DE HEAL

A New Farmers’ Market for Smyrna Area Residents and Visitors

DEHEAL Admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:18:38 +0000

The Smyrna community plans to open its first downtown farmers’ market in mid-June. The response from local residents has been overwhelmingly positive. A community interest survey completed fall 2011 determined that the Smyrna community and its surroundings are eager to access fresh, affordable, locally-grown foods. As a result, the Smyrna Farmers’ Market Planning Committee, which includes Town representatives, Smyrna Downtown Renaissance Association members, and local stakeholders, began planning the market’s opening. DE HEAL network member Carly James, Revitalization Specialist and AmeriCorps VISTA with the Delaware Economic Development Office, is facilitating the committee’s planning process.

In addition to traditional vendors selling fresh produce and other food products, the Smyrna Farmers’ Market will also feature some handicraft and artisan vendors, as well as junior vendors (18 years and under). Nonprofit organizations such as churches and community organizations are also invited to participate in the market with informational booths. Aside from the economical and nutritious benefits of holding a farmers’ market, farmers’ markets have been known to serve as vehicles for economic development by acting as small business incubators. Perhaps most importantly, the Smyrna Farmers’ Market Planning Committee hopes that the market will act as an open-air community
space and free, family-friendly activity for Smyrna residents to enjoy every Saturday morning from mid-June to late October.

Delaware boasts 27 active farmers’ markets in the 2012 market season, according to the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Kent County, however, contains the fewest number of farmers’ markets relative to New Castle and Sussex counties. Additionally, per research done at the University of Delaware, the Clayton area and parts of Smyrna are considered USDA-defined food deserts. The Smyrna Farmers’ Market, therefore, aims to counterbalance the limited access residents in this area face when it comes to finding fresh, affordable, healthy produce.

The grand opening of the market is scheduled for Saturday, June 16^thfrom 9-1pm on the Market Street Plaza in downtown Smyrna. We hope to see you there! For more information or to participate in the market, contact Carly James at (302) 672-6807 or carlyn.james@state.de.us.

Two Grant Opportunities

DEHEAL Admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:08:38 +0000

The Division of Public Health would like to share two recently released grant opportunities. Follow the links for more information or to review the full proposal.

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Community Economic
Development (CED) Projects

In coordination with the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), the CED program will provide up to $10 million of this funding to CDCs for CED projects located in food deserts and designed to improve access to healthy, affordable foods. HFFI is the first time the Federal government has coordinated its efforts to eliminate food deserts around the country. Together, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) and HHS have created the Healthy Food Financing Working Group (Working Group). CED funding may be used to provide technical and financial assistance in order to create sustainable new employment and business opportunities for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other low-income individuals whose income level does not exceed 125% of the Federal poverty level. Applications are due June 5. Funding Opportunity Number (FON): HHS-2012-ACF-OCS-EE-0274.

USDA Farm to School Grant Program

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) included an amendment to establish a Farm to School program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The USDA released the Request for Applications for the Farm to School Grant Program on April 17. Planning grants are expected to range from $20,000 – $45,000 and represent approximately 25% of the total awards, while implementation grants are expected to range from $65,000 – $100,000 and represent approximately 75% of the total awards. The Letter of Intent is due May 18, and Proposals are due June 15. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.575.

DE HEAL Healthy Communities Forum May 8

DEHEAL Admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:44:34 +0000

Creating healthy communities should be a priority for all local governments and developers. The Healthy Communities Forum on May 8 at the Outlook at the Duncan Center in Dover, Delaware from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We will discuss what the barriers are to creating healthy communities and learn how some towns are breaking those barriers. We need your input on what barriers remain and what the next step is to creating healthier communities across Delaware. The Forum is Free . . . . but seating is limited! Please complete the HealthyCommunities Forum registration form and return to dorothy.morris@state.de.us no later than April 23, 2012. Please contact dorothy.morris@state.de.us if you have any questions.

4th Annual DE HEAL Summit

DEHEAL Admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:28:28 +0000

The 4th Annual DE HEAL Summit, Impacting Obesity through Environmental and Policy Changes, was a great success and well attended. The event, which was held Thursday, March 22, at the Outlook at the Duncan Center in Dover was sold out with 120 registered healthy eating, active living practitioners and advocates. Many remarked that this was “the best Summit ever!” The excellent workshops, poster sessions and panel presentations offered new information on a variety of topics ranging from road rage, and bicycling to systems change in K-12 education. Click here to download Summit handouts and presentations: KeynotePresentation,WorkshopPresentations, postersessionhandoouts, PanelDiscussionPresentations.

The strength of the DE HEAL Coalition is only as strong as the network and membership. If you would like to join DE HEAL, please download the membership application: DEHEALmembershipapplication. There is no cost to join!

DE HEAL Annual Meeting

Mark you calendars now for the DE HEAL Annual Meeting which will be held on Thursday, May 17, 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Outlook at the Duncan Center. In addition to updates on DE HEAL initiatives new officers will be elected for the Leadership Team. To nominate yourself or someone else for the Leadership Team, please contact Helen Arthur helen.arthur@state.de.us.

All are welcome to attend!

Walk it off! Online walking program

DEHEAL Admin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:28:52 +0000

The DE Center for Health Promotion at Delaware State University has created a 10-week walking program for the state called “Walk It Off!”. Starting March 13^th, the program will be printed in The News Journal on Tuesdays and will also be available free online. Registration is now underway at www.delawareonline.com/walk; the program runs 3/13/12 thru 5/21/12.

Walk wherever you choose, as many miles as you want, alone or with others. Simply report your mileage at the site provided and contribute to the 250,000 mile cumulative goal for Delawareans. Plus, you could win randomly selected weekly prizes and be eligible for one of several grand prizes, including a Wii Fit game console and VISA gift cards! Join today and walk off stress, extra pounds, nicotine cravings – even the blues! For more information, contact Marianne Carter at 302-857-7309. Download flyer: PublicWalkitOff!flyer

DE HEAL Releases First Annual Report

DEHEAL Admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:35:09 +0000

The Delaware Coalition for Healthy Eating and Active Living (DE HEAL), in partnership with the Delaware’s Division of Public Health (DPH), is pleased to announce the online release of the first DE HEAL Annual Report, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention Plan 2010-2014. This report,(DEHEALAnnualReport2011Final), is an ongoing look at the commitments, progress and efforts of the Delaware HEAL coalition and its partners as they work to reduce the prevalence of overweight, obesity and related chronic health conditions. The document reports on the comprehensive strategic plan introduced at the second annual DE HEAL summit in September 2009.

DPH studies show that in 2010, more than 416,000 Delaware adults—64 percent of the adult population — were overweight or obese, a clear and startling indication that this issue and the related chronic diseases it spawns are a major health challenge for Delawareans and for our state’s economic growth.

“It is very sobering to know that well over half of our adult population in Delaware is overweight or obese. Obesity is a serious health limitation in itself, a condition that can and often does lead to other serious chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. We really have to act on this problem, and in a united and strategic way.” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH Director.

“As the burden of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases continues to weigh on the health of Delaware, collaborative engagement is the key to addressing the critical challenges that impact the health of the dynamic and diverse communities in our state,” said DE HEAL Coalition Chair Brian Rahmer. “The commitment, resourcefulness, and expertise of DE HEAL members, along with the organizations and communities they represent, exemplifies the power of collaborative processes.”

The HEAL Coalition has increased awareness statewide to policy makers and stakeholders, as well as the development and launch of the website, www.deheal.org to further awareness and partnerships. Other progress includes:

Hosted the forum on Access to Healthy Foods in the Built Environment in New Castle County
Prompted the Municipal Wellness Leadership Program. Three municipalities participated: The City of Harrington, The City of New Castle Delaware Greenways, Inc., and New Castle County. Each municipality conducted an environmental scan and developed a Community Action Plan for chronic disease prevention in their communities.
Developed, tested, and launched two global assessment toolkits that identify healthy community resources:
A Walkability Assessment Tool to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a town’s walkability http://www.ipa.udel.edu/healthyDEtoolkit/tools/walkability/
A Comprehensive Plan Assessment Tool for municipalities to consider healthy factors within comprehensive plans http://www.ipa.udel.edu/healthyDEtoolkit/tools/compplan/

The annual report continues to engage joint efforts of state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, business leaders, health care providers and insurers, and education organizations to support policy, systems, and environmental change strategies associated with overweight, obesity and related chronic diseases.

On March 22, 2012 in Dover, DE HEAL will host the 4th Annual Summit “Impacting Obesity Through Policy and Environmental Changes ” to create context for conversation to raise awareness about the health impact of community design decisions. A statewide Call for Presentations ( DEHEAL Call for Presentations (rev)) has been released to garner local input on research, strategies and accomplishments relative to improving Delaware obesity and related chronic disease rates. Complimentary copies of the DE HEAL Annual Report will be available at this summit, but advance review of the online report is recommended for optimal presentation.

DE HEAL is a network of over 70 organizations and 200 individuals that provide statewide leadership to promote the vision of transforming the culture of Delaware to make healthy eating and active living a priority. DE HEAL serves as a catalyst for policy, environmental, and systems changes that aim to prevent obesity through healthy eating and increasing physical activity throughout Delaware. For more information about the DE HEAL Coalition and/or summit registration contact Helen Arthur at 302-744-1011.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

Dining with Diabetes

DEHEAL Admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:59:24 +0000

This program is designed for people with diabetes, family members of diabetics,and individuals interested in healthy eating. The three part series consists of a presentation by a registered dietician and a food demonstration and tasting of healthy recipes. The classes will be held 2/23, 3/1, and 3/8 from 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. at the location below:

Kent County Cooperative Extension
University of Delaware
69 Transportation Circle
Dover, DE 19901

The cost for the series is $45.00. Call 730-4000 for registration information.

Edith P. Vincent Awards Nominations

DEHEAL Admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:23:58 +0000

Nemours Health & Prevention Services (NHPS) in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), Delaware School Boards Association (DSBA), the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH), the Delaware Charter School Network, the Delaware Association of School Administrators (DASA) and Delaware Coalition for Healthy Eating & Active Living (DE HEAL) is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the 2012 Edith P. Vincent Healthy Schools Awards for Nutrition & Physical Education & Activity. The awards will recognize the work of public schools who have had success in implementing programs that address policy and practice change and champion children’s health: one in the area of nutrition and one in the area of physical education/physical activity. Award recipients will consist of those public schools that have demonstrated effective implementation of best practice and/or creative and visionary programs that address policy and practice changes related to improved nutrition/healthy eating or physical education/physical activity in the school setting in an effort to combat childhood obesity. Each winning school will receive a commemorative plaque recognizing its achievement at the Delaware School Boards Association Fall Clinic, a banner suitable for public display and formal recognition at their local Board of Education meeting. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2012. Download information: 2012AwardsCallforNominationforEPVNutrition

Dawes to Speak at DSU

DEHEAL Admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:03:40 +0000

Delaware State University invites you to hear Dominique Dawes on January 19^th at 7pm in the Bank of America auditorium. Ms. Dawes, a 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics, is a strong advocate for healthy lifestyle habits. She currently chairs President Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Her talk is entitled, “Determination, Dedication and Desire: How to stay on the path to your success.” The event is free and open to the public, and is co-sponsored by the Delaware Center for Health Promotion and Nemours Health and Prevention Services. For more information, contact Marianne Carter, mcarter@desu.edu or download poster domdawesposter.

DE HEAL to host 4th Annual Summit

DEHEAL Admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:31:28 +0000

The Delaware Coalition for Healthy Eating and Active Living (DE HEAL) is hosting the 4th Annual Summit on physical activity, nutrition and obesity prevention on Thursday, March 22, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Outlook at the Duncan Center in Dover, Delaware. The theme for this year’s Annual Summit is, “Impacting Obesity through Environmental and Policy Changes”.

The Summit is free and open to DE HEAL network members and the public by invitation.

Program

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast
Opening Keynote Speaker: Carlton Eley, American Planning Association, “Equitable Development: Building Great Communities Through Collaborative Problem Solving”
Concurrent breakout workshops on systems changes
Networking Lunch (healthy buffet) and Poster Session
Moderated Panel Session: Root Causes for Overweight and Obesity

Call for Presentations

The Summit Planning Committee is seeking presenters for the workshops, panel discussion and poster session. For more information, please download the attachment with guidelines and submission requirements. DEHEAL Call for Presentations (rev)