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February 2025

Message from the Director


Greetings,


Happy Black History Month! As we prepare to welcome a new cohort of Champion Provider Fellows, I’ve been reflecting on the incredible impact our current Fellows have made in their communities and beyond. 


Looking ahead, don’t forget to register for our Onboarding and Mini College training on June 11-12 in Sacramento! 


Recently, we highlighted two inspiring Success Stories: 


  • Dr. Saima Khan, who is addressing food insecurity in LA county by establishing a clinic-based mobile food pantry.  
  • David Thai, who has worked with his local community in Sonoma County to promote the benefits of drinking water and successfully secured funding for filtered water bottle filling stations.


In Health and Solidarity,



Wagahta Semere, MD, MHS

Fellowship Director & Associate Professor

UCSF School of Medicine

Reminder: Find articles and resources related to your area(s) of interest by clicking on the icon(s) that correspond to our five focus areas, below:

“But I Love My Agua Frescas!” —How Dental Providers Can Be Partners in Health and Nutrition


By: Mindy Truong, DMD


Champion Provider Fellow (Cohort 5, San Diego County)


“It’s been so hot this summer, we drink agua frescas throughout the entire day to help cool off.” My seven-year-old patient, Camille, had a mouth full of dental caries. Camille’s mom was explaining why she had been drinking so many sugar-sweetened beverages. “My favorite is the Jamaica!” exclaimed Camille. As a dentist, I see many patients who suffer from increased dental disease and pain due to their dietary habits.  Read more.

Upcoming Events



February

Thurs. Feb. 20 | 2:00 - 3:00pm | Register

Quarterly Local Health Department Check-In (LHDs Only)


April

Thurs. Apr. 10 | 12:15 - 1:15pm | Register

Webinar: Championing Park Equity



May

Mon. May 12 | 12:10 - 12:45pm | Register

Works-in-Progress Call (Fellows Only)

Thurs. May 15 | 2:00 - 3:00pm | Register

Quarterly Local Health Department Check-In (LHDs Only)



June

Wed - Thurs. June 11-12 | Register

Onboarding/Mini College Training

Fellow Activities

Dr. Maxmillian Chambers (Cohort 5, Imperial County) 



On February 27, 2025, ImpowerDent SurgiCenters Inc will be officially awarded $5 million from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority’s Specialty Dental Clinic Grant Program. This funding will support the establishment of a nonprofit dental facility to address the critical oral healthcare needs of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Imperial County. 
Reminder! Brown·Miller Communications is here to help you!
Need help with message development, op-ed support, or preparing for an interview? Make sure to contact Mike Miller or Muriel Bañares of Brown·Miller Communications. They provide a multitude of media and communication services to Champion Provider Fellows and local health departments. Send them an email to find out how they can help you!
*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 promote lobbying efforts or to discuss patient care. 
Join Listserv

Policy

The Trump - Vance administration Withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO)



On January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, known as WHO. 

Read more here.

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.

Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries

Lara-Castor, L., O’Hearn, M., Cudhea, F., Miller, V., Shi, P., Zhang, J., ... & Mozaffarian, D. (2025). Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries. Nature medicine, 1-13.


The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, an updated and comprehensive assessment of the global burden attributable to SSBs remains scarce. In 2020, 2.2 million (95% uncertainty interval 2.0–2.3) new T2D cases and 1.2 million (95% uncertainty interval 1.1–1.3) new CVD cases were attributable to SSBs worldwide, representing 9.8% and 3.1%, respectively, of all incident cases. 


Read more here.

The Live Beyond Campaign Introduces New Health Care Provider Resources United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).


The Live Beyond campaign recently published resources to support healthcare teams and their patients' journey toward healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, including a provider tip sheet, posters, and a patient guide available in multiple languages. 


Read more and access the tools here.

Medicaid Nutrition Supports: Implementation Innovations

Center for Health Care Strategies


Nutrition insecurity is the most common social need among Medicaid members. To address this issue and mitigate the negative health impacts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released state guidance in Fall 2023 outlining allowable nutrition supports under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program authorities. 

Read more here.

More Opportunities

2025 School Health Conference


Join the 2025 California School Health Conference that will be held on April 28-29, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. The California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) is a statewide nonprofit organization helping to put more health services in schools.  

Register here.
 
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