Recent Stories
February 12, 2018
More Trenton children and youth will be able to enjoy a hot dinner, five-days-a-week at their after-school programs thanks to a grant from YMCA of the USA and reimbursement dollars from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The complimentary meals are offered to children and youth ages 18 and under. Currently, about 135 city children are served dinner daily as part of after-school programs at the Trenton YMCA and Martin Luther King Elementary. “The additional funds have allowed the program to expand to also include three city-operated community centers,” said Khadijah McQueen, Food Access Coordinator at the Trenton YMCA. “We hope to provide meals to a total of 750 children and youth daily by June 2018.” The Y also wants to provide dinners for kids at local housing developments. Planning for that initiative is underway with the hope to include two developments this year and add more in each year […]
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February 12, 2018
The New Jersey Healthy U program was recently selected as the inaugural winner of the 2017 CATCH® Award for Excellence in State Health! The CATCH® Awards for Excellence in Health are a national distinction presented by CATCH Global Foundation and Flaghouse, Inc.in recognition of exemplary efforts to promote and support health and wellness locally through the CATCH Program. The CATCH Award winners have distinguished themselves among the more than 10,000 sites across the United States through: Positive, demonstrable health impacts among those they serve; Exceptionally high standards for fidelity of program implementation; and, Continued dedication to sustain programmatic efforts across multiple The CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) curriculum has been an integral component of the Healthy U collaborative partnership between the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance and its 37 Member Associations. Since 2008, Healthy U has supported and promoted healthy lifestyles to […]
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February 12, 2018
The New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative will kick off 2018 with its Heart Smarts program at the New Way Deli Market 617 MLK Blvd in Trenton, NJ from 10 AM – 12 PM. The Heart Smarts program includes nutrition education, free blood pressure screenings and $4 in Heart Bucks to use on heart-healthy store items. The free program will be held every 3rd Wednesday beginning February 21 through September 19th. The program is sponsored by Novo Nordisk, with support from The Food Trust, Capital Health and New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SHARE:
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January 16, 2018
At the 2017 Culture of Health Conference, Valeria Galarza, Senior Project Manager, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership presented a Culture of Health Champion Award to the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in recognition of the positive impact it has made in so many communities across the nation. Founded in 2002 by Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, the Camden Coalition started as a monthly breakfast group of local health care providers, community partners and advocates committed to elevating the health of patients facing the most complex medical and social challenges. The Camden Coalition’s most significant accomplishment is its ability to use “healthcare hotspotting,” an approach that uses data to help drive high quality, comprehensive care, and support services to some of the city’s high utilizers of healthcare. The Coalition’s work has sparked a field and movement that unites communities of caregivers in Camden and across the nation to innovate and test health care delivery models […]
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January 16, 2018
The Trenton Healthy Corner Store Network hosted Mercer County Freeholder & President/CEO of the Trenton YMCA Sam Frisby; Mercer County Freeholder Anthony Verrelli; legislative staff from Assemblyman Reed Gusciora’s Office; and other local officials on a site visit at New Way Deli Market in Trenton (617 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) on December 12, 2017. The tour showcased the positive impact healthy corner stores like New Way Deli Market are making to increase people’s access to affordable, healthy food, as well as bolster economic development efforts by capturing retail dollars that would otherwise be spent outside of the community. The visit also featured the store’s new Heart Smarts program that includes on-site nutrition lessons and health screenings that are made available with support from Novo Nordisk. The Trenton Healthy Corner Store Network was launched by the Trenton YMCA in 2012 and is part of a larger statewide effort of the […]
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January 16, 2018
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), can have devastating, long-lasting effects on children’s health and well being. In New Jersey, 41 percent of children 0-17 years have experienced one or more ACEs, and 18 percent have had two or more. Nationally, more than 46 percent of U.S. youth-34 million children under age 18 have had at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and more than 20 percent have had at least two. That’s according to a 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health and analysis conducted by the Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study provided state-by- state rates and trends on ACEs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) collaborated with and worked with CAHMI to release the data. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) refer to a range of events that a child can experience, which leads to stress and can result […]
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December 5, 2017
The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) co-hosted the Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey: A Systems Approach to Promoting Population Health Conference on Wednesday, November 29th at Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. “Our goal is to help communities create policy and environmental changes that address social determinants of health and improve overall health outcomes for New Jersey families,“ stated Dr. Darrin Anderson, State Program Director, New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK). Anderson Kicks Off Conference NJPHK’s State Program Director Dr. Darrin Anderson kicked off the event attended by more than 500 public health professionals, social workers, educators, dietitians, and community leaders from across the state. This year’s conference — one of the largest Public Health Conferences in New Jersey — had the largest attendance ever! Anderson lauded attendees for their partnership and commitment and advised them to “Bring home the difference you see today […]
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November 7, 2017
November is American Diabetes Month. According to Healthline.com, more than 1.4 million cases of diabetes are being diagnosed annually and about 95% of those cases are type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that more than 12% of the New Jersey population is diabetic and a 2012 Community Health Assessment reported that nearly 10% of Mercer County residents have been diagnosed with diabetes. While still less common than adults, the number of children currently being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is increasing nationwide due to poor eating habits and obesity. The Community Health Collaborative (CHC) is a program created by Novo Nordisk to improve healthy behaviors in children grades 2-4 in selected Trenton schools by expanding opportunities to access healthy food and increase physical activity. “Since its founding in 2015, the Community Health Collaborative has made important progress in enhancing the culture of health around young people in Trenton,” […]
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November 7, 2017
Over 400 public health professionals, educators, and community leaders will hear from 30 population health experts at the Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey conference on Wednesday, November 29th, 2017 in Edison, NJ. This year’s theme is ‘A Systems Approach to Promoting Population Health.’ Participants will learn about various public health topics, as well as how to leverage and exchange best practices and research findings in Building a Culture of Health. Meet Our Featured Speakers The daylong conference will feature two dynamic keynote speakers – four-time Olympic runner and New Jersey native Joetta Clark Diggs and social media entrepreneur Dr. Mikhail (Mike) Varshavski D.O. Clark Diggs is a four-time Olympian, Motivational Extraordinaire and NJ Hall of Fame Inductee. She is also the founder of the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation. Clark Diggs had a successful 24-year career as a competitive 800-meter and 1500-meter runner, winning many collegiate, national, […]
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November 7, 2017
The Raritan Valley YMCA’s Healthy U program got families in a festive mood on Tuesday, October 31 with their Healthy Halloween event. The day-long event featured a “Trunk or Trails” that encouraged physical activity among the children. During the day, child care classes hosted individual Halloween parties that featured themed games, activities, and even healthy ‘fruit snacks,’ consisting of a variety of different fruit skewers. “Halloween can be presented without so many sugar sweet drinks and snacks,” said Preeti Srivastava, senior director for the Raritan Valley YMCA. “A little creativity goes a long way to keep children healthier and active.” Parents were notified prior to the celebration, asking them to choose more nutritional snack items to place in trick or treat bags. While the children trick or treated through the YMCA parking lot, they were asked to do a trick (perform a simple exercise) in exchange for a healthy treat. SHARE:
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