Nov 16, 2017 | News
Palmetto PALS (Partners Advancing the Lives of Students) were recently recognized for their support of Richland One schools in developing and implementing action plans to improve the health of students and staff. Palmetto PALS are health professionals who volunteer on Richland One’s School Wellness Councils to promote practices and policies to create healthier learning environments.
Dr. James Stallworth, University of SC School of Medicine – Columbia, and Dr. Rachel Brown, USC Palmetto Health Medical Group, were recognized for their contributions in creating PALS. Former Richland One school board member Vince Ford was honored as the 2017 Palmetto PALS School Wellness Champion. Ford is the chief community health officer for Palmetto Health and was a committed advocate of wellness efforts during his 24-year service on the Richland One Board of School Commissioners.
The twenty-three Richland One schools that have won the prestigious National Healthy Schools Award were also recognized including:
- Brockman Elementary – SC’s first Gold National Healthy Schools Award winner;
- Burton Pack Elementary – SC’s first Silver National Healthy Schools Award winner; and
- AC Flora High School – SC’s first high school Silver National Healthy Schools Award winner. (Photos available)
Nov 16, 2017 | News
Published by the Spartanburg Herald Journal; to see the full article, click here.
The Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation faced a dilemma this week.
The cities of Spartanburg and Inman each requested $100,000 for parks projects. But the delegation only had $119,373 to hand out in state Parks and Recreation Development funds.
“Inman is on the cusp of major change for the better,” City Administrator Jeremy Caudle said in his pitch. “The (Leroy Mathis) park is a big part of it.”
In the end, though, Spartanburg won out.
Legislators awarded $100,000 to Spartanburg for its $1.14 million 7-acre park at the Mary Black Rail Trail between Union Street and Glendale Road.
Inman was awarded the remaining $19,373, but Caudle said that project could still move forward — the city would have to borrow more to make up the difference, though, and it would take longer to build.
For Spartanburg, the cash infusion means grading can begin next week as planned, with a spring 2018 completion on target.
“This will give us a new signature park,” said Mitch Kennedy, community services director for the city. Partners for Active Living Director Laura Ringo is working with Kennedy to develop the park, which will include a “Play 60” section.
Kennedy said the Play 60 part of the park will be the first of its type in South Carolina.
The Carolina Panthers, which helped build three Play 60 parks in Charlotte, donated $20,000 to Spartanburg for the park here, Kennedy said.
Play 60 will feature a playground with obstacle courses and elements of an NFL combine workout to promote the NFL’s youth health and fitness campaign, which encourages young fans to be active for at least 60 minutes a day.
“The full park will include many other features that are not NFL-related,” Ringo said.
The city of Spartanburg also received a $42,000 donation from J M Smith Corp. and raised $935,000 in private donations for the new park.
Caudle said the Leroy Mathis Park project in Inman will cost $286,550, and that will be paid for with city funds, grants and borrowed money.
It will include a new playground, restrooms, trails and a stage area for concerts to draw visitors to Inman, he said.
Caudle said Spartanburg County Parks and Recreation is helping with the project, and that work has already started.
Nov 15, 2017 | News
Over the past 10 years, Eat Smart Move More South Carolina has survived as a new non-profit because its founding partners created a clear vision for a non-profit that provides a unique service to community coalitions and to the public health profession. Because of these two important distinctions, ESMMSC has been able to grow as an organization and increase its capacity and services.
Beth Barry, a founding member representing the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and ESMMSC’s second Board of Directors Chairman, can attest to that. Barry helped establish the vision and mission and was one of the leaders to help sustain the organization in its beginning
This year we celebrate ESMMSC’s 10th Anniversary. What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about that?
Pride. ESMMSC has made so much progress as an organization and in its capacity to effectively advance community-led change and ensure that healthy eating and active living are central to the culture of South Carolina. I am proud of its accomplishments and honored to be associated with this organization.
What was your vision during your service?
I was in a challenging position as board chair as fairly early in my term, when our founding executive director left to take another position. The executive committee and board decided to hire an interim director while we searched for a permanent executive director. We hired Beth Franco shortly before my board chair term was completed. My vision was to sustain our current momentum while searching for someone who could continue to lead the organization forward.
What do you see as ESMMSC’s biggest accomplishments since 2007?
There have been numerous accomplishments, however, I am going to focus on ESMMSC’s organizational development. I think back to the early years of having a staff of one, Amy Splittgerber who worked from home, through the steady addition of high-quality employees, obtaining an official brick and mortar office and being fully staffed. I can’t commend enough the vision, effort and determination of Erika Kirby and Amy in leading the creation and early growth of ESMMSC. Also, critically important to our progress was the excellent guidance and direction provided by Lee Pearson, as the inaugural board chair, and as a most valued mentor during my chairmanship. I was also fortunate to have the highly skilled Eleanor Dunlap as my co-chair and subsequent chair. Board development, more diversified funding and the ability to persevere through challenging economic times have strengthened the organization and its role as a state leader in the promotion of healthy eating and active living.
Where would you like to see ESMMSC in 10 years?
I would like to see the organization have even more opportunities to provide leadership for advocacy, to increase the capacity for community action using evidence-based, best practice strategies, and for partnerships with agencies/organizations who share our mission.
Do you have additional thoughts that you would like to share?
I believe ESMMSC is viewed as an effective organization whose work is genuinely improving the lives of South Carolinians. I also think most people don’t have a true appreciation of the daily determined efforts required of staff, board members, coalition members and others to attain and sustain the current level of success. I commend all who have served in any of these roles.
Founded in 2007, ESMMSC is one of the first non-profit organizations of its kind in South Carolina, focusing on both healthy eating and active living. Its roots date back to 1999 when the South Carolina Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity formed and received nonprofit status in 2000. After changing its name to ESMMSC in 2007, the organization merged with the SC Coalition for Obesity Prevention.
Sep 27, 2017 | News
It’s no secret that food insecurity and food access is a problem in South Carolina, especially for those who live in a food desert and those who live in areas with limited access or no access to healthy foods. Many South Carolina communities are trying to change that through SNAP and mobile market initiatives and by establishing policies that provide access to healthy choices.
Several communities are partnering to present on their successes and goals. There will be three food and nutrition sessions at the Leadership Summit:
- Addressing Food Insecurity and Improving Healthy Food Access in Rural Communities, Monday, October 23, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
This session will demonstrate the need for community collaboration to bring a collective impact in fighting food insecurity and inequality in rural communities. As an example, the United Way of Kershaw County’s Mobile Nutrition Center fights food insecurity and inequality by delivering food boxes, which addresses not only the concern of hunger, but the health ailments that low-income residents face due to food insecurity and inequality. In the rural counties of Lee and Williamsburg in the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina, food security and access to healthy foods are factors that are linked to risk for overweight or obesity. Collecting and using data to support obesity prevention activities as well as environmental supports and partnership development are promising strategies that are effective in addressing obesity-related disparities.
- Promoting SNAP Champions: Innovations with Farmers’ Markets and SNAP Outreach Strategies to Support Healthy Eating for South Carolina Families, Monday, October 23, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
This session explores practical ways to promote healthy eating by increasing access to nutrition programs through various initiatives, including Hub City’s “SNAP Champion” Model and SC Thrive’s SNAP Outreach Partnership Model. The presenters will highlight the importance of community partnerships to increase impact of initiatives created to reduce food insecurity and promote healthy, stabilized communities.
- Creating the First Municipal Food Policy Committee of SC and Replicating this Effort Across the State, Tuesday, October 24, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
The City of Columbia will outline how the city formed the first municipal Food Policy Committee in the state, the purpose and will discuss the goals and the potential projects. Speakers will also discuss the importance and ramifications of a city making the decision to form an FPC in its municipal government.
Take advantage of these great sessions at the Leadership Summit, October 23-24 in downtown Columbia. Register online today!
Sep 6, 2017 | News
In years past, the Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities, formerly the SC Obesity Summit, included skill-building sessions to support the development, growth, and sustainability of local community coalitions. This year, we’re bringing those skill-building sessions back to the Summit under the name Birds of a Feather.
What exactly is a Birds of a Feather session? They’re informal gatherings of like-minded individuals who want to discuss a certain topic without a pre-planned agenda. They’re also a great way to meet other community members with similar interests. Birds of a Feather sessions often focus on audience-driven discussion, professional networking and grassroots participation.
There will be two Birds of a Feather sessions at the Leadership Summit:
- Coalition Leadership, Monday, October 23, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
LiveWell Greenville’s Sally Wills and ESMMSC’s Kelsey Allen will lead a discussion on coalition leadership. Effectively leading a community coalition can be both rewarding and challenging. This session will help local coalition leaders identify their personal leadership style through self-assessment tools such as the DISC assessment and the Meyers-Briggs test. Based on these results, leaders will determine strategies for creating a well-balanced and effective coalition.
- Civics 101 & How to Advocate Locally, Tuesday, October 24, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
SC Recreation and Parks Association’s Jim Headley and ESMMSC’s Hannah Walters will lead a discussion on Civics and How to Advocate Locally. It’s been years since we all had high school civics, and many things may have escaped our memory. And, because each local government runs differently, the advocacy process differs. Get a refresher on civics and learn how to effectively advocate for local healthy eating, active living policies. Learn from others in the session and build new relationships to support your local advocacy efforts.
Take advantage of these new Birds of a Feather sessions at the Leadership Summit, October 23-24 in downtown Columbia. Register online today!
Sep 6, 2017 | News
The adult obesity rate in South Carolina is 32.3 percent, the 12th highest, according to the 14th annual State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
This year, adult obesity rates exceeded 35 percent in five states, 30 percent in 25 states and 25 percent in 46 states. As of 2000, no state had an obesity rate above 25 percent.
In the past year, adult obesity rates increased in four states (Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and West Virginia), decreased in one state (Kansas), and remained stable in the rest. This supports trends that have shown steadying levels in recent years. Last year was the first time this annual report recorded any declines in adult obesity rates, with four states experiencing declines, and, overtime, growth has started to slow. In 2006, rates increased in 31 states; in 2010 rates increased in 16 states.
The State of Obesity also found that:
- Colorado had the lowest adult obesity rate at 22.3 percent and West Virginia had the highest at 37.7 percent.
- Nine of the 11 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South and 23 of the 25 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest.
- Adult obesity rates have striking racial and ethnic inequities — with rates above 40 percent for Blacks in 15 states, rates at or above 35 percent among Latinos in nine states compared with rates above 35 percent among Whites in one state. South Carolina’s adult obesity rate is 41.7 percent for Blacks, 28.2 percent for Latinos, and 28.9 percent for Whites.
- Obesity rates are around 30 percent higher among adults without a college education and with incomes below $15,000 compared with other adults.
- One-in-four young adults who try to join the military are ineligible due to fitness and weight concerns.
The report finds that rates are showing signs of leveling off, but progress could be eroded if programs are cut and policies are weakened. In addition, the report reviews other studies that have found childhood rates have stabilized over the past decade, and decreased among low-income preschoolers between 2011 and 2014.
“Obesity rates are still far too high, but the progress we’ve seen in recent years is real and it’s encouraging,” said Richard E. Besser, MD, president and CEO of RWJF. “That progress could be easily undermined if leaders and policymakers at all levels don’t continue to prioritize efforts that help all Americans lead healthier lives.”
To accelerate progress in addressing obesity, RWJF and TFAH urge policymakers to:
- Invest in prevention at the federal, state and local levels, including full funding for the Centers for Disease Control and the Prevention, Prevention and Public Health Fund.
- Prioritize early childhood policies and programs, including support for Head Start and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
- Maintain progress on school-based policies and programs, including full implementation of current nutrition standards for school foods.
- Invest in community-based policies and programs, including nutrition assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and transportation, housing and community development policies and programs that support physical activity.
- Fully implement menu labeling rules and the updated Nutrition Facts label.
- Expand healthcare coverage and care, including continued Medicare and Medicaid coverage of the full range of obesity prevention, treatment and management services.
“It’s clear that the progress we’ve made in fighting obesity is fragile—and that we’re at a critical juncture where continuation of the policies that show promise and increased support and resources could truly help bend the rising tide of obesity rates,” said John Auerbach, president and CEO of TFAH. “We’re far from out of the woods when it comes to obesity. But we have many reasons to be optimistic thanks to parents, educators, business owners, health officials and other local leaders. Our nation’s policymakers must follow their example to build a culture of health.”
State-by-state adult obesity rates and a new web-based policy interactive featuring more than 20 policies focused on preventing and reducing obesity are available on stateofobesity.org.
The obesity rate analyses are based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). (Note: the methodology for BRFSS changed in 2011). The State of Obesity report (formerly known as F as in Fat), with state rankings and interactive maps, charts and graphs, is available at http://stateofobesity.org. Follow the conversation at #StateofObesity.
2016 State-By-State Adult Obesity Rates
Based on an analysis of new state-by-state data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, adult obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were:
Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity.
1.West Virginia (37.7)
2. Mississippi (37.3)
3. (tie) Alabama (35.7) and Arkansas (35.7)
5. Louisiana (35.5)
6. Tennessee (34.8)
7. Kentucky (34.2)
8. Texas (33.7)
9. Oklahoma (32.8)
10. (tie) Indiana (32.5) and Michigan (32.5)
12. South Carolina (32.3)
13. (tie) Iowa (32) and Nebraska (32)
15. North Dakota (31.9)
16. North Carolina (31.8)
17. Missouri (31.7)
18. Illinois (31.6)
19. Ohio (31.5)
20. (tie) Alaska (31.4) and Georgia (31.4)
22. Kansas (31.2)
23. (tie) Delaware (30.7) and Wisconsin (30.7)
25. Pennsylvania (30.3)
26. (tie) Maine (29.9) and Maryland (29.9)
28. South Dakota (29.6)
29. (tie) Arizona (29) and Virginia (29)
31. Oregon (28.7)
32. Washington (28.6)
33. New Mexico (28.3)
34. Minnesota (27.8)
35. Wyoming (27.7)
36. (tie) Florida (27.4) and Idaho (27.4) and New Jersey (27.4)
39. Vermont (27.1)
40. (tie) New Hampshire (26.6) and Rhode Island (26.6)
42. Connecticut (26)
43. Nevada (25.8)
44. (tie) Montana (25.5) and New York (25.5)
46. Utah (25.4)
47. California (25)
48. Hawaii (23.8)
49. Massachusetts (23.6)
50. D.C. (22.6)
51. Colorado (22.3).
Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. For more information, visit www.healthyamericans.org.
For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
Aug 31, 2017 | News
Do residents in your community have opportunities to be physical active? Are these opportunities determined by where people live? Are your community leaders and decision makers creating opportunities so that all residents can be active, and what is your role to ensure that this happens? Learn how communities are addressing these issues, and leave with tools, resources, and connections that will help you and local partners.
The Leadership Summit will offer numerous opportunities to learn about successful, community initiatives:
- Connecting Communities with the East Coast Greenway. This session will highlight how one South Carolina local community worked with the East Coast Greenway on a project that will link hundreds of communities from Maine to Florida with safe, off-road trail facilities for walking and biking.
- Funding Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities and Programs in SC Using Local, State, and Federal Public and Private Sources. This session will explore the ins and outs of finding and using funds for local bicycle- and walk- friendly initiatives. Whether your community is working on sidewalks, streetscaping, watershed management, bike lanes, multi-use path, or bike or pedestrian safety programs, this session will explain how to get these initiatives funded.
- Planning for Active Living and Healthy Food Access at the Statewide and Local Levels. This session will focus on how rural communities can create walkability/bikeability opportunities, by working with local planners on healthy comprehensive plan. Learn how a local community embraced new partnerships and help create a healthy comprehensive plan for their residents.
- Leadership Panel: Why HEAL Matters: Hear from an elected official, city manager, school principal, healthcare administrator, and a worksite health plan administrator on why healthy eating active living initiatives and policies are important. Learn how these leaders were able to work with community partners and create lasting changes in their communities, schools, and worksites, and about opportunities and challenges that they faced.
- Subliminal Health: Why Transportation Planning and Design Matter to Health Outcomes: (Optional Workshop: Ticketed Event). Attend a 2.5 hour workshop that is being facilitated by Alta Planning + Design This 2.5 hour workshop, facilitated by Alta Planning + Design, focuses on research related to the link between transportation planning and design and health outcomes and guides the audience through specific strategies that create opportunities for healthier lifestyles. Alta’s regional senior staff will provide case study examples from South Carolina and southeastern communities. The session will include an exercise with audience participation to apply information gained during the event.
Take advantage of Early Bird registration, and register for the Leadership Summit today!
Aug 16, 2017 | News
Aug 15, 2017 | News
On Tuesday, September 19, Eat Smart Move More South Carolina will participate in the American Diabetes Association’s National Healthy Lunch Day. Join us by hosting a healthy luncheon for your employees, encouraging them to bring a healthy lunch, challenging them to make healthy choices if they eat out on this day, or holding a promotional event.
Why is National Healthy Lunch Day so important? Most of us are uncertain about what’s best to eat, what’s healthful and what’s not. Often our food choices are full of calories, yet lack the vitamins and minerals that we need for energy and to feel our best. Our wellness goal is to promote good nutrition as part of a healthy lifestyle, and help everyone make better food choices. To start, let’s do lunch—a healthy lunch.
Here are some helpful tips to share with your employees:
