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Latest News Story:
Policy
Committee Updates
The
California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness has experienced some
great forward momentum this year. We have forged new partnerships and presented our health and wellness
information to numerous agencies and public forums.
Thanks to
The California Endowment, the Task Force was able to host a series of
legislative press events and luncheons throughout the Spring.
In
February, the Task Force hosted a press event and healthy foods tasting at the
State Capitol where we released the first Wellness Toolkit. Several hundred people attended
including a large number of legislators. Our new Wellness Toolkit contains a copy of Senate
Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 90 and an extensive resource
list of organizations with expertise in health and wellness fields. In
addition, Senator Torlakson personally called on legislative members to
participate in a community health and wellness study by completing a community
assessment tool provided by The Prevention Institute.
This event not only provided important information and resources to legislative
members, but also clearly demonstrated that healthier foods can certainly be
tasty foods as well. Companies donating food samples included: Sensible Foods, IZZE Beverages, Dole Food Co., Masuya, and The FruitGuys.
In May and
June, the Task Force continued its legislative information sessions with two
luncheons at the State Capitol. The first luncheon focused on two grocery store
bills that are before the legislature. A wealth of materials were made
available and a variety of speakers presented information about access to fresh
foods in underserved areas. Speakers included representatives from California
Food Policy Advocates, Public Health Advocacy, the Statewide Youth Board on
Obesity Prevention, and Policy Link. . The second luncheon enlightened audiences about how the new physical
education standards are supposed to be applied in K-12 schools. In addition, a
high school student from Stockton, CA provided a fresh perspective on the
effectiveness of his K-12 physical education classes. Finally, attendees received a copy of
the report recently released which stipulates the minimum amount of time
required for physical education activities and compliance with those standards by California K-12 schools. Presenters included Kathryn Scott, Physical
Education Director, UC Berkeley; Amanda Purcell from Public Health Advocacy;
and a member of the Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention. At both luncheons, members from both
major political parties attended and contributed to the question and answer
session.
The 2005-06
Superintendents’ Challenge award winners were announced on June 5, 2006. Seventeen
school districts applied this year and three schools were awarded for their
excellence in Wellness Policy development and/or implementation of these
policies. (See our news
advisory.) The winning districts were Kernville Union School District,
Jefferson Union High School District, and Stanislaus Union School District.
The School
Committee is currently discussing proposed revisions to the Superintendents’
Challenge to accommodate the increased number of schools statewide that will be
starting their implementation process. To ensure a collaborative approach to
implementation on school campuses, the School Committee is working closely with
Project LEAN, California Action for Health Kids, and the Department of
Education.
The
Workplace Committee is currently in the process of reviewing applications for
the 2006 Fit Business award. The committee extended the deadline for applications until May 2006, which
has pushed the announcement of winners to September 2006.
In
addition, the Fit Business Award project is looking to expand its scope and reach by
partnering with all fourteen Public Broadcasting Stations to promote worksite
wellness and the Fit Business Award. More
information coming soon!
Finally,
committee member and founder/CEO of The FruitGuys, Chris Mittelstaedt, has
developed a checklist of workplace strategies for businesses looking to
evaluate and begin implementation of an employee or workplace wellness policy.
The initial version of this document was announced at the Shape UP summit in San Francisco, hosted by
Mayor Gavin Newsom (for press release, click here)
. Mayor Newsom announced that one of his goals was to achieve 100%
participation by all city and county offices in a workplace wellness
development program. A final version of this wellness policy will be available
shortly on our website.
2006 Fit Business Awards will be
announced in September. Date TBA.
