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Message from the Director
Greetings!
April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), a time to raise awareness about the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities and reducing health disparities. The 2023 NMHM theme is “Better Health Through Better Understanding.” This year’s theme focuses on improving health and health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority communities through providing them with culturally and linguistically competent healthcare services, information, and resources.
Learn more here about NMHM and how to get involved.
Please make note of our upcoming events. On May 18th we will be hosting a webinar with Common Threads, a national nonprofit organization that inspires communities to embrace healthy cooking, healthy eating and the celebration of culture by providing children, families and educators with hands-on cooking and nutrition education classes.
Be sure to register for the Onboarding/Mini College, that will take place June 21-22, 2023 at The California Endowment in Sacramento, CA. Join us as we welcome our new cohort of Fellows and graduate our current Fellows. We have a great group of invited speakers and panelists including keynote speaker Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), who serves as chair of the Assembly Health Committee. You can find the current Onboarding/Mini College agendas on our website (Onboarding and Mini College). The deadline to book hotel rooms with the Champions group rate is May 30th.
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In Health and Solidarity,
Wagahta Semere, MD, MHS
Fellowship Director & Assistant Professor
UCSF School of Medicine
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Reminder! Find articles and resources related to your area(s) of interest by clicking on the icon(s) that correspond to our five focus areas, below:
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San Diego Champion Provider Physician and Dentist Pair Up to Address Negative Impact of SSBs
By: Melissa Campos, MD (right) &
Fadra Whyte, DMD, MPH (left)
Champion Provider Fellows
Cohort 4, San Diego County
While you might think there isn’t much overlap between the goals of a family medicine physician and a pediatric dentist, we have a shared understanding about the harmful effects of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) on the health of young children. We have both witnessed first-hand the increase in SSB-related poor health outcomes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our patients consumed higher than usual SSBs that coupled with experiencing a lack of access to physical activity, not surprisingly, increased the cases of obesity and/or dental caries in our practices.
When looking at BMI among San Diego school children, nearly 1 out of every 3 children were overweight or obese in the 2017-18 school year.1 In terms of their oral health, according to data from the Oral Health Assessment 2017-18, 27% of kindergartners and first graders already experienced tooth decay or restorations, and 21% had visible decay with 4% needing urgent dental services.2 These numbers were pre-pandemic and already shocking. Read More
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Dr. Amir Kazim
Cohort 4, Long Beach County
Dr. Amir Kazim received a nomination to be an editor for the International College of Dentists.
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Reminder! Brown·Miller Communications is here to help you!
Need help with message development, op-ed support, or preparing for an interview? Make sure to contact Mike Miller or Muriel Bañares of Brown·Miller Communications. They provide a multitude of media and communication services to Champion Provider Fellows and local health departments. Send them an email to find out how they can help you!
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*Champion Provider Listserv*
Collaborate & communicate with Champion Provider
Fellows across the state about your community change efforts.
NOTE: Please do not use the listserv to promote lobbying efforts or to discuss patient care.
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USDA program keeps extra COVID-era money for fruits, veggies
U.S. agriculture officials proposed changes Thursday to the federal program that helps pay the grocery bills for low-income pregnant women, babies and young children, including extending a bump in payments for fresh fruits and vegetables allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more here.
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Note: Materials included in this section are for reference and information purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the federal government, California Department of Public Health, or the University of California, San Francisco.
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Harvard Health Law Lab Case Studies Pinpoint Early Successes, Challenges of California's Innovative Medical Program
Harvard Law Lab (2023)
The Health Law Lab at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) of Harvard Law School, in partnership with California’s Medically Supportive Food & Nutrition Steering Committee, released new case studies illuminating efforts in California to expand access to and coverage of nutrition interventions and other social services for Medicaid enrollees. The case study series documents operational and logistical hurdles and bolsters efforts to integrate nutrition interventions and other health-related social needs into Medicaid services nationwide.
Here are the cases highlighted in California:
- Alameda County Recipe4Health and Alameda Alliance for Health (read here)
- Project Open Hand and Contra Costa Health Services (read here)
- Project Angel Food and L.A. Care Health Plan (read here)
Read the report here.
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The USDA Wants to Limit Added Sugars and Sodium in School Meals
Ximena Bustillo, NPR (2023)
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on February 3, 2023, new nutrition standards for school meals, keeping the focus on increasing nutritional value and decreasing diet-related diseases. If implemented, the new standards would limit sugar and sodium intake while increasing the amount of whole grains in meals eaten by more than 30 million students each day during the school year.
Read the article here.
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$80m Approved for Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Safe Routes to School
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) (2022)
The California Transportation Commission approved a total of $80 million in 2023 Active Transportation Program funding for projects in the cities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Barbara as well as the County of Santa Barbara, and Caltrans District 5 at their meeting in Riverside on December 7, 2022. A historic number of critical active transportation projects were funded locally and statewide because of the California Budget Act of 2022 which added $1 billion of one-time State funds to the Active Transportation Program to address significant unmet needs for critical pedestrian, bicycle, and safe routes to school projects. Notably, Caltrans District 5 representing Santa Barbara County in the Central Coast became the first-ever California Department of Transportation District to be awarded active transportation program funds to receive more than $8 million for the Los Alamos Connected Community Project.
Read the article here.
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Rethink your Drink Day!
Save the Date: May 10, 2023
The Rethink Your Drink Campaign is an evidence-based educational campaign designed to inform users about the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and increases in rates of overweight and obesity. The program provides nutrition education and recommendations for improving overall health, but specifically emphasizes reducing intake of soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks. Social marketing as well as direct education materials including curricula and lesson plans, posters, handouts, fact sheets, and recipe cards can be implemented in school and community-based settings. The program aims to educate low-income children and adults about healthy drink options, specifically promoting the consumption of water.
Read more here
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