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September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
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National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is Under Way - Take Action Today!
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. In this newsletter, you will find multiple opportunities to take action and affect future policy, or register for an upcoming training and prepare yourself to be a force for change.
- Register for the upcoming 5-4-3-2-1 Go! Training and become an expert on CLOCC's flagship health message for healthy kids and families.
- Help build safe communities for walking and biking on Chicago's West Side by attending a Vision Zero open house.
- Share your obesity prevention work by participating in the poster session at CLOCC's Winter Quarterly Meeting.
- Advocate for improvements to the food purchasing systems in Chicago schools.
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Action Alert: Support Chicago's Good Food Purchasing Program
- Update from the Illinois Farm to School Network
The Good Food Purchasing Program supports local farmers and processors, as well as other local businesses throughout the food chain, while keeping money in the regional economy and creating good-paying jobs.
Join the movement for a better food system! City Departments and Agencies buy close to $300 million dollars of food a year. Imagine if that food was assessed for standards of worker safety, sustainability, humane practices, and even made sure some of the food was locally grown. The Good Food Purchasing Program would be a huge win for our food system and for farm to school programs.
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council is requesting calls and emails to city Aldermen to support the adoption of GFPP.
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Action Alert: Urge Governor Rauner to Support the Children's Health Insurance Program Today
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has a proven track record of providing high-quality, cost-effective coverage for low-income children and pregnant women in working families.
CHIP is a federal-state partnership that, along with Medicaid, has resulted in the highest children's health insurance coverage rate on-record. Over 6 million children in our nation are insured by CHIP. Almost 300,00 children in Illinois are covered by CHIP.
Access to quality prenatal and preventative care at the earliest opportunity is critical to providing parents with the health knowledge that can reduce childhood obesity.
Federal funding for CHIP expires on September 30, 2017, and governors must urge Congress to extend this important health insurance program for more than 6 million kids.
Please ask Governor Rauner to contact Congress about continuing support for CHIP. You may click the button below to send an e-mail to Governor Rauner:
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Sweetened Beverage Tax Repeal Discussion Shifts to Cook County Finance Committee
The Cook County Board of Commissioners met on September 13th with consideration of a bill to repeal the County's sweetened beverage tax leading the agenda. The chamber was filled to capacity with citizens wishing to speak on the issue, including a robust and vocal turnout by the health community. The overflow crowd spilled into the hallways and the streets outside the County building. After hours of testimonials, Board President Toni Preckwinkle indicated the issue will be moved to the purview of the County's Finance Committee, which will consider the impact of a repeal on October 10th.
It is likely the Committee will choose to vote on the repeal that day.
Please share this infographic to help build an understanding about the tax and its benefits.
If you are interested in attending the Finance Committee meeting to support the sweetened beverage tax Contact Katie Danko, CLOCC Advocacy Program Coordinator.
Sweetened Beverage Tax in the News
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The Spin from Springfield:
New Laws Offer Potential for
Childhood Obesity Prevention
Breastfeeding in Schools Bill is Policy Progress for Young Moms
Governor Rauner  signed HB2369, the "Breastfeeding in Schools Bill," into law on Friday, August 4th. The legislation stipulates that schools make reasonable accommodations for breastfeeding students to address needs related to breastfeeding and/or expressing milk on campus.
Specifically, under the new law, public schools need to provide student moms who are nursing with access to a room, other than a bathroom, with an electrical outlet. Nursing mothers also must be given access to a refrigerator to store milk.
Finally, no academic penalties can be incurred by students who are away from class because they were nursing or pumping. HB 2369 was proposed and championed by Representative Sonya Harper, D-Chicago.
Law Requires State Health Department to Track Food Deserts
Another piece of legislation introduced by Representative Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, was signed by Governor Rauner on Friday, September 8th, and will require the Illinois Department of Public Health to "identify and track geographical areas in this State that are food deserts." The bill, HB 3157, passed 114-1 in the House and 55-0 in the Senate.
Additionally, the bill mandates that IDPH shall "notify respective municipal governmental bodies identified as food deserts and provide an annual report to the General Assembly detailing the locations of food deserts within the State and an analysis of health impacts on populations in locations identified in this State as food deserts."
School-Grown Produce Makes it to the Cafeteria
Last Friday, September 15th, HB 2993 was signed into law. This bill will allow produce grown and harvested in school and/or community gardens by students across the entire state of Illinois to be served in schools as long as the produce meets required public health requirements. The bill was introduced by Representative Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago.
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fiveSMART® Message Training Slated for Friday, September 22nd
Join us on Friday, September 22nd, for a fiveSMART® message training presented by the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children. Attendees will gain background on CLOCC's new health message for prenatal and early-childhood development (0-3 years). This training will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Children's Home + Aid (Western Office) in Chicago.
fiveSMART is designed as a companion message for
5-4-3-2-1 Go!®, and communicates the importance of:
This fiveSMART training opportunity will be relevant and useful for anyone who works with pregnant women or children aged 0-3, day care providers, pediatricians, OB physicians, family practitioners and home visitors. There is no cost to attend the training.
Date:
Friday, September 22, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Children's Home+Aid (Western Office),
100 N. Western Ave., 2nd Floor
The training will be in Training Rooms 1 &; 2 - please confirm at the reception desk.
The Children's Home + Aid parking in lot is on the south side of Washington. Please do not park in the parking lot adjacent to the building, as that is IL Dept. of Juvenile Justice parking.
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CLOCC's Physical Activity and Built Environment IG to Host Community Event in Rogers Park
Residents and local organizations, as well as city-wide agencies, are invited to learn about the neighborhood initiatives, resources and programs designed to help adults and children lead healthy lives in Rogers Park. This meeting, driven by CLOCC's Physical Activity and Built Environment Interest Group, will be held on Saturday, September 30th, from 9:00 to Noon, in Pottawattomie Park. (7340 N. Rogers Ave.)
The agenda will focus on local  park programming and the relationship between our health and our surroundings. Special attention will be given to the streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure in the neighborhood. This is also an opportunity to have discussions about the health priorities of the community and shape future improvements to the built environment.
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 Upcoming 5-4-3-2-1 Go!® Message Training now Open for Registration
On Thursday, October 12th, CLOCC will host a training for
5-4-3-2-1 Go!®, the Consortium's public education message with recommendations for children and families to promote a healthy lifestyle. Developed in 2004 and launched as a mass-media campaign in 2009,
5-4-3-2-1 Go! has reached millions of individuals in communities throughout Chicago and beyond.
This free training will include:
- Background information on the issue of childhood obesity
- Information about the creation and dissemination of 5-4-3-2-1 Go!
- Strategies for incorporating the message in your programming
- Opportunities for brainstorming and sharing ideas with colleagues and other community-based organizations
As a courtesy to Infant and Welfare Society patients and staff, please do not use the facility parking lot. Street parking is available.
Date: Thursday, October 12th, 2017
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, 3600 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL
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Series of Vision Zero Open Houses to Promote Safer Streets on
Chicago's West Side
Chicago's Vision Zero West Side program, in partnership with the Departments of Transportation and Public Health, will host community meetings on the West Side of Chicago at the end of September.
These open meetings will bring together residents, businesses, community groups, and other West Side stakeholders to discuss traffic safety in their neighborhoods. Community input and involvement are critical to developing plans that reduce the number of severe crashes that result in death and serious injury.
Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in the program's safety mapping exercise, suggest traffic safety improvements, and speak with Vision Zero West Side community organizers and City representatives. Children's safety activities will also be available, courtesy of the City's Bicycling Ambassadors.
September 26, 2017
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Lawndale Community Academy, 3444 W. Douglas Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60623
September 27, 2017
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Legler Branch Library, 115 S. Pulaski Road
Chicago IL 60624
September 30, 2017
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Austin Town Hall Park
5610 W. Lake Street
Chicago IL 60644
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 Share Your Childhood Obesity Prevention Work at CLOCC's Winter Meeting Poster Session
On December 7th, 2017, CLOCC will be celebrating the Consortium's 15th Anniversary at the Winter Quarterly Meeting. As a feature of this special occasion, 10 posters will be selected and displayed in the meeting hall. We invite partners to submit poster concepts at clocc.net/posters or contact [email protected] with any questions.
- Poster concept submissions are due by Friday, October 13th
- CLOCC will provide printing, as well as additional technical assistance, for recipients if requested
- Topics should focus on research, policy or programs that have advanced childhood obesity prevention in Chicago over the last five years
- Selectees will be contacted and provided with technical specifications
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CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN THE NEWS
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FUNDING & RECOGNITION OPPORTUNITIES
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- The Better Bike Share Partnership is a collaboration funded by The JPB Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. The partners include The City of Philadelphia, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the PeopleForBikes Foundation. The PeopleForBikes Foundation, as part of the Better Bike Share Partnership, will make grants of $25,000 - $65,000 available to collaborations of non-profit community-based organizations, cities, and bike share operators to support the development and implementation of sustainable strategies to increase bike share use in underserved communities and to create long-term partnerships and processes that integrate equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the partner organizations. Letters of interest for the current round of grants are due on October 6th. Learn more.
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T
he Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) is a nationally recognized leader for community-based obesity prevention. We support, coordinate, and unite partners to promote healthy and active lifestyles for children and families. Our multi-sector approach emerged in Chicago and can be adapted for use anywhere.
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