MPH NEWSLETTER VOL. 12
WE’RE HERE TO HELP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT & IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY / IMPROVEMENT PLAN!
Hi there,
Food security (having access to affordable, healthy food) is one of our most basic health needs, and it is influenced by multiple intersecting factors. Not only does food security depend on financial security, but it is context dependent, with access varying widely geographically across communities.
This month our team is taking time to reflect on the factors that influence access to enough nutritious food, and the health impacts that this has on individuals and communities. We are also thinking about strategies that our clients and communities can use to improve food security for residents.
As always, our focus this month is to collect and transform data into actionable and usable results. Reach out to us anytime to learn more about Community Health Needs Assessments and CHIPs/Implementation Strategies! Set up a FREE discovery call with us here.
Stay healthy,
Coming up…
We can’t wait to hold our next Lunch & Learn session!
Registration details will be released on our socials and website soon. If you have any particular community health needs assessment and improvement topics that you are interested in learning about, reach out! We are always working to include topics that are particularly relevant to our clients and wider community.
in the news…
Unless you’re a new subscriber (in which case, welcome!), you’ve probably heard about our Toolbox Package for the community health assessment and improvement plan.
We sometimes call it a “D.I.Y.” CHA/CHIP resource package. It’s perfect for clients who want to complete the process, but either aren’t sure where to start, or want to streamline the process for their organization/community (without breaking the bank!). The MPH team provides a roadmap of steps for the process, templates for reports, presentations, etc., as well as our full guide of evidence-based resources that communities can use to improve specific population health needs (AND MORE!). These resources took our team THOUSANDS of hours to develop, and are sure to set you on the correct path for completing a PHAB- or IRS-compliant assessment and improvement plan.
And this month, we are encouraging our clients to get a head start by offering an exclusive January promotion….With every Toolbox Package purchased, we are throwing in a FREE 8 hour virtual VIP day of consulting with the MPH team! For example, this day can be used to…
✅ Develop a community member survey draft
✅ Decide who invitations to collaborate should go to in your community and work with you to get those sent out
✅ Share our advice and experience on how to best collaborate with community partners
✅ Walk you through how we identify health disparities
✅ Develop an interview and/or focus group guide/strategy with you
✅ Working with you and your community partners to complete a work plan that will inform the development of your CHIP/Implementation Strategy and evaluation plan
✅ AND MORE! The opportunities are endless and the choice is yours - we are here to help you with ANYTHING related to the CHA/CHIP process!
public health need spotlight
Feeding America cites hunger as a complex issue that requires improved access to nutritious food, expanded economic security, and advocacy for policies that make it easier for people to get the food they need.
But food security is about more than just data, it means promoting the health and well-being of families and communities! We strongly encourage you to check out this incredible, immersive data visualization by Feeding America. Telling the stories of four Americans, this animated webpage provides real stories, and highlights the relevant food security statistics that each story represents.
did you know?
“A higher percent of non-Hispanic Black (7⋅9 %) and Hispanic/Latinx (5⋅1 %) [US] residents lived in very low food security households, than non-Hispanic White (3⋅1 %) residents.”
In the above linked national level study, some of the health disparities in food security amongst residents of the United States are highlighted.
This study underlines the importance of considering disparities in food security across the various sociodemographic characteristics of community residents (i.e., race, gender, age, sexuality, indigeneity, etc.). Only once we understand these disparities can we begin to address them.
tips & tricks of the month
Wondering how to define and measure food security in your community?
Capturing data about a complex issue like this requires analysis across multiple dimensions such as: access/proximity to food markets, percent and number of food insecure people, as well as food prices. It is also important to compare local data to national statistics and identify and disparities between population sub-groups. Check out the infographic above, and visit the links for more information about Feeding America’s research.
A key piece of research we use in our community health assessments is Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study. This robust data source estimates food insecurity and food costs across America, and makes the data accessible online disaggregated geographically in an interactive map.
public health organization spotlight
This month we want to spotlight a couple of the AMAZING food security programs that our clients have implemented in their communities, with a focus on schools and students…
Corcoran Unified School District in Kings County, California has a "fruit basket" program where every day, they have a basket of fruit (grown locally) that gets circulated throughout classrooms for students to take anything they wish. Check out their CHA/CHIP resources here!
Columbus High School in Platte County, Nebraska (part of the East Central District Health Department) has a "Friday food bag" program where any students who need it can take home a bag of non-perishable food items every Friday.
mph favorites to share with you…
This month, Stephanie recommends the documentary, “Evicted”. This hard-hitting piece describes the stories of young people who are deeply affected by evictions due to the housing crisis. This is on our minds this month, because having a place to live and cook nutritious meals is integral to food security, and it illustrates the interconnection of public health needs.
Allie recommends Feeding America’s “Elevating Voices, Ending Hunger” podcast, featuring change makers and everyday leaders disrupting the status quo to end systems of inequity that drive food insecurity in the United States.
Food is a fundamental human right necessary for survival, but the United States does not consider access to affordable, healthy food a right that necessitates governmental protection. As a result, the nation has a fragmented, broken food production and distribution system that fails to meet the basic needs of millions of people.
Elissa recommends the linked CAP20 article to all public health professionals looking for a deeper understanding of how the American food system affects local, national, and global food security, and thus health equity.
what our team is thinking about this month…
Reflect and share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms below - we would love to hear from you!
