A Houston/Harris County Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative 
April 2016  /  Issue No. 41  
In This Issue

 

May is Bike Month! 




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Contact us:

Phone:
713-439-6118


Impact of Flooding on Healthy Living and Neighborhood Safety flood

Going through a natural disaster can be stressful. While many of our friends and neighbors impacted by the flood work to get life back to normal, the aftermath of a flood and severe weather - contaminated water, power outages, tree debris and other hazards - affect the safety of walking, biking or other outdoor activity. Pooled water also creates mosquito breading areas. When that happens, residents are at higher risk for mosquito-borne diseases.   
 
Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) wants all community members to stay healthy as we recover from the recent flooding. When cleaning up after the storm or being physically active outdoors, make sure to keep safety in mind and know what resources are available to you.

Harris County residents living outside of the City of Houston can file a Neighborhood Nuisance complaint at 713-274-6300 or   online. Those residing within the City of Houston can call 3-1-1 or complete an online form.  Services like this can help support policies relating to the elements that impact neighborhood safety, such as HLM Policy Priority P1, which is to support the development and adoption of "Safe Neighborhoods" policies.
 
To learn about mosquito control prevention strategies download our flyer. For additional flood and storm recovery information visit our Flooding and Storm Recovery Resources page . Also, if you or someone you know need to speak to someone, SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline provides free crisis counseling for individuals 24/7.  
Recipe for Success Foundation Breaks Ground on Hope Farms HopeFarms 

On April 22nd, Recipe for Success Foundation celebrated Earth Day by officially breaking ground on Hope Farms.



Located on seven acres in the heart of Houston's historic Sunnyside neighborhood, the new Hope Farms will use organic methods to generate significant food crops in the midst of one of the city's largest food deserts, while training military veterans to become successful agri-entrepreneurs. 

At Hope Farms, the Recipe for Success Foundation's professional team will:
  • Train new urban farmers, incubate new micro farm businesses and provide jobs and internships for youth;
  • Operate an on-site farm stand and Rolling Green Market to distribute produce to the neighborhood and throughout Houston;
  • Host field trips, cooking and gardening classes for children and adults
For more information call 713-520-0443 or visit www.recipe4success.org.  
May is Bike Month!BikeMonth 
   
May is Bike Month and events are happening all over Houston designed to g et people outside and moving around by bicycle. This May for Bike Month, BikeHouston is encouraging more people to ride to work, for fun, to celebrate and to raise awareness about road safety.



There are Bike to Work events happening all over the Houston area, along with the international CycloFemme and Ride of Silence. Bike to Work rides happening in May are: 
- May 4th: Ready to Ride Night
- May 6th: Texas Medical Center
- May 12th: Greenway Plaza/Galleria
- May 19th: Energy Corridor
- May 19th: NASA
- May 20th: Downtown & Celebratory Ride

RSVP for an event at bikehouston.org/bikemonth.    
Featured Resource: Exercise Their Minds. Protect PE.FeaturedResource 

Voices for Healthy Kids
is happy to announce that a new resource for building campaigns around Physical Education is ready! Need to learn how to build a campaign for change? Need sample op-eds, action alerts, or ads? Looking for social media content? Check out the newest Voices for Healthy Kids resource at  physicaleducation.voicesforhealthykids.org. New resources are being added all the time so be sure to bookmark the site and visit often.  
UPCOMING EVENTS Events
  
Webinar: Bicycle Friendly Communities - Connections to the Mayor's Challenge and Let's Move! Tuesday, May 3, 2016 from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
More information

Webinar: Donating and Receiving Wholesome, Excess Food in School Meals Programs
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
More information

Webinar: Call to Action - Paths to Walkable Communities
Thursday, May 12, 2016 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
More information

Keeping Our Communities Healthy Conference
Wednesday, May 18 - Saturday, May 21, 2016
NRG Center, Houston, TX
More information

HLM-Pasadena Community Task Force Meeting
Thursday, May 19, 2016 from 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Pasadena City Hall, 1211 Southmore Ave, Pasadena, TX 77502
For more information contact Katie Chennisi at cchennisi@hcphes.org

CIGNA Sunday Streets Houston
Sunday, May 22, 2016 from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
White Oak (route coming soon!)
More information

Clinton Health Matters Access to Sports Town Hall
Thursday, May 26, 2016 from
The Depot Room, Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
For more information or to RSVP, contact Sara Couppas at scouppas@clintonfoundation.org


To view more events, visit our Calendar of Events webpage