Fruit and Vegetable Council

in the last year was their participation in a meeting in May with staff of the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign.  Council leaders participated as members of the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance.  The group discussed fruit and vegetable consumption and its place in Let's Move!  Out of that meeting came the national Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign, which was launched in November.

The Council is now offering a mini-grant program to support the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign.   The purpose of the grant program is to gather experiences from states on ways in which salad bars in schools impact fruit and vegetable access and consumption and to gain knowledge of the Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators' role and training needs related to salad bars in schools.  With funding from CDC-DNPAO, the Council granted $75,000 to states fund projects at up to $15,000 per award.  Projects will run from June - December 2011.

The Fruit and Vegetable Council also:

• Met with USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff in June.  The team discussed ways that ASTPHND can add value to FNS's efforts to implement its fruit and vegetable programs.
• Coordinated monthly training calls.  Topics included:  HR 4333 - The Children's Fruit and Vegetable Act, Empowering Change (a presentation by the Network for a Healthy California), Regional Food Hubs, and Food Policy Councils.
• Held an orientation call for new coordinators.

MCH Council

The Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Council completed its first year of activities.  The MCH Council now has 96 members, including 29 state liaisons and 67 general members.  A highlight of the year for the Council the release in early 2011 of its Nutrition in MCH paper, Improving the Nutritional Well-being of Women, Children and Families.  In addition, the MCH Council developed a brochure about the new Council. 

The MCH Nutrition Council held quarterly training conference calls.  Topics included an orientation to the MCH Council, Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Reexamining the Guidelines, The Role of Public Health Nutrition in the new Maternal, Childhood, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, and The MCH Life Course Model: Introduction and Opportunities for Public Health Nutrition.  You can access the call materials and audio files on the ASTPHND website.  Go to the Resources tab in the menu on the left, and then click on MCH Nutrition Trainings.

New Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council

ASTPHND has been investigating forming an Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council or interest area within the Association.  An obesity work group met in 2009 and 2010 to weigh the feasibility of forming this new council.  The group then focused on the purpose of the council, as well as its structure and initial workplan.  The work group supported the development of an obesity council and other activities directed at obesity prevention at the state and federal level.  The ASTPHND Board of Directors voted to form this new council at its March 2011 meeting.

Advocacy Committee

The highlight of ASTPHND's advocacy work on the federal level in the last year was the passage of the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act in December.  Congress' vote to reauthorize the nation's Child Nutrition law culminated two years of hard work and perseverance by many organizations to give the nation's children healthy school meals and snacks.  In its efforts to gain a strong Child Nutrition bill, in 2010 the ASTPHND Advocacy Committee:

• Sent its recommendations and priorities for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) bill to all ASTPHND members.
• Signed onto the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity's letters supporting key provisions in the bill.
• Sent  e-alerts to all members asking them to contact their senators and  representatives and urge them to support our priority measures in the bill.
• Posted action alerts on the ASTPHND website.

In other advocacy efforts, the ASTPHND Advocacy Committee submitted official comments:

• In support of United Fresh Produce's letter supporting the Children's Fruit and Vegetable Act (February 2010).
• In support of  the Healthy Living Starts Early Act (April 2010).
• To the USDA in support of the agency's plan to end childhood hunger by 2015 (May 2010).
• On the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans (July 2010).
• On the FDA's Food Menu Labeling Guidelines (September 2010).
• On the Draft National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (November 2010).
• To the FDA on donor breast milk banking (December 2010).
• To Congress opposing cuts to federal public health programs and to the Prevention Fund (February 2011).
• To the Department of Labor advocating for reasonable break time for nursing mothers (February 2011).

2010 Annual Meeting

More than 100 nutrition professionals from 37 states came together for our mid-June gathering at Baltimore's stunning Inner Harbor.  A major focus of the meeting was the national public health nutrition agenda, with the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report, congressional debate on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and the First Lady's childhood obesity campaign. 

The Annual Meeting featured two dozen speakers on a broad range of topics, from Training Future Public Health Nutrition Professionals to Hunger Strategies, and from Obesity and Public Policy to Nutrition and the Lifelong Continuum.  Check the Annual Meeting page on the ASTPHND website for complete information, including the agenda, speakers' PowerPoint presentations and bios.

 2010 Training Needs Assessment

ASTPHND completed its sixth annual assessment of our members' training needs.  Members' input on this survey guides our planning for the training workshops ASPTHND coordinates as well other services and opportunities we offer our members.

From the survey, we learned that respondents' major program areas of responsibility are in Obesity Prevention (54.2 percent), WIC (45.2 percent), and Nutrition/Health Education (41.3 percent); 55 percent have more that 15 years of experience in public health nutrition and approximately 45 percent of respondents intend to retire in the next ten years.

Members who responded to the survey indicated that the main areas in which they would like to receive training include:

•  Leading public health groups, partnerships, and coalitions.
•  Implementing policy and environmental changes.
•  Using data, evidence, and evaluative criteria in proposing policy change.
•  Analyzing the potential impact of policies on diverse population groups.  

Click here to view the complete assessment results.

Additional Program Highlights

In fall 2010, ASTPHND forged a closer relationship with the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC).  ASTPHND is now doing more advocacy work on breastfeeding issues.  We are also actively promoting USBC's information and resources to our members and partners.  We are working together to plan an additional breastfeeding training session at our 2011 Annual Meeting in June, Building Effective Collaborations: Implementation of The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.

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New Collaboration Committee launched to strengthen and improve the Association's strategic partnerships with other organizations.  The Committee developed a partnership policy that will guide the Association's involvement with like-minded organizations and recruited members to join the Committee.

WIC Food Package Evaluation Symposium.  ASTPHND partnered with the Altarum Institute and the National WIC Association to develop the agenda for the symposium. 

Orientation calls for new members.  The Membership Committee coordinated three orientation calls in 2010, two in March and one in August.  The calls introduced new members to the Association, its purpose, priorities, key activities and the benefits of being a member.  All three calls were well-attended and well-received.

Board adopted key bylaw changes.  The Board of Directors updated the Association's bylaws with a number of changes.  Most noteworthy is a new definition of an Expanded Member.  Now, an Expanded Member can be anyone who is employed by a health agency, who is contracted by the health agency, or who is under the guidance of the health agency as long as the person performs state-level public health nutrition responsibilities.  Expanded members can now nominate themselves; they can also be nominated by the state nutrition director.   Please visit the Membership page on ASTPHND's website for complete membership information.

Communications Committee.  Under the guidance of the Communications Committee, throughout 2010 and into 2011, we made significant upgrades to the ASTPHND website.  We regularly updated content, functionality and features.  For example, we now capture DNPAO listserv discussion topics and post them on the Resources page of our website.  We compile multiple federal and state resources on topics of interest to our members, including  Promoting Breastfeeding in the Family and Community, Health Disparities and Health Equity, Government Food Procurement and Nutrition Policies, and Local Obesity Policies.  We now also post  job listings around the country. 

ASTPHND has ambitious plans for 2011:

2011 Annual Meeting.  This year's gathering will be June 12th - 14th in Salt Lake City.  Our theme this year is Leading the Way in Public Health Nutrition and Physical Activity: Blazing New Trails.  In addition, to the Sunday through Tuesday Annual Meeting, we are also offering a special workshop, Building Effective Collaborations: Implementation of The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.  The National Council of Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators will also meet Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.  This training will be specifically focused on the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign. 

Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council.   Our first tasks will be to gather a leadership team for the new Council, develop its workplan, and recruit members.

MCH Nutrition Council.  The Council's key priorities are to:  

• Generate discussion in state public health agencies about the key recommendations in the new Council paper, Improving the Nutritional Well-being of Women, Children and Families.
• Develop a new paper, an Inventory of MCH Nutrition Practices, to share widely with the MCH Nutrition Council, MCH leaders and Nutrition partners.
• Convene a workgroup to determine how to increase awareness of the value of nutrition and nutrition professionals within MCH. 
• Coordinate quarterly educational calls.
• Recruit additional members.

National Council of Fruit and Vegetable Coordinators.  In addition to awarding the Salad Bar mini-grants, the Council will coordinate monthly training calls and offer a training session on the Salad Bar Initiative at the Annual Meeting.  The Council will also provide critical support to Fruit and Vegetable Coordinators and work to strengthen the Council's effectiveness.

Advocacy Committee.  Key advocacy priorities include:

• Influencing new regulations for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, with the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA).
• Maintaining funding for the Prevention Fund, part of the health care reform bill, with the Trust for America's Health.
• Passing a strong Farm Bill, with the United Fresh Produce Association.
• Supporting NANA's efforts to limit sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Providing input on the new menu labeling regulations, as part of a NANA work group.

Organizational.  The ASTPHND Board of Directors is revising the organization's mission statement this year.  The Board is also focusing on updating the five-year strategic plan.   

In addition, in the year ahead, the ASTPHND Collaboration Committee will implement the new Partnership Policy and support  volunteer liaisons' work with our partner organizations.  The Committee will also work to develop common messages that liaisons can convey to their partner groups.  

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The purpose of the Liaison Corps is to expand ASTPHND's influence.  To be more effective, ASTPHND maintains regular contact with a variety of nutrition and public health organizations and associations around the country.  The Liaison Corps will focus on sharing ASTPHND's goals, objectives, and activities with these agencies and learning the same about these other groups.  Liaisons will work together to identify areas for networking, coordination and collaboration in order to expand our impact on public health issues.  Below is a list of the members who are active liaisons with other public health nutrition organizations.

Amy Cober (FL), ASTHO Access Policy Committee

Sandy Perkins (KS), ASTHO Affiliate Council

Becky Adams (AR), ASTHO Prevention Policy Committee

Diane Golzynski (MI), DASH Champions for Healthier Options in Schools (CHOPS)

Carole Garner (AR), National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity  

Adrienne Udarbe (AZ) National Council on Folic Acid

Pat Jordan (NY), USDA Phase 2 Core Message Workgroup

Donna Speed (MS) and Carol Voss (IA) National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance   

Robin Stanton (OR) and Suzanne Haydu (CA), United States Breastfeeding Committee

Phyllis Crowley, MD, RD, IBCLC (UT), President-elect

Sandy Perkins, MS, RD, LD, CBE (KS), Immediate Past President

Molly Killman, MS, RD, LD (AL), Secretary

Takako Tagami, MS, MBA, RD, LD (MO), Treasurer

Sharon Sass, RD (AZ), Director at Large and Chair, Governance Committee  

Suzanne Haydu, MPH, RD,(CA), Director at Large and Chair, Collaboration Committee

John Frassinelli, MS, RD (CT), Director at Large and Co-Chair, Membership Committee 

Peggy Trouba, MPH, RD (NE), Director at Large and Chair, Communications Committee

Heidi Scarpitti, RD, LD (OH), Director at Large and Chair, Advocacy Committee

Carol Voss, MEd, RD (IA), Board Member and Chair, National Council of Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators  

Donna Speed, MS, RD, LD (MS), Board Member and Chair-Elect, National Council of Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators  

Patricia Daniluk, MS, RD, (CO), Board Member and Chair-Elect, MCH Nutrition Council  

Sandy Perkins, MS, RD, LD (KS), President

Patricia Hess (NY), President-elect

Phyllis Crowley, MD, RD, IBCLC (UT), Secretary

Phyllis Allen, MS, RD, LD (SC), Treasurer

Becky Adams, MPH, RD, LD, CDE (AR), Immediate Past President

Amy Cober, MPH, RD, LD (FL), Director at Large

Amy Meinen, MPH, RD, CD (WI), Director at Large

Sharon Sass, RD (AZ), Director at Large

John Frassinelli, MS, RD (CT), Director at Large

Wendy Carlin, MS, RD, LD (KY), Director at Large

Diane Golzynski, PhD, RD (MI), National Council of Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators Primary Representative

Carol Voss, MEd, RD (IA), National Council of Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators  Secondary Representative

Suzanne Haydu, MPH, RD,(CA), MCH Nutrition Council Primary Representative

Linda Petersen, MPH, RD, CD (WI), MCH Nutrition Council Secondary Representative

Karen Probert, MS, RD, Executive Director  
814 255-2829 ext. 1019
karen@astphnd.org 

Cynthia Atterbury, MPA, RD, LDN, Director of Operations  

814 255-2829 ext. 1001

cyndi@astphnd.org 

Joan M. Atkinson, MS, RD, Director of Special Projects

814 255-2829 ext. 1018

joan@astphnd.org 

Helene Kent, RD, MPH, ASTPHND Consultant  

814 255-2829 ext. 1020
helene@astphnd.org 
 

Lynda Alfred, ASTPHND Consultant

970 252-3783

lynda@astphnd.org 

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