IAPO Action Roadmap Update

In The Spotlight -- Cook County Public Health Department

Gina Massuda Barnett: Promoting Healthy Choices 

Gina Massuda Barnett represents the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) on the IAPO steering committee as well as the leadership council. In her position at CCDPH, she directs the suburban Cook County Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant, a joint initiative of CCDPH and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The suburban Cook County CPPW initiative seeks to make healthier choices easier for suburban Cook County residents through policy and environmental change, which is in direct alignment with the work of IAPO. With high hopes that the CPPW funding will have a positive impact on obesity trends, this article will give you a little peek at the work Gina and her colleagues are doing with funding from CPPW. Read the full article here.

Legislative Update: Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Illinois Lawmakers Hold a Subject-Matter Hearing about Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

On May 10, the Cook County Department of Public Health invited two members of the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity to provide testimony at a subject-matter hearing in the state capital regarding a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) excise tax.  The hearing, was an opportunity to raise the profile of a policy issue which has drawn national attention from researchers, health experts and lawmakers.  Kathy Chan from the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition and Elissa Bassler from the Illinois Public Health Institute, provided testimony  to the Public Health Committee chaired by Senator William Delgado (D-2). For more information click here. 

Healthy Food Financing Initiative 

Federal Initiative Helps Advance IAPO Roadmap

Sign-Up to Learn More About the Healthy Food Financing Initiative

On May 11, the federal government announced their request for proposals for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI).  Under HFFI, the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services will allocate $10 million in grants and loans to help open new fresh food outlets-supermarkets, farmer's markets and expanded convenience stores - in low-income and under-served communities. Click here to read the Notice of Funds Available (NOFA). 

Improving healthy food access for low-income families has been a goal not only in the Obama administration, but for many of us here in Illinois. Healthy food financing corresponds to the IAPO Roadmap Objectives 1 and 3.

This federal effort is modeled on a successful and proven program in Pennsylvania that has already helped create or expand 88 fresh food outlets, create or retain more than 5,000 jobs, and bring healthy food access to 400,000 residents who didn't have access before.

In addition to retail outlets (grocery and corner stores), projects can include farmers markets. Projects can be based in urban or rural communities.

The deadline to apply for this funding is July 11, 2011.  Earlier this month USDA's Economic Research Service released a Food Desert Locator that could be useful to those contemplating HFFI proposals.   See the story below for more information on the Food Desert Locator. 

IAPO will keep you up to date on HFFI as this issue gains more traction on the federal level: bipartisan legislation supporting HFFI was introduced last year and should be reintroduced soon. The Treasury Department is expected to move forward with its version of the program soon; USDA is expected to release its own NOFA shortly, and Congress is currently debating additional HFFI funding for 2012. If your organization has any information they would like to provide about HFFI in your community please email kendall.stagg@iphionline.org.

Food Desert Locator Tool Released

IAPO Eye on Policy

Upcoming Events

What's Happening Near You

We are pleased to pass on information about three exciting events happening in June.  These events are being sponsored by IAPO members and are directly related to the goals and objectives outlined in the IAPO Roadmap.

It is with great pleasure that our friends at Building a Healthier Chicago invite you to the third annual Eat Well, Live Well, Let's Move! National Conference held on June 8 and 9 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. This exciting and interactive conference is designed to bring together nationally-recognized speakers to help us rethink and rebuild America's understanding of obesity, nutrition and physical activity. The event will be loaded with activities that get participants out of their seats, tasty meals, and topics which include food psychology and physiology, sodium, media literacy and health promotion. We hope to see you there. For more information click here.

2. "¡Vive tu Vida! Get Up! Get Moving!"

Our friends at the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition (CHHC) cordially invites you to attend their fifth annual national health fair event "¡Vive tu Vida! Get Up! Get Moving! (GUGM)" celebration. This fun and exciting event is designed to encourage participants to be regularly physical activite for better health. This daylong celebration will take place on Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 10:00am to 3:00pm at McKinley Park Field House, 2210 West Pershing Road (on Western & 39th), Chicago. We hope that you can attend the festivities. For further information, please contact Jacqueline González at 312-842-2340 or via e-mail: chhc@chicagohispanichealthcoalition.org. 

3. Health in All Policy Symposium

On June 28, the Health in All Policies Symposium will bring together Illinois leaders from multiple sectors for a robust discussion about how to ensure that all of our policies reflect a commitment to good health. The conference will be held at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning(located at the Willis Tower) from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. If you plan to attend, register early because space is limited. We hope to see you at this event. To learn more  click here.

If your organization has any upcoming events and would like IAPO to promote them in our monthly newsletter, please feel free to send an email to Hatidza Zaganjor at hatidza.zaganjor@iphionline.org.