|
|
Hot Off the Press!
MCH Nutrition Council Calls on States to Improve Nutritional Well-being
| | The ASTPHND Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Council has just  released a new briefing paper, Improving the Nutritional Well-being of Women, Children and Families. The paper makes the case that no one entity is currently charged with monitoring and improving the nutritional well-being of the nation's families. This situation is the result of an erosion in funding for public health nutritionists from the MCHB Block Grant over the last 25 years and the redirection of scarce resources, coupled with the lack of understanding of the comprehensive skills public health nutritionists bring to state agencies.
The Council's briefing paper calls on state health agencies to place a greater priority on broad-based assessment and planning to address the health needs of all MCH populations. In the paper, the MCH Nutrition Council issues a clear call to action, along with specific recommendations, for state and territorial health agencies to strengthen their public health nutrition services to ensure they are improving the nutritional well-being of all women, infants, children and families.
Click here to view the Council's complete brief.
Back to top |
Legislative Alert:
Deep Cuts Proposed for Critical Public Health Nutrition Programs
Call your Congressional representative TODAY!
| | The U.S. House Appropriations Committee is proposing huge budget cuts to programs that are critical to ASTPHND members. The proposal includes major budget decreases for CDC, the Title V Maternal & Child Health Block Grant, WIC and other federally-funded programs. The Committee's proposal would revise the current continuing resolution to fund the federal government through the rest of this fiscal year.
It is essential that your Members of Congress hear from you today about how devastating this cut would be for your state. It will only take a minute of your time to call your elected officials, and it can have a major impact on this critically needed funding. Our Congressional representatives do listen to their constituents, and it is imperative they know how deeply these cuts will affect mothers, children and families in their home states. Follow these links to identify your representatives' names and phone numbers.
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
You can read complete details on the Appropriations Committee's proposal on the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations website.
The ASTPHND Advocacy Committee is keeping abreast of budget news that may impact our members. Check our website and watch for our emails to stay updated.
ASTPHND reminds members that state employees must follow your state's guidelines on advocacy.
|
|
Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools Initiative
| |  The ASTPHND National Council of Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators is actively working with the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance on the new Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools Initiative. The goal of this public health initiative is to give every child the choice of healthy fruits and vegetables at school. The initiative is tied to First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign.
Since the initial announcement on November 29th, the Initiative has moved forward in a number of arenas:
- Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools launched its new website, saladbars2schools.org.
- The National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance launched its new website, www.nfva.org.
- The Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Council formed a Salad Bar Task Force to work on projects to support the Let's Move Salad Bars to School Initiative. The Task Force will focus on projects that assist Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in their work with partners to promote salad bars in schools.
- On Tuesday, March 1st at 1:00pm Eastern time the Council will offer an informational call for Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators to explain the Initiative and answer questions.
A number of other activities are in the works! We will share these with you as they develop. Stay tuned!
Back to top |
|
Help Promote Public Health Nutrition in ADA Elections
| | Several ASTPHND members are currently running for offices within the American Dietetic Association and the Public Health/Community Nutrition Practice Group. If you are a member of the ADA and/or this Practice Group, please consider supporting our members by voting for them in the elections. ASTPHND members currently on the ADA and the Practice Group ballot include:
Public Health/Community Nutrition Practice Group:
- Margaret Tate - House of Delegates Representative
- Takako Tagami - Chair-Elect
- Robin Stanton - Nominating committee
Commission on Dietetic Registration:
- Katrina Holt - CDR representative
To vote go to: http://www.eatright.org/elections. Voting is open through March 3.
Back to top |
|
New Support for Breastfeeding
| | |
The United States Breastfeeding Committees (USBC) has released a new document, Breastfeeding: A Vision for the Future. With this new vision statement, USBC seeks to increase awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and the support needed from all sectors of society to achieve its national breastfeeding goals. The document says, "We look forward to a society where:
- There is widespread knowledge of the imporance of breastfeeding and the risks of not breastfeeding.
- Mothers and families make informed choices about feeding children.
- Women begin and continue to breastfeed for as long as they wish.
In an exciting show of support, on January 20, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin issued a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. The Call to Action outlines evidence-based steps that all sectors of a community can take to remove obstacles faced by women who want to breastfeed their babies. Visit USBC's website for additional information on the Call to Action.
Back to top
|
|
USDA FNS Presents Summer Food Service Webinars
| | Each summer, 22.3 million students are at risk of going hungry when the school year ends and school lunches are no longer available. For many children, school meals are the only complete and nutritious meals they eat, and in the summer they go without. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) can help to fill the summer meal gap for low-income children. The program reimburses faith-based, community and private non-profit organizations for serving meals to children during the summer.
USDA FNS is presenting free webinars to explain the program to community organizations. You can join in on Thursday February 24 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST, Tuesday March 11 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST or Thursday March 17 from 11:00am - 12:00pm EST. Be sure to register online to participate.
Back to top |
|
Promoting Healthy Weight Colloquium
| | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is presenting this important  conference, Promoting Healthy Weight, that will focus on nutrition, physical activity and parenting during early childhood. The Colloquium will be held on Friday March 25 from 12:30 - 5:00 PM EST at the Howard Baker Center. The conference also will be streamed live on the web. The event is free to both online and onsite participants. Registered Dietitians and Certified Health Education Specialists can receive continuing education credits. Click here for more information.
Back to top |
|
CSPI Presents National Food Day
| | The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is organizing a national day of events in October to raise public awareness about our current system of food production and about how we can move to healthy, affordable food that is sustainably produced. The day's events will include cooking classes in elementary schools, teach-ins at universities, discussions in churches, newspaper ads from supermarkets, rallies in parks and legislative hearings, along with major local and national publicity. Through these activities, CSPI seeks to influence national food policies and practices.
Back to top |
|
ASTHO President Issues Challenge on Health Equity
| | In December 2010, ASTHO President John Auerbach issued this challenge:
"Promoting health equity to reduce disparities is my public health challenge to ASTHO members for the year. I selected this issue because I believe it is critically important to reduce the disproportionately high burden of illness, injury and premature death that affect certain populations, including people of color and those with the lowest incomes. Every state is facing financial challenges, yet there are actions we can take to promote equity, such as making data available that highlight disparities, assessing the gaps in prevention and care efforts for target populations, and adopting at least one strategy this year that could lessen the burden of health disparities and health inequities in our home states.
"Please accept this challenge to consider new ideas, become engaged, and work together to ensure that everyone in this country has equal potential for good health."
Click here to read more about health inequality and strategies to achieve health equity.
Back to top |
|
ASTHO Launches Public Health Career Center
| |  ASTHO now has a new and improved public health career center on its website. State health agencies and other public health related organizations will be able to post their job openings. In addition to browsing for jobs, individuals will be able to post resumes.
Back to top |
|
Send Your Photo to ASTPHND
| | Please send us a picture of you! We'd like to post your picture with your listing in the membership directory on ASTPHND's website. Just email a JPEG photo to Cyndi Atterbury. Thanks!
Back to top |
|
Mark Your Calendar for the ASTPHND Annual Meeting
| | ASTPHND's 2011 Annual Meeting will be at the Salt Lake City Marriot  City Center June 12, 13 and 14. Watch this space for more details!
Back to top |
|
About ASTPHND
| | The Association of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (ASTPHND) is a non-profit membership organization that provides state and national leadership on food and nutrition policy, programs, and services. We seek to create new environmental norms where healthy eating and active living are the easy and natural choices for all Americans. We welcome your involvement in our growing organization. Learn more about us at About ASTPHND.
Back to top |
|
|
