Recent Stories
June 30, 2013
NJPHK Deputy Director Darrin Anderson was one of 15 panelists participating in a Designing Healthy Communities Town Hall on April 30 in New York City. The event was broadcast on three PBS tri-state stations in May. The town hall brought together experts from various fields to discuss characteristics of unhealthy communities and how they can be changed. It was part of a PBS series that explores issues of community design and health costs, based on the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer and depression. Dr. Richard Jackson, who hosts and narrates the series, has been researching this concept for many years. He believes that today’s generation of children runs the risk of having shorter life spans than their parents, resulting from unhealthy lifestyles. He also believes this outlook can be reversed by well-designed communities. During the session, Anderson spoke to the issues of obesity and health related to […]
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June 1, 2013
Volunteers from four Trenton churches have agreed to conduct walking audits of the areas surrounding three Trenton elementary schools: Hedgepeth-Williams, Monument and Wilson. Participating churches are Shiloh Baptist, Union Baptist, Westminster Presbyterian and Living Hope. Congregants began conducting the walking audits in early June. The walkability assessment will help NJPHK-Trenton prioritize infrastructure improvements and create safe routes for school travel plans. A Healthy Community Development Grant from New Jersey Department of Health’s ShapingNJ is underwriting the initiative. Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager, is excited by the enthusiasm of the churches and their members. “We hope to build on these initial efforts,” Davis says. “Following the walkability audits, each church will be asked to consider adopting a wellness policy and promote healthy living among congregants. We want to keep the momentum going.” SHARE:
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May 31, 2013
Published in the New Brunswick Patch on May 31, 2013 The Raritan Valley YMCA, the sponsoring agency in the NJPHK–New Brunswick effort to reduce childhood obesity through environmental and policy change, received a $3,000 grant from fitness equipment manufacturer Precor, to benefit the YMCA’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards for children. SHARE:
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May 23, 2013
Celebrating Success in Our Communities – New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kid’s (NJPHK) third Learning Event – offered something for everyone: from instruction on using Twitter to engage constituents; live musical entertainment about a family making healthy choices to prevent diabetes, to field trips to three NJPHK-New Brunswick partnership sites to see the impact of policy and environmental changes. The May 23 event also provided participants the opportunity to network with NJPHK and ShapingNJ partners and to share information and lessons learned. NJPHK Deputy Director Darrin Anderson kicked off the event and welcomed nearly 50 participants to New Brunswick’s George Street Playhouse. Anderson also addressed the progress being made in New Brunswick and throughout the state to prevent childhood obesity and make New Jersey schools and communities healthier. One highlight of the day was a live performance of “Austin the Unstoppable!,” a musical produced by the George Street Playhouse Educational […]
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May 7, 2013
Published in Rutgers Business School News Courtney Price, NJPHK-Newark project manager, participated in a Rutgers Business School (RBS)-hosted event on May 7, to discuss the recently published book, “Advances in Communication Research to Reduce Childhood Obesity.” She also discussed some of the implications of the obesity issue and highlighted the efforts currently underway in Newark to help children eat better and be more active. SHARE:
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May 2, 2013
Honeydew Lime Cooler (4 servings) 2 cups cubed honeydew melon 2 cups water Juice of 1 lime 1 cup honey Fresh mint sprigs if you like 1 lime, sliced Puree the honeydew, 1/2 cup honey, water and juice from the lime in a blender. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing pulp down with a spoon to release more liquid. Divide the liquid among 4 glasses (or pour in large container) and top each one off with chilled seltzer. Garnish each glass with mint and lime. Pulled BBQ Chicken (8 servings) 1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat 1 small […]
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April 30, 2013
When New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture sought to announce the receipt of a $62,713 U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program grant, Vineland proved to be the perfect place to host the press conference. The grant, the second that was awarded, will help continue work started with Rutgers Food Innovation Center on a project to bring Made with Jersey Fresh items to schools throughout the state. The initial $51,000 grant provided the Department of Agriculture the opportunity to work with the Innovation Center to develop farm-to-school menu items that meet the nutritional, cost and shelf-life needs for school meals, and are also appealing to students. “When we received that initial grant, we partnered with New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids to help us place samples of the farm-to-school products,” said Diane Holtaway, associate director of client services, Rutgers Food Innovation Center. “Together, we made a great decision to place […]
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April 27, 2013
A rising sun, children at play and heaps of healthy fruits and vegetables are the striking images in an outdoor mural at Monument Elementary School completed on April 27. The mural, designed and executed by local artist Jonathan Conner (aka Lank) with the assistance of artist Willie Condry, Jr. (aka Kasso) and community members, is the crowning achievement of a year-long wellness transformation at the school. The school’s Wellness Council, which has been overseeing and supporting efforts to create and maintain a healthier environment for students, wanted a mural for the playground as a finale to the environmental changes and improvements that have taken place at Monument Elementary. “The school has healthy choices in the cafeteria, KABOOM! playground equipment, a running track and designated areas for basketball, soccer, street hockey and hopscotch. The mural is the culmination of the work and vision emphasizing wellness,” explains Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager. […]
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April 25, 2013
On April 25, the Shiloh Community Development Corporation’s (CDC) “Soaring to New Heights” monthly breakfast meeting featured something new on the menu: healthy food choices. The healthy breakfast items met the nutritional guidelines recommended by the new organizational wellness policy recently adopted by the Trenton Historic Development Collaborative (THDC), a coalition focused on economic redevelopment, safety and wellness in the city of Trenton. As a THDC stakeholder organization, Shiloh CDC has agreed to incorporate healthy food and physical activity into their group activities. All other THDC organizations plan to do the same. With over 40 community organizations aligned under the THDC, the commitment to wellness can have far-reaching effects. “Modeling healthy behavior is critical in the effort to reverse trends in childhood obesity,” explains Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager. “With organizations on board committed to wellness, healthy choices and physical activity can become the expected norm. The THDC wellness policy […]
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April 8, 2013
The National Complete Streets Coalition, a Washington-based organization dedicated to making streets safe and accessible for all users, has recognized Trenton for having one of the best Complete Streets policies in the nation. Of nearly 130 communities across the country that submitted Complete Streets policies, Trenton ranked number eight on the list. Marissa Davis, NJPHK-Trenton project manager, knows that the Complete Streets policy will help Trentonians make physical activity a regular part of their daily lives. “We’re making it easier and to move around the city, and that’s going to make Trenton a healthier place to live, work, bike and just have fun.” Stefanie Seskin, deputy director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, said “Trenton’s policy should be a national standard; (it’s) a policy that takes a stand for everyone who uses our streets, including people young and old, whether they’re walking, driving, bicycling, riding a bus, shopping, or sightseeing.” […]
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