February 8- April 5, 2006 The UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism is hosting an 8-week lecture series regarding food policy in the United States. Moderated by Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics and What to Eat, the series will take place every Wednesday at 4 p.m. in room 250 at the Goldman School of Public Policy. The speakers are some of the most prominent names in food policy, including policy experts, public health professionals, psychologists, restauranteers, and photojournalists. To see a complete list of lecturers, please refer to this flyer. Rebuilding California: Designs for Healthy Living from City to Farm conference in Oakland March 29-30, 2006 CA Public Health Association-North's 2006 Annual Meeting will focus on connections between urban and rural community design and the growing “dis-eases” of obesity and physical inactivity, respiratory illnesses, and reactions to other environmental exposures. Special attention is given to urban and rural commonalities and differences, and to the preservation of one of California most valuable resources--its agricultural production. You may view the program and register on CPHA-N's website, http://www.cphan.org/annual.html. Healthy Parks, Healthy Communities training in Santa Ana April 5, 2006 Latino Health Access and the Trust for Public Land are pleased to invite you to attend the Healthy Parks, Healthy Communities training workshop in Santa Ana. This training provides participants action-oriented information about:
For more information, please refer to the Park Inequities in California Fact Sheet . Additional information about the training can be obtained by contacting Leah Fraser of Latino Health Access at 714-542-7792 or lfraser@latinohealthaccess.org. Please use the registration form provided. For information about registration or a scholarship application contact Marybeth Vergara of the Trust for Public Land at 213-380-4233 ext. 17 or Marybeth.vergara@tpl.org. April 18-20, 2006 CleanMed 2006, the nation's largest environmental conference for the health care industry, will take place in Seattle, WA on April 19-20. The agenda also includes a special pre-conference one-day workshop on April 18th on Healthy Food in Healthcare. Leaders along the entire health care supply chain will be in attendance to learn the latest trends in safe products, green buildings, healthy food service, waste prevention and other health care industry efforts to protect the health of people and the environment. CleanMed 2006 is sponsored by Health Care Without Harm, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, Catholic Health Initiatives, Kaiser Permanente, Broadlane, Premier, Inc., MedAssets and The Consorta Group. For more information, or to register for CleanMed, visit www.cleanmed.org. Marion Nestle Book Signing in Berkeley and Los Angeles April 25, 2006 4:00pm; Berkeley May 16, 2006 2:00pm; Los Angeles Join Strategic Alliance for a conversation and book signing with Marion Nestle, renowned nutrtionist and author of Food Politics, as she presents her newest book, What to Eat?. ENACT 2006: Nutrition & Activity Day in Sacramento May 2, 2006 This fourth annual event is being sponsored by the Strategic Alliance, National Council of La Raza, California Park and Recreation Society and California Center for Civic Participation & Youth Development. ENACT is a day for parents, dieticians, physical activity advocates, students, parks & recreation volunteers and staff, health professionals, business leaders and others concerned about nutrition and physical activity to educate legislators about public policy solutions to the obesity epidemic. The day includes a training and legislative visits. To learn more about ENACT 2006, visit the ENACT 2006 website or contact Jessica at jreich@cfpa.net. Is your organization interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Manal at manal@preventioninstitute.org. General Plans and Zoning: A Toolkit on Land Use and Health The Land Use & Health Program of the Public Health Law Program is pleased to announce the release of its new publication: General Plans and Zoning: A Toolkit on Land Use and Health. This rich resource explains, in lay language, the intricacies of the land use planning process in California communities. Topics covered include:
Model language, a glossary, and a resource guide are also included. For more information, go to www.healthyplanning.org, or email hkinsman@phi.org. Want to help youth in your program to "Do More, Watch Less?" Stay tuned for a CANFit web-based training on how to implement the "Do More, Watch Less" tool in your after school program. The training will be available mid-March at www.canfit.org. The tool is available now at www.dhs.ca.gov/obesityprevention. Any questions, contact CANFit staff at info@canfit.org or 800-200-3131.
WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE? The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility. Current SteeringCommittee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) , California Project LEAN, California WIC Association (CWA), Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates, and YMCA of the East Bay. The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership. To join or for more information, please visit us onthe Web, www.eatbettermovemore.org, or contact Sana Chehimi at 510.444.7738 or Sana@preventioninstitute.org. And even if you're already a member, please forward this message on to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition. Thank you! The Strategic Alliance is supported by funding from The California Endowment.
The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity--from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility.
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