On May
23, 2010, the Health Education Counciland Network for a Healthy California - Gold Country Region
Retail Program took to store aisles to teach healthy eating at the Fruit
and Veggie Fest. Read the full Sac Bee article here. Autumn Cruz / acruz@sacbee.com
Presentations
are now online from Promising Practices: Achieving Health and Social
Equity in Tobacco Control, a national conference that took place in New
Orleans, LA, April 27-28, 2010. These presentations
are organized into three tracks: integrating tobacco control into
chronic disease planning; access to tobacco prevention, education and
cessation services; and influencing policy, legislation and health care
reform. Thanks to all who helped make our conference a success!
One
doctor, nurse, educator or leader can't do it alone. What are you going
to do? Spread the word. Inspire others. Share your ideas, comments, and
opinions here. Contribute to making this the healthiest nation in one generation. First,
support public health - from the local clinic to the neighborhood park.
A healthier America won't be possible without the support of your
communities. Second, adopt a healthier lifestyle. Encourage others to do
the same. Help us teach a new generation that simple actions - like not
smoking and eating healthy - lead to a happier, longer and more
productive life. After all, healthy children will become healthy adults.
All you have to do now is join us.
On February 1, 2010, employees at
two of HEC's Network for a Healthy CA
- Gold Country Worksites joined in a statewide effort to break the
Guinness World's Record for "Most People Jumping Rope at the Same Time,"
(currently held by Australia at 55,000 people). Employees
from General Mills in Lodi, and Blue Diamond Growers in Sacramento
coordinated their morning break time to jump rope at the same time an
estimated 75,000 individuals (from schools and other businesses) were
jumping rope throughout the state. The California Association for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (CAHPERD) will
compile the final results to see if a new world record has been
achieved! Check out this link for
details.
HEC
receives $1.8 million award from First 5 to improve nutrition and
physical activity education for preschool children and their families. Read
more!
On
January 21st, Slow Food Sacramento and Pesticide Watch Education Fund
hosted Sustainable Sacramento, an annual celebration of Sacramento
residents and organizations that have worked hard to make the region
healthier and more livable in 2009. Award recipients included: *Harvest Sacramento - A regional
volunteer effort to glean and supply fresh produce to local food banks,
supported by Soil Born Farms & The Sacramento Food Bank *Hot Italian - A newer restaurant that
has modeled sustainability with a LEED certified building, large-scale
composting facilities, as well as local and organic food *GEO Academy - A
high school program of the Health Education Council ( EAT from the
Garden) has pioneered efforts to teach business education coupled with
health education. Fatima Malik and Ann Marie Kennedy
accept the award on behalf of the Health Education Council and GEO.
HEC
received a $500 donation to support the community and school garden
project at Grant High School from the Johnson
Ohana Charitable Foundation, founded by musician Jack Johnson and
his wife Kim.
The
Latino Campaign Administrator Aide Silva presented the Network for a
Healthy California-Latino Campaign to National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The NALEO Educational Fund promotes the governance and
policymaking success of Latino elected and appointed officials across
the country by providing technical assistance and support to the
leadership of the Latino community. Policymakers will be supporting the Network
for a Healthy California to enhance access to fruits and vegetables
among low-income Latino Families in the state of California.
A
panel of policy experts, agencies serving the homeless and those facing
homelessness themselves gathered in the nation's capital on Oct. 21 to
discuss the issue of tobacco usage among people of low socioeconomic
status (SES). The Break Free Alliance organized the meeting, attempting to engage chief organizations that serve low SES populations in tobacco control efforts. Read more on how policy experts are addressing homeless smokers!
HEC's
own African American Campaign Coordinator Cynthia Robinson was featured
on local Sacramento radio station KBMB 103.5 to talk about healthy
eating in the African American Community. Listen now! To find out more about this campaign please visit the homepage.
Editor's
Note: In the debut of A Doctor's Word, Dr. Erin Marcus wrote about an
African-American man's effort to quit smoking cigarettes. This week,
she offers practical advice for all who would like to kick the habit.
Dr. Marcus is associate professor of clinical medicine at the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Its
been a long time waiting, but Cypress Garden is now open to north
Sacramento Community members. Obtain a garden plot today and experience
the joy of growing your very own fresh fruits and vegetables! Click here for more
details.
Saturday
September 19, 2009 the Health Education Council and Grant High School
co-sponsored the 10th year Anniversary of Gardening, Education, and
Community Service in the neighborhood of Del Paso Heights. GO
EAT (Garden of Ethnic American Treasures) is the home of a unique blend
of cultures, educational opportunities, and hands on cooking for all
ages. This weekend HEC facilitated and organized a terrific
celebration of the culmination of 10 years of providing healthy food
and nourishment for the members of immigrant and underserved
populations. This collaboration was made possible by Health Education
Council, Grant High School GEO Academy, United Way, ATT, Sacramento
Natural Foods Co-op, and the greater Sacramento community members. To find out more or to get involved please contact Fatima Malik by email.
Click photo for a history of the garden!
A downtown mural, located on the eastern wall of Silvina's Basket
restaurant on Main Street, was dedicated on Saturday September 12th
during the Woodland Festival to Promote Latino Health. The
mural was sponsored by the Health Education Council's Network for a
Healthy California, and is intended to promote good nutrition. The idea
was a full scene with a bright blue spring sky over farmland, a
community garden and farmers market, people playing soccer and a
tractor. Read more.
Local officials and dignitaries, including Woodland
Vice-Mayor Art Pimentel (third from left), get ready to cut the ribbon
on the mural behind Silvina s Basket on Saturday. (Network for a
Healthy California/Courtesy)
"SETA
Head Start would like to recognize Health Education Council (HEC) for
its exemplary contribution to Head Start children, families, parents
and staff through the In the Grow program in the past program
year 2008-2009. In the Grow Program which is funded by First 5
Sacramento, has brought (1) school gardening project opportunities at
our Head Star centers; (2) staff and parent training and educational
resources for physical activity promotion and nutrition education that
supports I Am Moving I Am Learning curriculum (IMIL) and (3) In the
Grow farm stands at 7 SETA-Operated Program (SOP) Head Start locations
in Sacramento County. The resources, activities and experiences
provided by HEC through In the Grow significantly contribute to our
agency's successful completion of the goal to promote healthy eating
and increased physical activity to prevent childhood obesity."-Melanie P. Nicolas, M.A. Program Officer Program Support Services SETA Head Start
Organized
by Wells Fargo Insurance Services, the Health Education Council and the
American Cancer Society Workplace Solutions partnered to offer a free
seminar on why worksite wellness strategies are important, and how they
can be implemented for little to no cost.Read more..
Mai Linh Tompkins of the Network for a Healthy California - Worksite Wellness Program sharing resources at the free seminar.
This May, the Health Education Council partnered with Food Maxx of Sacramento to host the Fruit & Veggie Fest. Through Fruit and Veggie Fest events, the Network for a Healthy California - Retail Program provided tips and tools to help low-income residents in Gold Country Region - and across California - take charge of their families' health to help reduce the risk of serious health problems, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers.
Left to Right: Edith Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, Bonnie Pannell, Robert Fong, Ramona Mosely.
The Healthy Choices Partnership
was comprised of the Health Education Council, the Dairy Council of
California, Fresh Producers, and 4 elementary schools within the Twin
Rivers Unified School District.
Orchard, Madison, Woodridge,
and Aero Haven Elementary schools took the opportunity to teach a
series of eight nutrition education lessons (from either Dairy Council
of CA or Children’s Power Play!) in their classrooms, receive free
weekly fresh fruit and vegetable boxes for each participating class,
and learn ways they can choose to create a healthier school
environment.
The classes celebrated the completion of the
nutrition education lessons at the end of May by having a Healthy
Choices “Cyclebration” event at each school. This included the Shape
of Yoga for K-3 and nutrition related physical activity games for
grades 4th-6th. Each group of students also had the opportunity to
taste smoothies and see a smoothie bike demonstration.
All in
all, the program has received great reviews from participants and we
look forward to planning and developing the program for the new school
year!
Madison Elementary students wait for a turn on the smoothie bike.
We
would like to thank 97.7 FM KDEE, a California Black Chamber of
Commerce foundation program, for the invitation to speak about various
public health issues, which the Health Education Council addresses. Chinedu
A. Nwaigwe, Program Administrator of NAATEN and Asthma Disparities
Program, spoke on air about public health issues adversely affecting
the African American Community. Listen here.
HEC's 3rd Annual Golf Tournament a Success! We do want to thank Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra and Bank of the West for being our sponsors! Also, a huge thanks to Mason’s restaurant for their support.
Health Education Council volunteers impressed with golf tournament; seeks "Cyclebration" volunteers. Read more.. Posted by gabstevenson at 5/18/2009 7:54 AM PDT on The Sacramento Bee
May
13, 2009 – United Way California Capital Region employees Mary Beth
Pilon (pictured above, right) and Isabelle Waters (pictured above,
center) and HEC's own Susan Wilson (left) went out to volunteer at the
Health Education Council’s recent golf tournament and they wanted to
spread the word: They have never had so much fun volunteering before.
The
Public Health Institute is soliciting applications for the Network from
eligible non-profit faith associations to increase the use of
effective, innovative nutrition education interventions in faith-based
organizations and to promote access to healthy foods for low-income
African Americans living in California. Please see the Funding Alert for additional details and continue to check the Network website for updates. The Funding Alert can be downloaded here:
For
questions, please contact Laura.Oneill@cdph.ca.gov at 916 327-8267. We
look forward to working together to improve the health of low-income
Californians through the Network for a Healthy California.
Local
Champion Mom Yemanya Napue tore up her backyard lawn to plant an
extensive vegetable garden and shared her bounty with neighbors. Now she's planting much larger community gardens. Click photo to read full SacBee article.
On
Tuesday March 24th, the HEC Power Play! team brought the smoothie bike
out in support of the State Network for a Healthy California team as
they represented at the California Agriculture advocacy day at the
Capitol. The bike and booth had many notable visitors including
legislators, the Secretary of Agriculture, A.G. Kawamura, (pictured on
the bike here), the Governor, and legislative staff.
The
EAT from the Garden program, a collaborative effort between the Health
Education Council, Soil Born, and Grant High school was featured on a
live news segment on Good Day Sacramento.
EAT from the Garden is a program designed to teach youth the benefits
of eating fresh fruits and vegetables by incorporating hands on cooking
with real garden experiences. Students go out to the garden to harvest
their vegetables and then come into the classroom to cook a nutritious
meal coupled with an interactive health nutrition activity. The
newscast highlighted the community garden located on the Grant High
campus as well as the new cooking classroom. Watch video clip here.
Earl Fowlkes, longtime NAATEN Stakeholder, supporter, and President of
the International Federation of Black Prides, attended a special
reception to celebrate Black History Month and Aetna's African American
History Calendar. To view Aetna's past and current 2009 African
American History Calendars click here for more details.
The
celebratory event took place at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania on February 18, 2009 and honored the history and heritage
of African Americans and organizations committed to health advocacy
across the country. We are grateful to Aetna for honoring NAATEN and
more than pleased that Mr. Fowlkes represented NAATEN at this event!
Earl Fowlkes and Albert Dotson, Jr. Esq., Board Chair of 100 Black Men of America
Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter and Earl Fowlkes
In 2007, the Sacramento Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce launched an exciting new event - Future 5, honoring five up-and-coming businesses for their professional achievements, determination and admirable work promoting the Sacramento business community.
The SACC once again honored local businesses at the 2nd Annual Future 5 event, held on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at Mason's Restaurant. More than 150 people showed up to help the SACC honor, among others, the Health Education Council (nonprofit sector). The 5 businesses and entrepreneurs awarded not only seek to better themselves, but also to serve and improve the community.
The Network for a Healthy California - Gold Country Region Latino Campaign celebrates Binational Health Week success.
Binational Health Week events provided immigrant workers and their families with medical screenings, healthcare referrals, treatment services, and information about disease prevention. This week of activities was intended as a first step in a larger program of cooperation between North and Central American countries to improve the health of Latino immigrants who live and work in the United States and Canada.
The
Latino Campaign wants to thank the Latino Community, who attended the
Binational Health Week Fairs, as well as all the agencies that provided
the services and made this project come true. The Latino Campaign would
also like to thank the Radio Stations: "Magia solo éxitos", "La K
buena", who in fact, played a fundamental role in the advertisement of
the BHW Fairs.
We need your year-end car donation to help our community gardens! Our community gardens provide a pathway to better health through sustained access to fresh, tasty foods, grown by the families in the neighborhoods who need our help the most. Your donations will provide irrigation and growing supplies to these family garden plots, and you can help us promote health right in our own community. Please visit our how to help page for more information.
The HEAL Collaborative is in process of reviewing mini-grant applications. Funding decisions will made by *January 8, 2009. (*notification dates subject to change)
HEC
is a partner of Grant High School and is funded by United Way impact
council to expand nutrition education and success of high school youth
through the program. Read how Macy's volunteers "dug" Grant High School's garden and how to become a volunteer! Latino Health Awareness Month -
The Network for a Healthy California-Latino Campaign was hard at work
this September as it held Latino Health Awareness Month to celebrate
healthy changes in its families and communities! Local programs took
place throughout California (Bay Area Region, Central Coast Region,
Central Valley Region, Desert Sierra Region, Gold Coast Region, Gold
Country Region, Los Angeles Region, Orange County Region and San Diego
& Imperial Region) and featured healthy cooking demonstrations,
food preparation and healthy eating tips, free health screenings and
plenty of nutrition education. Local
media coverage included El Observador (Bay Area), KCBA-TV Online
(Central Coast), Ventura County Star (Gold Coast), KSCO-TV Telemundo
(Gold Country), La Opinion (Los Angeles), KFCF-FM 88.1 (Central Valley)
and Univision (San Diego & Imperial).
A
family enjoys fresh fruit samples at the health fair and farmer's
market in Woodland, Calif., hosted by the Network for a Healthy
California-Gold Country Region Latino Campaign on Sept. 6, 2008. Photo
by Matt Henderson/Network for a Healthy California
On
September 3, 2008, Denise Chapel, R.D. represented the Network for a
Healthy California-Gold Country Region African American Campaign on the
health segment, "September is National Fruits and Veggies-More Matters
Month! Eat your munchies!"
The show aired on Sacramento's KDEE-LP, 97.7 FM radio station. The hour
long talk show with host Azzia Gomez covered tips for moms to use in
helping their families: eat more fruits and vegetables, stay physically
activity, and volunteer in local gardening projects. Many of the tips
were taken from the monthly newsletter produced by Produce for Better
Health for the Fruit and Veggie-More Matters campaign. This live show
was sponsored by the Black Chamber of Commerce and was estimated to
have reached over 300,000 listener subscribers.
Community Farm Stand now at Mather VA Hospital Parking Lot - read more from the October issue of Gold River Community Newspaper! The Network for a Healthy California - Latino Campaign was awarded $2,500 to support the 2008 Binational Health Week efforts for Yolo County residents.
The new collaboration between Kaiser Permanente, the Latino Campaign
and Woodland Health Care will benefit the low-income Latino Families in
our region. For a calendar of Binational Health Week events, please go here.
"Seed to Table"Each week this summer, nearly 100 teens pass through Grant High's new
kitchen as part of two city-funded programs. They cook up homegrown
delights harvested from the school's garden. The students
develop their green thumbs as well, guided by teachers from Grant High
and other partnering organizations. The goal is to cultivate
understanding of the tremendous effort it takes to get food to their
table, as well as how to keep that food as healthy as possible,
teachers say. View full Sac Bee article here
(Kheyland McNeil, 14, left, and De'Shar Marcellous, 17, get advice from
cooking coordinator Fatima Malik during a city-funded summer nutrition
program. RANDY PENCH /
rpench@sacbee.com)
New Research Indicates Cigarette Makers Manipulate Menthol Levels to Attract Young Smokers. Readmore.
NAATEN
speaks out about the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
currently under consideration in the House of Representatives. Read full articlehere.
"Gardening
is peaceful, fulfilling, healthy, educational, inexpensive, only
occasionally frustrating and almost always awe-inspiring. It encourages
sharing. Some say it's a solution to poverty, obesity, even crime. And
gardening inspires hope, which is what happened Saturday June 7th when
more than 50 people got involved in the What's Growing On CYCLEbration,
the first of what's likely to be an annual event."
GRANTS UPDATE:
The grant from American Legacy continues our faith-based tobacco cessation outreach to low income and African American communities.
Sutter is a new funder helping with our Eat From the Garden cooking classes.
We
also are helping Clayton County, Georgia with technical assistance to
help address disparities in tobacco use among African Americans.
On
April 17, 2008, two Health Education Council staff members, Ramona
Mosley and Mellissa Meng were recognized with the "Creating Healthy
Environments" award given by the Sacramento County Childhood Obesity Prevention
Coalition. The award recipients were recognized individuals,
organizations and programs working to reduce childhood obesity in
Sacramento County.
Charity Golf Tournament was a success to support several key programs!
Enthusiastic reviews for NAATEN/NNTPP's National Conference, Promising Practices from the Field: Tobacco Control Strategies for Priority Populations! For PowerPoint presentations, please visit NAATEN and NNTPP web pages. PhotosConference Program
"Black Folks Don't Use Quitlines!"Exploring the true story. Read full report here. Are you effectively reaching African American tobacco user? View some quick facts from our national quitline assessment.
New Program Funded by First 5 Sacramento Commission! HEC is the recipient of a grant from the First 5 Sacramento Commission to implement innovative and exciting nutrition education, garden, and farm stand programs in partnership with Sacramento Head Start.
The
Latino Campaign Administrator Aide Silva presented the Network for a
Healthy California-Latino Campaign to National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The NALEO Educational Fund promotes the governance and
policymaking success of Latino elected and appointed officials across
the country by providing technical assistance and support to the
leadership of the Latino community. Policymakers will be supporting the Network
for a Healthy California to enhance access to fruits and vegetables
among low-income Latino Families in the state of California. 
