The latest news from Healthy Communities of the Capital Area

Fall Newsletter

September 2019

Kids Enjoy Healthy Lunches Everyday at School

Did you know that students who eat school meals have the opportunity to get at least 4 of the 5 fruits and vegetables at school each day?

All 6 K-12 school districts in Southern Kennebec County partner with HCCA and Let's Go! 5210 in the Smarter Lunchroom Program.

Kids are eating local food from local farms

RSU 2 Nutrition Director Chrissy Michaud gets:

Apples from Bailey's Orchard, Whitefield and Ricker Hill, Turner
Fresh fruit and veggies from Native Maine, Emery Farm, Wayne, and Tender Soles Farm, Richmond
Hall-Dale Elementary School has a school garden that provides the lunch program with some of their vegetables as well!

RSU 38 Nutrition Director Jeff Bridges orders:

Apples from Pine Bluff Farms, Mt.Vernon and Lakeside Orchard, Manchester
Vegetables from Emery Farm, Wayne, and Elvins Farm, Readfield
Annabessacook Farm in Winthrop also provides produce to local schools

Maine Harvest Lunch Week is September 16-20, 2019

School nutrition staff promote fresh, local food in the school cafeteria. Kitchen staff and teachers have found creative ways to celebrate by decorating lunch rooms to showcase local food and inviting area farmers into the classroom to speak with students.

Here's a short video about whats going on in your local school lunchroom:

Let_s Go_ Smarter Lunchroom PSA 2 minute version-SD.MP4

1 Big Deal about Marijuana is

Brain

Development

Over the past decade youth’s marijuana beliefs and use have changed. One reason is the advertising that promotes medical and recreational marijuana use as safe, natural, etc. What none of the advertisements focus on is the impact on youth.

Below is an excerpt from Surgeon General VADM Jerome Adams’ Advisory on Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain on August 29, 2019 -the first Surgeon General advisory on Marijuana in 37 years.

“The human brain continues to develop from before birth into the mid-20s and is vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances.

Frequent marijuana use during adolescence is associated with changes in the areas of the brain involved in attention, memory, decision-making, and motivation.
Deficits in attention and memory have been detected in marijuana-using teens even after a month of abstinence. Marijuana can also impair learning in adolescents.
Chronic use is linked to declines in IQ, school performance that jeopardizes professional and social achievements, and life satisfaction.
Regular use of marijuana in adolescence is linked to increased rates of school absence and drop-out, as well as suicide attempts.”

Read the full Advisory here:

Vaping?

Not Now! Not Ever!

NOT on School Property!

24/7 Everyone - Students, Staff, and YOU

LD 152 An Act to Prohibit the Possession and Use of ALL Tobacco Products at Schools

Starting September 19, 2019, Maine law prohibits use and possession of all tobacco products

including combustible and electronic products and more

On school grounds
In school buildings
At school-sponsored events
On school buses

Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes, electronic hookahs, other vaping-type products, hookahs, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, as well as filters, rolling papers, and any tobacco or nicotine liquids.

Let your voice be heard!

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) is updating its Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and wants to know what you think the priorities should be related to health and quality of life in your community. No issue or concern is too big or too little - HCCA wants to know what matters to you when it comes to improving the health of Southern Kennebec County citizens. From climate change to vaping to healthy foods, please tell us what you think. CHIP Online Survey

HCCA is collecting input through Fall 2019 and will compile results to set some local level priorities. Please answer a few short questions and let your voice be heard! Learn more from Renee Page r.page@hccame.org .

Hosted by the

Maine Farm to School Network

Credit Hours Available

Friday October 4, 2019 8am - 4pm

KVCC Alfond Campus

Convening farm to school stakeholders from across the state and beyond for a day of learning, best practice sharing, and networking! Learn from Farm to School practitioners how to incorporate local garden produce into your school cafeteria, how to fund & maintain a school garden, how to incorporate wellness policies throughout your school, and much more! View the agenda line-up and register here!

Announcing FREE Local Foods Procurement Training, Register Now!

Pre-Conference Free Half-Day Workshop

Hosted by the Maine Farm to School Network

Credit Hours Available

Thursday October 3, 2019 - 1:00pm - 4:00pm

KVCC Alfond Campus

Join us for this special Pre-Conference Training to learn the ins and outs of local food procurement for your school cafeteria.

This workshop is designed for School Nutrition Directors, Kitchen Managers, Business Managers, and others responsible for school food purchasing. Join Martine Cherry, USDA Procurement Specialist, and Abbie Nelson , NOFA-VT Farm to School Specialist and for an engaging, hands-on workshop, suppported by the USDA Farm to School Training Grant . Scholarship assistance available for travel and/or substitutes.

Learn more and register here!

HCCA Board Members

Jodi Beck, RN, Board Vice Chair

Benjamin Brown, MD

Samantha Deming-Berr, DO, MPH

Cathleen Dunlap, MEd, MSW, LCSW

Deborah Emery, MEd

Patricia Hart, MS, CPH

Patricia Hopkins

Lisa Miller, MPH

Sarah Miller, MA

Barbara Moss, DO, MPH, FACOFP

Cecil Munson

Merry St. Pierre

Ashley Tetreault, MBA, Board Secretary

Tom Warren, Board Treasurer

Frederick White, PhD, Board Chair

Courtney Yeager

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