Recent Stories
January 28, 2013
During the 2011 school year, Forest Hill Elementary School offered hot breakfast in the school cafeteria, but only 43 percent of the students were eating it. School principal Gail Witherspoon was not satisfied with that percentage. She understood the importance of breakfast to student learning. She also knew that many children at this pre-K through grade 5 school were not skipping breakfast because they had eaten it at home. Instead, they bypassed the cafeteria because it was tough to get to school early enough to eat before class. Breakfast in the Classroom seemed to be the logical solution to ensure students started the day nutritionally prepared. But the challenge became “how to make it happen?” She turned to NJPHK-Camden for help…and she got the support she needed. Valeria Galarza, NJPHK-Camden Project Manager teamed with Yemele Ayala, community partnership director for the Camden City Public Schools and ARAMARK, the food service […]
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January 28, 2013
The entire city of New Brunswick is celebrating the opening of The Fresh Grocer, the long-anticipated, first full-service supermarket in New Brunswick in more than 20 years. Yet no organization is likely to be as energized by this monumental milestone as NJPHK-New Brunswick’s Community Partner, the New Brunswick Community Food Alliance (NBCFA), because of the important role the supermarket will play in supporting NBCFA’s mission. NBCFA, officially recognized by the New Brunswick City Council just a year ago, works as a food policy council, and is comprised of a dynamic alliance of city residents, college students, community leaders, and local government working to build a sustainable and just food system in New Brunswick, ensuring that all residents have permanent access to nutritious, safe, affordable, and culturally appropriate food. The opening of the 50,000 square-foot supermarket from The Fresh Grocer, a company that develops new stores in communities lacking availability of […]
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January 28, 2013
Originally published in The Daily Journal Traffic heads west on Wood Street near Vineland City Hall, where a bike lane will be established. / Staff photo/Cody Glenn The city plans to paint bicycle lanes on two streets beginning this spring. The bicycle lanes will be painted on Wood Street and Elmer Street — each a one way street, said Brian Myers, the city engineer. “The project will probably be coming in the spring,” Myers said. Officials were finalizing the plans earlier this month. The cost of the project is not yet known. The bike route would be a first for the city and would allow bicyclers their own lane in which to ride, Myers said. The lanes would be established on Wood and Elmer streets between West Avenue and East Avenue. Parking would still be maintained on both sides of the street, Myers said. Emma Lopez, the health educator with […]
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January 25, 2013
Originally published in heraldonline.com Several individuals and organizations were honored today at the 94th Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) at the Hyatt Regency Princeton. NJHA Healthcare Leader Awards The 2013 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Chester B. Kaletkowski of Mullica Hill, president and CEO of South Jersey Healthcare in Vineland. Kaletkowski was honored for his more than 30 years of service, leadership and commitment. Among his many accomplishments, Kaletkowski is credited with bringing together a group of community hospitals in Cumberland and Salem counties to form the South Jersey Healthcare system. Read more SHARE:
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January 23, 2013
Originally published on ShapingNJ Community Pilots ShapingNJ is excited to announce the selection of our 2013 community pilot sites. Through the Office of Nutrition and Fitness in the NJ Department of Health and the NJ Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 18 community coalitions – spearheaded by local health departments, YMCAs and other community-based organizations – are being awarded funds to work towards making the healthy choice, the easy choice in their own communities. We are looking forward to working with each of these communities as they implement policy and environmental changes and strive to reduce obesity: Atlantic City/Egg Harbor Bergen County Technical School Bloomfield Camden CentraState East Orange Elizabeth Garfield Irvington Monmouth County Morris County Parks New Brunswick/East Brunswick Newark Perth Amboy Plainfield Prodigal Sons and Daughters (Newark) Trenton Vineland SHARE:
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January 15, 2013
Press Release: Advocates for Children of New Jersey New Jersey was one of just 10 states to achieve a double-digit increase in the number of children receiving a healthy breakfast at school, according to a national report released today. While the state still ranks a concerning 46th nationally, New Jersey school districts are finally making progress toward ensuring more children receive school breakfast, which can help students succeed in school. This is being accomplished with more schools serving breakfast in the first few minutes of the school day, instead of the traditional method of serving breakfast before school when most children have not yet arrived. Known as “breakfast after the bell,” this approach significantly increases student participation. “More New Jersey children are starting their school day with the nutrition they need to concentrate and learn,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, which co-chairs the […]
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January 15, 2013
Originally published in The Daily Journal The YMCA is trying to help local residents keep their New Year’s resolutions to remain fit all year long. While many people make a resolution to exercise, the Y is promoting a resolution to “Live Healthy,” according to Lisa Scheetz, director of operations at the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA on Landis Avenue. Living Healthy has three components, including healthy living, youth development and social responsibility. “In healthy living we talk about how people can fight chronic disease and how kids can fight childhood obesity,” Scheetz said of the new program for 2013. Read more SHARE:
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December 12, 2012
New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Trenton debuts video at State of the State of Obesity Conference in East Brunswick, NJ. SHARE:
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December 11, 2012
More 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 […]
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December 3, 2012
The 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 […]
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