New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Trenton debuts video at State of the State of Obesity Conference in East Brunswick, NJ. SHARE:
READ MOREMore than 350 individuals, including community leaders, health educators, teachers, health care providers, school nurses, food service providers, PE teachers, dietitians, and parents attended the Obesity Prevention Summit in New Jersey, “The State of the State: Important Next Steps.” Held on December 11, 2012, the one-day educational event was co-sponsored by the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK), the Office of Nutrition and Fitness, The NJ Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health and Family and Community Health Sciences at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Conference speakers discussed recommendations, strategies, and actions that should be implemented in the short term to accelerate progress in obesity prevention over the next 10 years. Dr. Terry T-K Huang, senior advisor for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Obesity Research Task Force, served as the keynote speaker for the morning events and discussed how to apply systems thinking to obesity prevention. In addition to his […]
READ MOREThe Parkside United Methodist Church is the first faith-based organization in the city of Camden to adopt a formal wellness policy integral to its ministry. The church is committed to “model, teach and encourage healthy eating habits, combat obesity, and ultimately promote improved health and wellness.” The wellness policy will influence the foods purchased and food donations accepted for all ministry programs, including snacks served to children and meals provided at church functions and through their food ministry that prepares and serves meals to the community. The policy specifies the types of food the church will strive to serve, provides direction on portion control and commits to integrating exercise into all children’s meetings. Merdis Hill, chair of the Church’s Health & Welfare Ministry, worked with her committee on the positioning of the policy and Valeria Galarza, NJPHK-Camden project manager, provided technical assistance to the committee. “The policy at Parkside United […]
READ MOREWhen Marissa Davis drives by the new playground at Trenton’s Monument Elementary School she sees the power of community—a community that she has helped bring together as project manager for NJPHK-Trenton. “So many partners and organizations became involved and collectively made a significant impact on the community. I value the opportunity to be a part of that and finding the strings that connect us,” Davis said. As a graduate of the University of Delaware, Davis majored in Women’s Studies and Black American Studies. She worked with the Red Clay Consolidated School District, providing strategic planning and curriculum assessments for local implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Davis joined AmeriCorps as volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity, where she was successful in advancing their mission by securing a home sponsorship and cultivating thousands of volunteers. That assignment brought her back to her Trenton roots. In July 2011, Marissa Davis […]
READ MOREFrom more farmers markets to healthier snacks and food choices at the local zoo, many New Jersey children and their families can now take advantage of environmental changes that promote healthy eating and physical activities– thanks to funding of several communities from the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids, a statewide program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and ShapingNJ, a state partnership for nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention. Communities in three counties (Atlantic, cape May and Monmouth) were selected as pilot sites and received grants from NJPHK/ShapingNJ to implement policy and environmental changes that increase access to healthy food and create opportunities for physical activity. “We are excited to see the progress being made by these communities in creating healthy environments that encourage healthy eating and active living,” stated Darrin Anderson, deputy director, NJPHK. The communities located in Monmouth County (Red Bank, Belmar and Farmington Boroughs), Cape May […]
READ MOREExpect significant changes to promote student health now that the Camden City Public Schools have adopted a comprehensive wellness policy. School Board President Kathryn Blackshear says the policy will change the way schools feed children and get them engaged in active play. Approved by the Camden Board of Education on November 27, 2012, the policy focuses on making healthy eating, nutrition education, and physical activity an integral part of the day in the city’s 26 public schools. With the wellness policy as the framework, the Camden Board of Education hopes to help reduce obesity rates among Camden children and youths. “The board is committed to creating a healthy environment,” said Blackshear, “and the school district will engage students, parents, teachers, food service professionals, health professionals, and members of the community in raising awareness about wellness and integrating nutrition and physical activity into the lives of our children.” Interim Superintendent Reuben […]
READ MOREOriginally published in The Times of Trenton on nj.com We couldn’t agree more with the letter writer about her support of Complete Streets policies for communities throughout New Jersey (“Make byways safer for everyone to use,” Oct. 12). As community partners committed to reducing childhood obesity in Trenton, we also understand that better sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks and signage are key environmental changes needed to make our communities safer and friendlier places for our children to exercise. We are pleased to report that the Trenton City Council welcomed our interest in Complete Streets and adopted a clear resolution of support last March. Last month, the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Trenton organized a Complete Streets training session attended by council member Zachary Chester, city staff and volunteers from the Trenton planning board, green team and community. NJPHK looks forward to further improvements to our streets and neighborhoods that will benefit […]
READ MOREOriginally publishd in NJBIZ After several delays in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, public- and private-sector groups were finally able to enjoy the fruits of their labor today with the opening of a new full-service fresh food supermarket in New Brunswick, which represents the urban center’s first successful grocery store development in more than two decades. The new 50,000-square-foot Fresh Grocer is part of Wellness Plaza, a mixed-use redevelopment project by New Brunswick Development Corp. that includes a 60,000-square-foot fitness center, a 1,275-space parking garage and, eventually, an elevated walkway connected to the train station. According to Devco President Christopher J. Paladino, Wellness Plaza is the second phase of a three-part plan to redevelop New Brunswick into a transit village. In February, Devco completed the plan’s first phase — a $150 million project to open 650,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial and residential space — and the development firm expects […]
READ MOREOriginally published in The Times of Trenton on nj.com The drumbeat of dire statistics associated with childhood obesity continues to sound from health professionals. As the steady warnings continue, there can be no doubt that we’re hearing them. Heeding them, however, is another story. Since the early ‘80s, the problem has more than tripled. Because overweight children tend to become obese adults and the health issues associated with childhood obesity can be chronic, it’s an issue with long-range as well as immediate consequences. In New Jersey, the most at-risk children may be in Trenton. According to a 2010 New Jersey Childhood Obesity Study, Trenton children were more likely to be overweight or obese compared with their counterparts around the country. The rates are highest among Hispanic children. Most alarmingly, the largest differences between Trenton public schoolchildren and national estimates were among the youngest children — 49 percent in Trenton were […]
READ MORETeaching children about street safety is one aspect of the work NJPHK-Trenton is doing as part of a larger effort to educate the community about the benefits of Complete Streets policies. Complete Streets policies aim to make streets safe for all users—pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and people who are using public transit. Last October during National Walk to School Month Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager, and her colleague Shannon O’Connor joined with staff from Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association (GMTMA) to educate students at Monument Elementary School about safety measures on the sidewalks and streets of their neighborhoods. Kindergarten through fifth-grade students gathered around Doug Markgraf, Regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator at GMTMA, who engaged them in an interactive dialogue about pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Students took a guided walk around the school to practice what they learned, identify safety hazards and discuss how to deal with them. Children also […]
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