Recent Stories
December 9, 2016
The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) co-hosted the Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey: Advancing the Population Health Agenda Conference on Wednesday, November 30th at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 63% of adults and nearly one in four children ages 10-17 in New Jersey are overweight or obese placing them at increased risk health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. — chronic illnesses that were in the past associated with adults instead of children. Anderson Kicks Off Conference NJPHK’s Deputy Director Dr. Darrin Anderson kicked off the event attended by more than 400 public health professionals, social workers, educators, dieticians, and community leaders from across the state. This year’s conference had the largest attendance ever! Bronzan Shares RWJF Greetings Nicole Collins Bronzan, Communications Officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided […]
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November 2, 2016
The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) recently launched its new logo and redesigned the website. The new logo is meant to illustrate our vision of collectively supporting the health and wellness of our children and families. “It’s all about implementing environmental and policy changes that build a Culture of Health in New Jersey,” said NJPHK’s Deputy Director Darrin Anderson. The new website can be viewed at www.njhealthykids.org and features a fresh, streamlined design for improved functionality. The revamped layout highlights both Facebook and Twitter feeds, a prominent email sign up feature, and an easy-to-navigate media kit for the press. “With this new site design, we hope to provide a clean and modern layout that matches the high quality, fresh content, as well as “how to” articles we provide to our constituents,” said Anderson. Visitors will be able to access past newsletters, articles and blog posts in the updated archive. […]
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November 2, 2016
First Lady Michelle Obama launched Let’s Move! to target childhood obesity. Now the movement is championing health through outdoor family activities and advocating greater involvement in our nation’s parks and other outdoor spaces. Newark is one of the 50 cities that received funding for an AmeriCorps member who is charged with building partnerships with community organizations and state and federal public lands in the area to get more youth outside. Kiana Thornton is the AmeriCorps member coordinating the two-year, Let’s Move! Outside initiative awarded to the YMCA of Newark and Vicinity and the City of Newark from the Department of Interior with support from American Express. Thornton is a recent graduate of Jersey City University where she majored in Psychology. She has long had an interest in working with community-based organizations and has jumped into her new role with great enthusiasm and determination. “Many organizations in Newark are already doing […]
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November 2, 2016
Eating a healthy lunch gives students the mental energy to focus on schoolwork in the afternoon. Whether children “brown bag” their lunch or select it from the school cafeteria, it’s important to include all the food groups to ensure a nutritious meal. “A school’s food service team must follow state requirements to provide a balanced meal,” explained Victoria Stewart, Newark Public Schools Health Coordinator and a registered dietician. “Children are offered a hot or cold lunch, each comprising carbohydrates, protein, vegetable, fruit, and milk. The key is encouraging children to eat it.” The same components should find their way into a lunch a child brings from home. Stewart advises making the nutritious choice — whole wheat or multi-grain in place of white bread — and packing sandwiches with lean meats like turkey or chicken, instead of bologna. Substituting string cheese or peanut butter for meat is also a wise alternative. […]
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November 2, 2016
Dr. Darrin Anderson, was a speaker at the New Jersey Primary Care Association’s (NJPCA) annual conference on September 28 – 29, 2016 in Atlantic City, NJ. The conference theme was “Boardwalk to Better Health” and showcased the various components of healthcare that make up the high quality, affordable and integrated array of services that New Jersey’s 130 healthcare delivery sites provide through the state. Dr. Anderson’s topic was “The Story Behind Community Health Centers.” Below is a Q&A regarding his presentation: How many community health centers are located in NJ? There are currently 23 community health centers in the state of New Jersey. Why was it important to talk about community health centers? There a two great reasons. First, community health centers are at the center of individual, public, and population health. Second, they have a federal charge to provide care to all – those who have no insurance, those […]
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November 2, 2016
The Greenwood Ave. Farmers Market hosted a Bike Fest on Monday, September 26 to spread road and bike safety knowledge to its residents. Free helmet fittings, bike inspections, and bike safety education with a safety quiz wheel game were among the event’s activities. From 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM, kids learned, practiced, and demonstrated their bicycle handling skills during a slow-race bike rodeo. “Riding bikes is a great family activity, and we want to make sure that everyone is riding safely while having fun,” said Lori Johansson, market manager at the Greenwood Ave. Farmers Market. Around 110 free safety helmets were provided to children and adults. Also, bikes were available to borrow for the activities at the market and the Boys and Girls Bike Exchange had bikes available for sale at reduced prices. Adults learned road safety rules during a “Be Safe, Be Seen” course, which encouraged the use of […]
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October 31, 2016
Twenty-one Vineland-area employers understand the value of improving, supporting and maintaining healthy behaviors in the workplace. Since 2015, Live Healthy Vineland (LHV) has worked with local businesses and organizations to design and implement interventions that positively impact employee health. On September 22, the City of Vineland, The Safeway Group and Elwyn of New Jersey were recognized for their efforts in fostering a culture of health and wellness at LHV’s inaugural 2016 Healthy Worksite Enrichment and Empowerment Conference. Programs established at Elwyn, The Safeway Group and the City of Vineland—all early adopters of LHV’s Healthy Worksite Program—serve as model participants. Other businesses, such as Progresso, have focused their programs on strategies that address the work environment. “Elwyn, a human services organization, fully understands the importance of engaging their employees in creating a culture of health,” said David Calderetti, Project Director for the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Vineland. Peggy Barker, Pension […]
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October 10, 2016
by Meredith Masin Blount Director of School Based Youth Services, New Brunswick Tomorrow Project Director, NJPHK-New Brunswick “If you’re good, we can get ice cream later” “Stop fussing and you can have the chocolate” “Finish picking up your room and we’ll get french fries” Sound familiar? We’ve all heard these reasoning techniques by moms and dads who just want their kids to focus and do as they’re asked. As a mom of three boys myself, I know the challenges children sometimes have in following directions. I also want my kids to eat healthy foods and learn to make healthy choices. Unfortunately, using unhealthy foods or sweets as a reward for good behavior leads to negative effects on eating habits later on. According to a report found on Science Daily, “parents who use very overly controlling feeding practices with their children, such as using food as a reward or […]
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September 29, 2016
“I am writing to express my gratitude to your group for collaborating to improve health outcomes for Atlantic City residents, by making the healthy choice the easy choice,” wrote New Jersey State Senator Jim Whelan to David Calderetti, project manager of New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Vineland (NJPHK-V). Whelan went on to commend the efforts of NJPHK-V and its partners, AtlantiCare, Rutgers SNAP-Ed and the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA to facilitate a Corner Store Initiative for residents of Atlantic City that will “help expand healthy food selection in corner stores—providing access to foods and encouraging healthier eating habits.” Ten corner stores in Atlantic City have signed on to the Corner Store Initiative. The participating stores are located near schools to increase access to healthy food and snack options for students. Four of the stores are part of the Cedar Food Market, a family-owned business that operates corner stores in Atlantic […]
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September 29, 2016
Family Dining Comes to Newark Head Start Starting in September, breakfast and lunch at Newark Public Schools (NPS) Head Start programs will be more than a meal. Four Head Start preschools will begin initiating family style dining, whereby students, teachers, and teacher aides will gather at small tables, serve themselves, enjoy a nutritious meal and talk about the food and the experience. “It will be an opportunity for learning,” said Victoria Stewart, NPS Health Coordinator, and a registered dietician, who is charged with making this Head Start requirement a reality at NPS. “With family style dining, all types of skill development can come into play.” Beyond the obvious like following directions, fine motor skills, self-help skills and social skills, Stewart noted that meals also can prompt simple lessons in science, math, spelling, language development, and, of course, nutrition. An NPS readiness goal for its Head Start program is that “children […]
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