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A Bittersweet Farewell from ASTPHND's President
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| Dear
ASTPHND Members,
It
is bittersweet that I am announcing my retirement from state  service in the New
York State Department of Health and from my position as a member, state
designee and President of ASTPHND. The perfect storm of an early retirement incentive and family needs have
led me to make this decision at this time, unfortunately just as I was
beginning my ASTPHND presidency.
I want to tell you what a privilege it has been
to be part of such a dynamic and stimulating organization as ASTPHND. During my time, I have seen ASTPHND go
from a respected, well-organized entity to a model virtual organization that
has quickly adapted to the current nature of the work environment where we all
have too much to do and no time to conduct critical planning. ASTPHND is an exemplary organization
that has morphed itself to be more effective as each of us is required to do
more with less. Our virtual
organization is effective, it is recognized as a model for the new millennium,
and it is a testament to the expressed desires of its members and the changing
times we live in. ASTPHND's highly
skilled consultant staff creates an environment for facilitated planning,
collaboration and implementation that allows all of us "multi-taskers" to
create and implement a strong public health nutrition agenda.
Get involved with ASTPHND! ASTPHND provides amazing support so you can make a difference on
the national level and still be effective in your work.
Like all of you, my job has been very busy and
demanding. The resources of
ASTPHND's members, Board and consultant staff have helped me enormously to
effectively be involved in the national public health nutrition debate without
reducing my effectiveness at home.
ASTPHND has become the "go to" voice of public health nutrition because
it recognizes and corrals all of our individual strengths into a common
resource.
I
have some sadness in resigning from ASTPHND because I don't believe that all of
our members and potential members fully appreciate and recognize the strength
and opportunity that ASTPHND offers to propel public health nutrition forward
in the future. I encourage all of
you to join ASTPHND committees and become a Board member and get involved. The support the organization provides
is amazing and demonstrates that you can fulfill all your normal
responsibilities and still make a difference at the national level. At a time when we are all being asked
to do more with less, usually the first thing to go is thoughtful
planning. My experience on the
ASTPHND Board has provided me with that time to really reflect on important
issues, to hear from others who have different perspectives, and to apply the
lessons learned in my own professional career.
My parting words to you: Recognize your strengths,
tap into ASTPHND's resources, and share the
wealth of your experiences!
But
mostly I'm sad because I will miss all of you amazingly talented people. The exposure to the diversity of this
country is one of the most valued gifts I have received from ASTPHND. Sometimes coming from a large state
like New York leads us to believe that we've seen and know it all. Having the opportunity to learn and
work with others who come from very different environments and experiences has
made me a better professional, analyst and person. I have tried to share that wealth by getting others involved
in ASTPHND too, or by just sharing what I learned at ASTPHND events with others
at home. And we had some great fun
too! You have truly enriched my
life, and I will miss you.
So,
as I start the next chapter of my life, I will carry with me all those gifts I
received from being part of ASTPHND.
You should be very proud of this organization and with yourselves. My parting words to you are: Recognize
what you have, use ASTPHND's strengths, and share the wealth of those
experiences. There is so much left
to do!
Sincerely,
Pat Hess, Director
Division of Nutrition
New York State Health Department
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The Affordable Care Act and Public Health Nutrition:
Now on ASTPHND's Website
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|  The Health Care Reform Act, passed six months ago, is on the minds of many of us as we try to ferret out how the new law will affect our work. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's provisions will take effect over the next four years. The new law includes an array of funding opportunities, new programs and new regulations, including:
- Programs to promote healthier eating
- Obesity prevention programs
- Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood home visiting programs
- Programs to bolster the nation's public health workforce
- Support for small businesses to establish employer-based wellness programs.
ASTPHND has compiled information in the Resources section of our website to help you navigate the Affordable Care Act's many provisions, programs and timelines. We will keep the site current, so check back often to view the updates.
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2010 Training Needs Assessment:
Please send us your input!
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| It is that time of year for the ASTPHND Annual Member Training Needs Assessment! Please send us your responses to this year's Training Needs Assessment survey right away if you haven't already. Today is the deadline!
The results of the Assessment are critical to informing
the content of our Annual Meeting as well as guiding ASTPHND's services and opportunities for members.
Don't forget - this year, we will enter all survey respondents' names into a drawing and award $50 gift cards to five lucky participants!
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New Information on ASTPHND's Website
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| We are always updating our website and adding new information. Take a look at these new pages in the Resources section:
- Succession Management for ASTPHND Members. On this page, we define succession management and why it
is important. We include on the page a public health nutrition workforce survey, a template for
a leadership training program, advice from colleagues about their
agencies' succession management strategies and much more.
- Healthy Worksites, a detailed description of California's worksite wellness programs
that promote fruit and vegetable consumption and increased physical activity.
- Promoting Healthy Foods at Grocery Stores describes a number of programs to bring more fruits and vegetables and other healthy food options to stores in under-served areas.
Also, check out this upcoming webinar in the Events section of our website:
Digging Through the Farm to School Resources. In this webinar, to be held October 7 from 2-3PM Eastern time, the National Farm to School Network will present information to help you start or expand Farm to
School programs.
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