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Is your County healthy?

April 20, 2016

Find out how healthy your New Jersey County is and explore factors that drive your health in the newly released 2016 County Health Rankings Report. SHARE:

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Absence of Recess a Setback for New Jersey Children

April 20, 2016

Darrin Anderson, Sr., PhD, MS State Deputy Director, New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids The absence of recess in New Jersey public schools is a disfavor to elementary school children and a major setback in promoting a healthy weight among children. Childhood obesity in our country has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Today, nearly one in four children ages 10-17 in New Jersey are overweight or obese which leads to a plethora of health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illnesses that have been generally associated with adults. According to the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research, healthcare costs due to childhood obesity are estimated to cost $14 billion per year. As a state, we need to encourage active play among children. Recess represents an unparalleled chance to increase physical activity, improve academic performance and foster social interaction among kids. It’s also an […]

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Park Hop: Lessons Learned and Applied

April 19, 2016

From April 9 through May 19, Vineland residents are being urged to “HOP ON” and enjoy a series of family friendly activities at their local parks. It’s the second annual Park Hop, sponsored by Live Healthy Vineland, Vineland Health Department General Mills, Inspera Medical Center and the Cumberland Cape County YMCA. Park Hop will build on last’s year’s success and be better than ever thanks to lessons learned about promotion and organization and a team of college interns ready to apply them. “Park Hop 2015 was a new venture and like all new things, some aspects worked well and others needed some tweaking,” said David Calderetti, project manager for New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Vineland and Live Healthy Vineland. Three learnings concerned timing, organization and promotion. This year, Park Hop takes place in the spring instead of summer. “Spring events should get residents in the habit of using the parks […]

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Trenton, NJ is Recognized for its Improving ‘Culture of Health’

April 19, 2016

Trenton, NJ has been selected as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Prize for its community health initiatives. Out of 200 communities, only 16 were selected as finalists and Trenton is the only New Jersey community to make this year’s list. With the statewide Healthy Corner Store Initiative, a first-of-its-kind healthy farmers market on Greenwood Avenue, and obesity prevention policies including Complete Streets and District Wellness, Trenton has been making great strides in moving towards making the city a healthier and more sustainable place for its residents. More importantly, NJPHK-Trenton has played an integral part in the success of these initiatives. The RWJF Culture of Health finalists have to meet six specific criteria in order to earn this distinguished status: Defining health in the broadest possible terms Committing to sustainable systems changes and policy oriented long-term solutions Cultivating a shared and deeply-held belief in the […]

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Mission-Specific: YMCA Conference Focuses on Social Responsibility

April 19, 2016

Originally posted on myCentralJersey.com Communities move from awareness to action with local YMCA programs; meetinig looks at how to do more MONROE – A Saturday recreation program for children with autism and their families has helped families in Somerset County for 25 years. In Hunterdon County, a Citizen Study Group has helped 33 students become citizens since 2011. The Center for Support, Success and Prosperity has provided medical, spiritual, social and emotional services to Middlesex County’s homeless population for the past eight years. These varied programs have two key element in common: They take social responsibility seriously, and they happen at Central Jersey YMCAs. On Thursday, the YMCA’s mission of social responsibility —- and the different ways New Jersey’s Y’s are fulfilling that mission — brought more than 350 volunteers, Y employees and community partners together to discuss what is being done and what more can done to help those in need. In its third year, the Graham […]

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Ask NJPHK

April 19, 2016

What Is a Brownfield? A brownfield is a site where a plot of land was previously used for commercial or industrial uses and the land may have been contaminated by pollution or waste, but can be used for business or retail developers once it has been cleaned up. (https://www.epa.gov/brownfields) What are the potential benefits to redeveloping brownfields? The redevelopment of brownfields can provide many benefits to a community, including an increased tax base, the creation of new jobs, the utilization of existing infrastructure, and the removal of blight. The removal of contaminants in the area also helps to protect human health and the environment. Submit your questions to NJPHK at info@njhealthykids.org. SHARE:

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Latest on the Zika Virus from the CDC

April 19, 2016

As the Zika virus makes headlines around the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to provide up-to-date news and information about the disease. The site provides a comprehensive resource for providers, consumers and media with information about symptoms, transmission, prevention, travel alerts, surveillance and control and more.   SHARE:

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Study Says Having a Younger Sibling May Be Good for a Child’s Waistline

April 19, 2016

Is it possible that a two-year old with a younger brother or sister will have a healthier body mass index than a child with no younger siblings? That is what a recent study in Pediatrics suggests. The study reports that a study of almost 700 children by University of Michigan researchers concluded that preschoolers who experienced the birth of a sibling had lower body mass index scores when they reached first grade than preschoolers without younger siblings. Click here to read an article in US News & World Report. SHARE:

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NJPHK-Camden’s Galarza Shares Her Pathway to Leadership

April 19, 2016

Support, balance and self-acceptance were prominent themes at the Women in Leadership Network Forum on February 23, sponsored by Virtua, a New Jersey healthcare services provider. The Network offers professional development, mentoring and learning opportunities for women to maximize their potential. Rhonda Jordan, Virtua Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, described the Forum as an opportunity for women to come together and learn from other women leaders. This was the first in a series of planned events. Valaria Galarza, Senior Project Manager New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden (NJPHK-C), served as a panelist along with New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen, Tracy Carlino, Virtua Chief Nursing Officer and Niketa Thigpen, CEO of ThigPro Consulting. They fielded questions from 200-plus attendees. For Galarza, the Forum was an opportunity to explain the work of NJPHK-C and also share her story of growing into leadership roles with NJPHK-C, the YMCA and […]

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Cooper’s Ferry Partnership Unveils New Get Healthy Camden Initiative

April 19, 2016

Cooper’s Ferry Partnership is relaunching the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK-Camden) with the unveiling of the new Get Healthy Camden initiative (GHC).  For six years, the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties (Y) and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) have co-directed NJPHK-Camden, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The new GHC program is designed to address city-wide challenges in creating a culture of health in Camden. The GHC initiative will fall under the umbrella of the Camden Collaborative Initiative (CCI). In order to streamline services in the delivery of programs and resources to Camden residents, Tim Kerrihard, President and CEO of the Y, John Emge, Vice President and Regional Executive Director of UWGPSNJ and Anthony Perno, III, CEO of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership have agreed to move the administration of NJPHK-Camden to Cooper’s Ferry. NJPHK-Camden’s policy goals are to increase access […]

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