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July 2020
Greetings,
I am writing this month to highlight how we as healthcare providers can work in our current climate to affect change in our communities. When we last connected in May, data was emerging about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, especially those in the Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander and American Indian communities. Eliminating these disparities requires confronting policies and systems that were founded on racism, which have remained largely unopposed for centuries.

The health disparities highlighted by COVID were compounded by the national outcry following the brutal murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey and Breonna Taylor. Pouring into the streets, Americans and the world alike have called for police and justice reform and to recognize the transgressions of our nation’s past, which continue to be promulgated through racist policy and leadership. As physicians and dentists, when we treat a patient with uncontrolled diabetes or an abscessed tooth, we are not just dealing with the patient in front of us but also with a healthcare system that is biased and unequal. Now more than ever, we need healthcare providers to leverage their voice and experience in local and national conversations to foster a more equitable society.

The Champion Provider Fellowship team will be working to design our virtual Mini College on September 17 to ensure we have time to devote to addressing structural determinants of health. We will use our breakout sessions to support you in incorporating health equity into your action planning. More information on the Mini College is available in the Upcoming Events section.

In Health and Solidarity,

Vanessa Thompson, MD
Fellowship Director & Associate Professor
UCSF School of Medicine
Upcoming Events
*Download the 2019 - 2020 programming calendar HERE
Work-In-Progress #7  (for Fellows)
Thursday, August 13, 12:15 - 1:15PM
Moderator:  Dr. Wagahta Semere
Assistant Professor, UCSF School of Medicine
Quarterly LHD Check-In (for LHDs)
Thursday, August 20, 2020
2:00 - 3:00PM
Moderator: Paula Hamilton Brown ·Miller Communications
Webinar: Safe Routes to School (all welcome)
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 | 12:15 - 1:15PM
Guest Speaker : Lloyd Nadal, MA, Program Services Manager, Solano Transportation Authority.
The presentation will provide an orientation to Safe Routes to School (SRTS) including a recent update to the 6 E's that comprise a comprehensive, integrated program. Additionally, it will explore key roles that Champion Provider Fellows can play in advancing SRTS efforts.

Note: A recording of June's Local School Wellness Policy Webinar is now available online .


Champion Provider Fellowship Mini College

Hosted via Zoom



This year's Mini College has been rescheduled to Thursday, September 17, 9AM - 3PM and will be hosted online via Zoom. We are fortunate to have all of our originally scheduled presenters back and available to present via our new online format. An updated agenda will be forthcoming. Make sure to pre-register for the day's training by using the link below.
Fellow Activities
Pedro Moreno, MD
(Monterey County)
Dr. Pedro Moreno was quoted in a recent article in The Atlantic looking at the working conditions that contribute to farmworkers' disproportionate risk for contracting COVID-19. Describing the precarious position that farmworkers find themselves, he says, "There are three pandemics right now. The pandemic of COVID-19, the pandemic of poverty and the pandemic of fear. "
*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
NOTE: Please do not use the listserv to share treatment protocol for patients. 
Policy Brief
California 2020 - 2021 State Budget
On June 29, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom signed the 2020 Budget Act, providing a roadmap for state spending from July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021. The initial January proposal reflected an unprecedented budget surplus, while the final approved budget reflected efforts to close a $54.3 billion deficit as a result of COVID-19. A couple investments related to nutrition include:

Food Banks: One-time $50M General Fund for existing Emergency Food Assistance Program providers, food banks, tribes, and tribal organizations to address food insecurity in local communities.
Farm to School: One-time $10M General Fund in 2020-21 and $1.5 million annually thereafter for the California Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a Farm to School Grant Program. The program would establish grants for schools to coordinate local and California Grown food procurement and utilization in school meals.
School Meals: $112.2M to provide up to $0.75 per meal for local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Seamless Summer Option, or Summer Food Service Program and serving meals between March 2020 and August 2020 due to physical school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Note: These funds are being dispersed from recently awarded federal funding.)
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.
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, June 25, 2020
These guidelines represent an update to the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity's (NANA) 2012 model policies for vending machines leased or operated by municipal, state or federal governments or those located on public property. The outlined recommendations bear a strong resemblance to the USDA's Smart Snack guidelines for schools. The recommendations can be used in a variety of venues where "grab-and-go" options are offered.
The Champion Provider Fellowship team recently released its first of three toolkits. Each toolkit includes: a fact sheet, roadmap for implementation and PowerPoint Presentation that can be presented during stakeholder meetings. The Safe Routes to School toolkit will be highlighted during the September 1 webinar.
Dibay Moghadam S, Krieger JW, Louden DKN. Obesity Science & Practice. 2020;6:229-246.
This systematic review looked at the effect of water promoting interventions alone on reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption or purchases. The authors concluded that water promoting activities alone did not appear to reduce SSB consumption and more research is needed to see if there is a synergistic effect between water promotion and SSB reduction strategies on SSB intake.
Feeding America, May 19, 2020
Feeding America has developed several reports that look at the projected impact of COVID-19 on reported food insecurity rates. By leveraging a model they use to create local projections for their ongoing report, Map the Meal Gap, they estimated that California would have the highest overall increase in food insecure people with LA County being most adversely impacted and California would have the highest total number of food insecure people overall (6.4 million).
More Opportunities
Previously Recorded! Integrating Systems and Sectors Toward Obesity Solutions: A Two-Part Virtual Workshop
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's Round Table on Obesity Solutions recently hosted a two-part virtual workshop entitled Integrating Systems and Sectors Toward Obesity Solutions , which concluded on June 30. The first workshop explores the fundamentals of systems science, while the second workshop explores systems and factors that affect them and how a systems approach can be used to impact obesity and population health.