Newsletter

January, 2015

BHC-SK All Partners Meeting, Central Table Meeting, Jan 29

Two important meetings are quickly coming up! If you are a Building Healthy Communities South Kern (BHC-SK) partner then you should be at the next All Action Team partner meeting on January 29. In this meeting you will learn about the action planning process, as well as partner expectations and learn about new resources to support your work.

The Central Table meeting is also on January 29, where we will officially kick off our 5th annual "Live the Challenge 2015!" Gym bags will be given to the first 1,000 people who pledge to make a commitment to a healthy change for 100 days. Please encourage your community to attend this important event!

Last year, South Kern Sol attended the completion of 4th Annual Live the Challenge race and asked attendees what healthy change they made. Read what changes South Kern residents made here.

Arvin Corner Store Turns Healthier

Last month the Kern County Public Health Services Department, Arvin High School youth, and Arvin residents came together to clean-up around Arvin Market and to celebrate their move towards becoming a healthy retailer.

Arvin Market received two refrigeration units to stock more produce and dairy products. It's a positive move the store owners have made.

Recology Looks for Community Input Pending Takeover of Composting Facility

South Kern Sol, News Report, Alfredo Camacho

Lamont, Calif. - Community Recycling and Resource Center (CRRR), is in the process of changing ownership. The prospective owner, Recology, is an employee-owned recycling and solid waste resource recovery company that promises to overhaul operations, training, and possibly staff at the plant after the sale is complete. In an effort to build better community ties, Recology is looking for input from South Kern residents.

Recology, which will changing the name of the plant to Blossom Valley Organics, say that one of the key problems they will be addressing is the notorious odor problem.

"We do daily odor monitoring to know what's making odor and to reduce it," said a spokesman for the company during a Dec. 15 presentation at the David Head Center. "We monitor for odor in a five-mile radius and take into consideration things like temperature or wind."

According to the spokesman, community members are also encouraged to contact the plant manager with odor complaints to assist in data collection.

Read more here.

Agua4all Initiative Brings Safe Drinking Water to South Kern

South Kern communities will now have 120 water bottle filling stations thanks to the Agua4all initiative.

The water stations will be installed this month in local schools, parks, libraries, health clinics, and other community spaces in Arvin, Lamont, and Weedpatch.

The Agua4all initiative is a collaboration between

The California Endowment, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, and Community Water Center.

The initiative seeks to create and promote increased safe water access and consumption in light of the health and equity issues such as unsafe drinking water and consumption of unhealthy, sugar sweetened beverages throughout California's most underserved communities, specifically in South Kern and Eastern Coachella.

Local Youth Efforts Recognized Nationally

Above: (from left to right) Wendy Alfsen, Executive Director for California Walks, D'Quandra Rankins from YEAH-North Carolina, MariaJose Diaz and Chris Chavez both from California Walks Youth Leaders.

South Kern youth MariaJose Diaz and Chris Chavez traveled to New Orleans in October to present their healthy communities advocacy group with Cal Walks and BHC-SK. Diaz and Chavez were honored by the APHA Community-Based Public Health Caucus with the national 2014 E. Hill De Loney Youth Leadership Award for their advocacy work in creating walkable communities.

About Us

Building Healthy Communities is a comprehensive community initiative that is creating a revolution in the way Californians think about and support health in their communities. Residents are proving that they can make health happen in their neighborhoods, schools and with prevention-and in doing so, they are creating a brighter future for their children.

Over 2,000 residents, youth, businesses and organizations are leading the BHC-SK effort to positively change the health of our communities through a shared vision, goals and action plan. Residents in Arvin, Lamont, Weedpatch, and the unincorporated areas of Greenfield are proving that we have the power to make health happen in our communities.

BHC-SK is promoting healthy change in the areas of: