Harris County Public Health Update

We regret to share that Harris County Public Health will no longer serve as the backbone organization and fiscal agent for the Healthy Living Matters collaborative. Due to budgetary constraints across all county agencies, HCPH is not able to absorb the cost of coordinating the collaborative. HCPH is proud of the collaborative work of HLM over the years and will continue to support any efforts of an organization that would like to take on the role of leading HLM into the future. Please use the resources and information in this newsletter to connect with groups that are championing policy priorities and initiatives that HLM has promoted over the years.

Congratulations Dr. Ann Barnes!

We would like to congratulate Dr. Ann Barnes on her new role as the President and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation. Dr. Barnes has been a staunch advocate for healthier communities and has been committed to addressing upstream issues that impact chronic health for many years. Dr. Barnes has served on the Executive Committee of Healthy Living Matters since it began, and we are so thankful for her strong support. Dr. Barnes, we wish you well in your new position and look forward to the impact you will make throughout the State of Texas.

It's that time again! The whole State of Texas is preparing for the 2023 Texas Legislative Session. Over the years Healthy Living Matters has worked hard to be an advocate for healthier communities through changes in legislation. We have joined in the efforts of the Partnership for a Healthy Texas (PFHT) to solidify the Partnership's policy priorities for the 88th legislative session. Overall, the themes of the priorities for this session will be:

• Modernizing Texas SNAP to eliminate food insecurity and increase Texans' access to healthy foods.

• Ensuring all Texas children have access to a well-rounded education which includes physical activity, health education, and school infrastructure to help them develop healthy habits.

• Empowering Texas Medicaid to implement cost-saving initiatives that incorporate evidence-based treatments and healthy food interventions.

Please reference the full report, which includes educational one pagers for each of the 9 policy points. Priorities for the 88th Legislative Session

A local collaborative group that will be active in advocating for healthy communities during this upcoming session is the Health Equity Collective (HEC). Consider getting engaged with the advocacy arm of the HEC if you haven't connected already.

Please stay engaged during the legislative session and reach out to your elected officials to share your opinions on any of these priorities. Your voice matters!

The Michael and Susan Dell Legislative Tracker is a great tool to use throughout the session to keep track of actual bills that have been filed and what their status is.

Visit the Texas Legislature Online regularly to stay up to date with all of the bills during the session.

Healthy Living Matters is one of 3 new communities in the cohort that the Catalyzing Communities Initiative has been working with since 2021. The Catalyzing Communities Initiative is a project of Child Obesity 180, which is a program out of the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition. There is a diverse group of stakeholders (see graphic above) from East Aldine who have been meeting regularly to discuss the issues of access to healthy food, youth physical activity and the built environment in East Aldine. We are applying community based systems dynamics strategies for the activities of this project, which has been a great learning opportunity for HLM staff and the East Aldine stakeholders.

In January, the team from Tufts University will visit East Aldine to conduct a series of in-person meetings with the stakeholder group. As HLM community partners, you will continue to receive invitations to participate in the Catalyzing Communities Learning Collaborative Keynote presentations and other educational opportunities. The Learning Collaborative in 2022 organized presentations from well-known researchers in the field such as Dr. Angela Odoms-Young, Dr. Allison Tovar, Dr. Christine Economos and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian. Keep updated with the progress of this project by following Harris County Public Health on social media, or by visiting the Catalyzing Communities website.

Greater Houston Kinesthetic Classroom Collaborative

Great News! The Greater Houston Kinesthetic Classroom Collaborative (GHKCC) will be restarting in 2023! The GHKCC is a group of educators who teach in the greater Houston area who are passionate about the physical and mental health of their students. They share strategies for incorporating movement into the school day while reinforcing the academic content the students are responsible for. This is arguably the most FUN collaborative to be apart of in Harris County!

HLM is so excited to have a part in supporting the GHKCC through providing Boomer Boards and Stretch Bands for the collaborative to use as it sees fit.

If you would like more information about the GHKCC, please contact them at: greaterhoustonkcc@gmail.com.

Outdoor Learning Environments (OLE)

HLM is proud that it was able to help expand the network of Outdoor Learning Environments (OLE) in the Harris County area! Through collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center and early care centers, there are now new OLE sites in Pasadena and Baytown, with more on the way in the near future in Acres Homes! We have also been able to get 9 additional landscape architects trained on how to create OLE sites at childcare centers. Please continue to stay up to date with new developments in the OLE network within the county and throughout the state by connecting with ECHOS@phs.hctx.net and the Texas Children in Nature Network Houston area contact Robyn Kebede at rkebede@texaschildreninnature.org.

JOIN the Texas SHAC Network

THANK YOU to all of the school staff of our Harris County Independent School districts! You have all done a great job of trying to move the needle on school health throughout your districts. Be encouraged in your work and never give up! Celebrate the success that has come! For example, there have been so many strides in the mental health resources available to schools and students, and much of that progress is as a result of the advocacy of school partners. Please continue to advocate for school health in Texas. Your voice matters!

Please continue to be involved with School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs) within Harris County Independent School Districts! As a reminder, SHACs are a committee of parents, school district staff and community members that are required to operate by Texas law, and serve as an advisory group to the school board of an ISD. SHACs have a unique opportunity to impact school health within their district. Please consider joining your district's SHAC as a parent, community member or school staff person if you are not already engaged!

Please join the Texas SHAC network for updates on advocacy alerts during the 88th legislative session, and for great SHAC resources to use in order to optimize your SHAC!

Click HERE to join the SHAC network!

Please don't forget that the Texas SHAC (TSHAC) is always an additional resource for you in making change within your district!

It's Time Texas Community Challenge - Begins on January 9th, 2023

Register your community and yourself!

Let's Make It Official! Safe Routes to School Plans and Policies - Webinar on January 24, 2023

Center for Health and Nature Symposium - February 3, 2023 at Texas A&M University