Presentation Title
Unique Partnerships to Facilitate Access to Healthy Foods and Increased Education about Nutrition for Vulnerable Populations on Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Primary Presenter Brief Bio
Gregory has over 18 years of experience in building community and corporate partnerships, fundraising, public relations and volunteer management. He has a history of building long lasting relationships with community partners such as schools, faith based organizations, and non-profit organizations. Gregory retired from United States Air Force where he spent 21 years in the Human Resources arena. Social Services has been Gregory’s second career; where he has a total of five years of working directly with case managers to assist with finding creative ways to fill gaps within the community. At WellCare, he has served as a community relations specialist, and is currently serving in his third year as a community advocate with WellCare’s new program, Health Connections Model. He’s currently serving on the Effingham Family Connection Commission Board of Directors.
Type of Presentation
Workshop
Topic Category
Strand 7: Program Management
Targeted Age Group
Infant, Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary/Afterschool, Adult Learners
Targeted Audience
Family Child Care, Child Care Center, Directors/Administrators, Early Intervention Providers, After-School Providers, Primary Grades, Faith Based
Brief Session Description
Title: Unique Partnerships to Facilitate Access to Healthy Foods and Increased Education about Nutrition for Vulnerable Populations on Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Unique Partnerships to Facilitate Access to Healthy Foods and Increased Education about Nutrition for Vulnerable Populations on Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Title: Unique Partnerships to Facilitate Access to Healthy Foods and Increased Education about Nutrition for Vulnerable Populations on Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Full Session Description
Category: Nutrition Assistance Programs
Title: Unique Partnerships to Facilitate Access to Healthy Foods and Increased Education about Nutrition for Vulnerable Populations on Nutrition Assistance Programs.
23.2% of Georgia children live in food insecure households. This is one in every four Georgia children.
Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a public health priority nationally and in Georgia. In the United States, only 23.4% of adults eat fruits and vegetables 5 or more times per day, and only 24.5% of adults in Georgia do so (1). Markedly fewer adults eat fruits and vegetables in accordance with federal dietary guidelines (2).
Presenter: Gregory J. Rosso
Abstracts must include the following four elements (please include these section headings in your abstract text):
Introduction
23.2% of Georgia children live in food insecure households. This is one in every four Georgia children.
Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a public health priority nationally and in Georgia. In the United States, only 23.4% of adults eat fruits and vegetables 5 or more times per day, and only 24.5% of adults in Georgia do so (1). Markedly fewer adults eat fruits and vegetables in accordance with federal dietary guidelines (2).
Individuals cannot prioritize their health if they do not have access to food, especially healthy foods. Vulnerable populations are at increased risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity if they do not have both access to fresh produce and education about nutrition.
Approach
Through a unique partnership in Georgia, a Care Management Organization has been able to address food insecurity at the community level through partnerships with farmers market’s doubling SNAP dollars, educational programs. The model facilitates connections to food resources and social services, and bridges gaps in service availability. Partnerships included offering local farmers markets the opportunity to accept SNAP benefits, education for students at two Back-to-School events.
Results
542 surveys were analyzed and 80% of all surveys were completed by shoppers at a local farmers market in rural Georgia. Some of the findings were:
1. Nearly an equal number of respondents noted they eat a lot more fruits and vegetables versus those that noted no change in their fruit and vegetable consumption.
2. The majority of survey participants did not use an EBT/SNAP card by a margin of 3:1
Discussion
All programs reported positive results for farmers, in increased sales, and for the community, in increased knowledge about and access to healthy food.
Learning Objectives:
Identify opportunities for non-traditional partnerships to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable populations.
Design a model that removes social barriers to positive health outcomes and connects members of the community in need to resources for obtaining fresh produce and healthy foods at a low cost.
Demonstrate the need to increase healthy food access to those on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Demonstrate the need to increase knowledge about healthy food and nutrition education in order to increase consumption of healthy food for vulnerable populations
Gregory has over 18 years of experience in building community and corporate partnerships, fundraising, public relations and volunteer management. He has a history of building long lasting relationships with community partners such as schools, faith based organizations, and non-profit organizations. Gregory retired from United States Air Force where he spent 21 years in the Human Resources arena. Social Services has been Gregory’s second career; where he has a total of five years of working directly with case managers to assist with finding creative ways to fill gaps within the community. At WellCare, he has served as a community relations specialist, and is currently serving in his third year as a community advocate with WellCare’s new program, Health Connections Model. He is currently serving on the Effingham Family Connection Commission Board of Directors.