It is officially Spring and March is National Nutrition Month. Click the link for resources and information on different ways to participate in Nutrition Month activities , including How to Request a Proclamation from the Governor or Mayor.  The Champion Provider Fellowship team is also looking forward to the onboarding training (April 25-26), where where Champion Provider Fellows, local health departments, and experts from across California will convene to network and collaborate on ways to create healthier communities. We hope to see you there! 

In Health,

Vanessa Thompson, MD
Associate Professor, UCSF School of Medicine
Principal Investigator, Champion Provider Fellowship
Upcoming Events
(for fellows only)
Tuesday, March 26th, 2019 | 12:15 - 1:15pm
Moderator: Dr. Alicia Fer n á ndez | Professor 
University of California, San Francisco
School of Medicine
Hilton San Francisco Union Square | 333 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, CA 94102
Thursday, April 25 - Friday, April 26, 2019 | 8AM - 5PM
Fellow Activities
Marin County Champion Provider Fellows, Drs. Tracey Hessel and Elizabeth Shaw , communicated lessons learned from their ParkRx program in a letter to the Marin County Parks Department , highlighting some of the barriers their patients face in accessing the parks. The Parks Department has been a collaborative partner in their ParkRx work, and some of the recommendations will be integrated into the next budget and planning process! 
*Champion Provider Listserv*
Collaborate & communicate with Champion Provider
Fellows across the state about your community change efforts.
Post a message by emailing:  champion-providers@googlegroups.com
Policy
Recently, there were five bills introduced in California related to sugar-sweetened beverages. The bills are outlined below:

This bill would restrict beverage companies from offering promotional deals to stores for lowering the price of sugar-sweetened beverages for their customers.

This bill would create a tax on sugary drinks to pay for programs that offset their health effects. The tax would need a two-thirds vote of both houses to pass.

This bill would prohibit supermarkets, convenience stores and retail stores from displaying sugary drinks near the checkout counter.

This bill would require l abeling sugary drinks with a warning about their health risk and create a fund with moneys collected for violations of those provisions.

This bill would c ap the size of sugary drinks sold in unsealed containers at restaurants and grocery stores at 16 fluid ounces.
Organization Spotlight
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California works to end health inequities among Latinos in California through policy and programs and we look forward to working with Champion Providers to create a healthy California for all.
Programmatic Focus Areas:
  1. Healthcare Access (see Oral Health)
  2. Social Determinants of Health
  3. Health & Human Rights 
Clientele Served:
Latinos in California with a focus on: Sacramento region, Central Valley, Los Angeles and Inland Empire
2018-19 Key Initiatives:
  • Health Ambassador Program to develop a cadre of community leaders committed to advocating for nutrition and physical activity in underserved communities.
  • Policy advocacy of state legislation to improve the health of Californians (i.e Health4All)
Upcoming Event(s):
Organization Contact:
Rosa Flores, Program Manager
(916) 448 - 3234 x2020
From the Field
Note: Materials included in this section are for reference and information purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the federal government, California Department of Public Health, or the University of California, San Francisco.
Prevention Institute . March 5, 2019.
This article provides bullet points and link to blog for a more detailed
version of community strategies to promote health equity around parks and green spaces.
Lee and Falbe et al. American Journal of Public Health. February 21 , 2019.
Co-authored by Dr. Dean Schillinger , this policy study on the long-term impacts of the soda tax in Berkeley resulted in significantly reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (over 50%) and an increase in water consumption by nearly 25%. Retail sales data have not been released yet, and the team is continuing to monitor consumption throughout Berkeley and the comparison cities, Oakland and San Francisco.
Chronicle Editorial Board. San Francisco Chronicle . February 24, 2019.
This Op-Ed, in response to the above study , " Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption 3 Years After the Berkeley, California, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax ," suggests that California's Legislature keep pursuing sugary drink tax efforts for the public's health.
More Opportunities
Roundtable on Obesity Solutions
April 1 | 8:30AM-4PM | Online
Explore policies, practices, principles and approaches to addressing health in/equity issues relating to obesity prevention and treatment efforts.
April 15 | 5–6:30PM | MH 1401
Learn how to effectively write "one pagers," white papers, and public comments. These tools, and more, help writers communicate their expertise, and help policymakers utilize them! Find recording of Part 1 and other events by clicking the link below.
Tuesday, April 30th | 9AM – 3PM
The California Endowment | Sacramento
WHO: community members, grassroots organizers, and advocates!
  • LEARN how to advocate for issues that support health equity across CA
  • NETWORK with community leaders & advocates
  • MEET with your representatives to educate them about issues you care about
2019 California School-Based Health Conference
May 9-10 | Redondo Beach
 Learn, grow, and connect with fellow providers, educators, advocates, and other leaders in the school-based health care movement across the state. (Workshops for all levels of experience and engagement).
Join the nation’s largest, most influential collaboration of professionals dedicated to combating pediatric obesity/overweight to discuss:
  • emerging research
  • best practices
  • community-based efforts and
  • effective policy strategies