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ASPHN 2013 - 2014 Annual Report 
In This Report
President's Message
ASPHN Publications
Leadership in Public Health Nutrition
Engaged Members
What's Ahead
ASPHN Liaisons
2013 - 2014 Board Members
ASPHN Consultants
ASPHN is a nonprofit membership organization that provides national and state leadership on food and nutrition policy, programs and services.

 

Our Vision

Creating new environmental norms where healthy eating and active living are the easy and natural choices.

 

Our Mission

ASPHN develops leaders in public health nutrition who strengthen policy, programs and environments making it possible for everyone to make healthy food choices and achieve healthy, active lifestyles.


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Message from ASPHN's President 
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Partners,

When I started my term as president one year ago, one of my goals was to help build the Association so that at the end of the year, ASPHN would be stronger than ever. I especially wanted to strengthen the Association knowing that our primary source of funding would end in September 2014.

 

Now, at the end of my term, I am proud to share with you many of ASPHN's accomplishments over the last year. As this Annual Report shows, ASPHN is an even stronger voice for public health nutritionists across the country. Together, over the last year, as ASPHN members we:

  • Produced significant documents, from The Role of Public Health Nutritionists in Infant Mortality to the Safe Use of Salad Bars in Schools fact sheet, to our growing bank of Maternal and Child Health and obesity prevention success stories.
  • Officially launched our new brand identity as ASPHN.
  • Trained members in our Leadership Program to be the next generation of leaders, both in the Association and in their states.
  • Supported efforts at the national level to gain important public health nutrition policies.
  • Expanded who can become members of ASPHN to include public health nutritionists in a variety of state agencies, in addition to state health departments, and also to tribes.  
  • Aggressively sought out and obtained new sources of funding.
  • Promoted the role and value of public health nutritionists.

I am optimistic that with ASPHN's many active members and skilled leaders, and with the critical role we play in the field of public health nutrition, the Association will continue to have a lasting, positive impacts on people's lives.

 

We look forward to greeting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and we invite you to get involved in our exciting work!

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Haydu, MPH, RD  

ASPHN President 2013 - 2014

 



2013 - 2014 Highlights
ASPHN Publications and Products
Over the last year, ASPHN has developed significant papers, fact sheets, stories and other resources that provide invaluable tools for our members and partners and that also feature the important work that our members our doing.  Here are the highlights:

The Role of Nutrition in Infant Mortality
The ASPHN Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Council developed the  well-received document,  The Role of Nutrition in Infant Mortality: A Public Health Perspective.  The paper outlines how nutrition interventions can make a difference in reducing infant mortality.  It also describes the critical role that public health nutritionists play in promoting proper nutrition in pregnancy - and before.
 
ASPHN Success Stories
Over the last year, we have expanded our bank of stories profiling our members' important work.  Our purpose in developing and sharing these stories is to give members new ideas for projects and programs they can replicate in their states.  We also want to highlight the important role that public health nutritionists are playing in changing policies, systems and environments.

Our story bank includes profiles of our members' successes in two realms, obesity pre
vention and maternal and child health.  Our obesity prevention success stories highlight Diane Peck (AK) and Amy Ellings' (WA) great work to bring salad bars into schools in their states, Donna McDuffie's experience launching the Healthy
Beverages in Health Care program in Minnesota, and  Patrice Isabella (UT) and Christine Twait's (MN) projects to increase nutrition and physical activity in their state's child care centers.

Our MCH success stories highlight Robin Stanton's work with partners in Oregon to launch a Shared Meals project, Elaine Russell's leadership in developing a nutrition and physical activity strategic plan for child care centers in Kentucky, and Lissa Sirois' project to expand the breastfeeding support skills of the New Hampshire Home Visiting Program staff. 

Updated Blueprint 
ASPHN members participated on the expert review panel that developed the revised and updated Blueprint for Nutrition and Physical Activity: Cornerstones of a Healthy Lifestyle, 2nd Edition. The Blueprint offers guidance to build healthier communities and describes several cornerstones that impact community wellbeing.  This expanded edition adds to the recommended strategies and actions and includes a sixth cornerstone - Policy and Advocacy.

 

The State Health Agency's Role in Increasing Access to Drinking Water
ASPHN created this Powerpoint Presentation to help state health department staff promote water access in key settings, including communities, worksites,

government agencies, schools, and early care and education.  The customiziable presentation allows state staff to educate themselves and other key partners on the importance of drinking water access and ways to implement this strategy.  State health agency staff can adapt the slide set to suit their needs and share it at coalition meetings, workgroups, and other settings to help others understand the importance of incorporating water access strategies into existing state efforts.

Safe Use of Salad Bars in Schools
ASPHN's Salad Bar Task Force created this modifiable fact sheet to assist state Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in their work to promote salad bars in schools.  The fact sheet includes guidelines, codes and food safety procedures.  Each state can customize the fact sheet to address its specific requirements.  Safe Use is accompanied by a guide that explains how to modify and use the fact sheet.


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Public Health Nutrition Leadership
Growing ASPHN Leaders.  Now in its third year, the ASPHN leadership program seeks to expand our pool of members who are skilled leaders and who are effective advocates for public health nutrition.  Current ASPHN leaders mentor the emerging leaders in the program.  In addition, participants join an ASPHN committee, read three books on leadership, and attend seven calls to discuss the books and other topics, such as bringing public health nutritionists to the table.  Eight members participated in the 2014 program.  One participant said, "My experience far exceeded my expectations!  As a result of my involvement, I have set more goals and objectives for myself than I had previously." 

ASPHN recommendations for MCH 3.0.  The Maternal and Child Health Bureau is refining its vision for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant to better meet current and future challenges facing our nation's mothers and children.  The Bureau is calling this effort MCH 3.0.  The agency is involving leaders in state Title V MCH programs as well as other national MCH leaders and stakeholders in the process.  In January, ASPHN submitted detailed recommendations to the Bureau.  Click here to read ASPHN's complete comments.     

  

Southeast Fruit and Vegetable Summit.  The first fruit and vegetable conference just for southeast states was a huge
success!  The summit, held in January 2014, brought together representatives from  
agriculture, public health, child nutrition and non-governmental organizations in each of the eight states in USDA-Food and Nutrition Service's southeast region.

The Summit was much more than a conference!  Before coming together in January, state teams participated in several calls to network, discuss challenges, and identify a school-based fruit and vegetable project.  At the Summit, the teams developed action plans for their projects.
Projects focused on farm to school, procurement and promotion of local foods, and marketing and promotion of fruits and vegetables to increase consumption.  The teams received technical assistance at the Summit from CDC, USDA-FNS and subject matter experts.  Additionally, CDC and USDA-FNS are providing post-summit technical assistance to help the teams implement their plans. 
 
The Summit was a collaboration between ASPHN, CDC-DNPAO, CDC-Division of Population Health, School Health Branch and USDA-Food and Nutrition Service's Southeast Regional Office.  All the partners in this project are excited about this regional approach and are interested in replicating it in other regions around the country.

Partnership Grant.  In October 2013, CDC-DNPAO awarded ASPHN a Healthy Places for Kids to Eat grant.  This three-year program brings together partners to place more salad bars in schools, implement nutrition standards in schools and child care centers, and expand farm to school programs.  In the first year of the grant, ASPHN assembled a team of national organizations with expertise on implementing these strategies and ten state teams that will put these strategies to work in their states.  Over the next two years, our focus will be on training, implementation and evaluation.

ASPHN's new brandYou have undoubtedly seen our new look!  We officially became the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists last summer.  With our name change we adopted a new logo and additional graphic elements that present a consistent image about the Association.  To ensure consistency and to help our partners easily understand who we are, we also have created seven Key Messages about ASPHN. 
 

The ASPHN Policy Committee
, formerly the Advocacy Committee, was  
active on many important issues over the last year, including implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids (HHFK) Act, food labeling, and Dietary Guidelines.  The Policy Committee submitted formal ASPHN comments on the FDA's proposed food labeling rule and on several proposed USDA rules implementing HHFK, among other important comments.  Committee members also kept up to speed on the Dietary Guidelines for America committee meetings.

The Policy Committee signed onto many letters through our national partners, including APHA's letter opposing major cuts to SNAP and other Farm Bill nutrition programs, ASTHO's letter endorsing the proposed Guiding Principles for the Preventive Health and Health Service Block Grant, and CSPI's statement expressing opposition to efforts to weaken child nutrition programs, among many others.

ASPHN member Angie Tagtow was recently appointed to be the Executive Director of USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.  Ms. Tagtow is a senior fellow at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.  She is also a Food Systems consultant and founder of Environmental Nutrition Solutions.  We are thrilled to have such a strong public health nutritionist in this position.

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Engaged Members
New Designee Brochure.  All new ASPHN Designees now receive our Designee Guidelines brochure, an attractively designed guide to help Designees become active in the Association and provide leadership in their state.     

ASPHN expands to include new membership categories.  ASPHN
now welcomes public health nutritionists in a variety of agencies to join the Association as Expanded members.  These agencies include departments of education, agriculture, aging and  human service as well as health.  In addition, we have added tribes to our official public health agency list. 
    

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What's Ahead
Messaging on the value of public health nutritionists.  ASPHN is developing brief one-liners on the role and value of public health nutritionists.  We are designing these sound bites to be catchy phrases that our colleagues can quickly pick up.  Stay tuned! 

  

ASPHN's Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council is creating a matrix
that lists strategies for obesity prevention and the role that various programs play in implementing those strategies, from WIC, to SNAP-Ed, to CDC.  The Council is also developing a new resource on the Affordable Care Act and obesity prevention.
   

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

Alison Conneally (NY), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - Public Health / Community Nutrition Practice Group  

Karol Fink (AK) Jill Lange (IA), PHCNPG - ASPHN Expert Committee to update the Guidelines for Supervised Nutrition Experiences

Helen Brown (ID), American Public Health Association - Food and Nutrition Section 

Leslie Lewis (LA), Action for Healthy Kids 

Suzanne Haydu (CA), ASTHO Affiliate Council

Michelle Futrell (NC), ASTHO Health Equity Workgroup 

Becky Adams (AR), ASTHO Prevention Policy Committee

Amber Brown (UT), Helen Brown (ID), Donna McDuffie (MN), Donna Mehrle (MO), Heidi Scarpitti (OH), and Linda Scovern (OH), Blueprint Update Review Committee 

Jennifer Young (OR), CSPI Food Marketing Workgroup  

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

Mary Ann Ellsworth (NJ), National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance

Amy Koren-Roth (NY), National Salt Reduction Initiative

Linda Scovern (OH), Physical Activity Society 

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

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ASPHN 2013 - 2014 Board Members      

Suzanne Haydu, MPH, RD (CA), President  

Heidi Scarpitti, RD, LD (OH), President-elect

Peggy Trouba, MPH, RD, (NE), Immediate Past President

Doris Montgomery, MS, RD, LD (IA), Secretary

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

Patrice Isabella, MS, RD, CLE (UT), Director at Large and Chair, Governance Committee  

Lisa Borden, RD, CDN (NY), Director at Large and Chair, Collaboration Committee

Betty Sun, MS, RD, (CA), Director at Large and Chair, Membership Committee 

Paola V�lez, MBA, RD, CD (UT), Director at Large and Chair, Communications Committee   

Michelle Futrell, MS, RD, LDN (NC), Director at Large and Chair, Advocacy Committee     

Mary Ann Ellsworth MS, RD, (NJ), Board Member and Chair, National Council of Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators     

Amy Koren-Roth, MS, RDN, CDN (NY), Board Member and Chair-Elect, National Council of Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators 

Robin Stanton, MA, RD, LD (OR), Board Member and Chair, Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Council    

Becky Adams, MPH, RD, LD, CDE (AR), Board Member and Chair, Obesity Prevention Nutrition Council

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ASPHN Consultants  
Karen Probert, MS, RD, Executive Director    

814 255-2829 ext. 1019
[email protected]  

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

814 255-2829 ext. 1001

[email protected] 

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

207 446-3823 

[email protected] 

Helene Kent, RD, MPH, Consultant  

303 364-1546 

Lynda Alfred, Consultant

970 252-3783

[email protected] 

 

Allison McGuigan, Consultant

970 527-5160 

[email protected]     

 

Amber Phipps, MS, Consultant
785-392-0474
[email protected] 


Sandy Perkins, MS, RD, LD, Consultant
785-640-1675
[email protected]