Preventobesityil.org UPDATES March 13, 2013
New IAPO Goals
IAPO announces new goals for the state obesity Roadmap. IAPO is the only statewide coalition working on reducing obesity in Illinois. Thanks to the workgroups as well as IAPO’s Leadership Council and Steering Committee for creating these goals. Together we can reduce obesity in Illinois.
Click here to see our ambitious 2013 short-term goals.
Click here to see our new long-term goals.
We need your help to achieve our goals. Click here to sign up today for one of our IAPO Workgroups:
- Nutrition in Community and Other Institutional Settings
- Physical Activity in Community and Other Institutional Settings
- Childhood Nutrition and Physical Activity in Educational Settings
- Local Food Systems/ Food Access
- Obesity Prevention through Clinical Interventions and Access to Care
IAPO releases Worksite Wellness Resource Guide
With a healthier workforce, we get a better economy and higher quality of life. Worksite wellness programs boost employee morale and health, and are good for business, to boot. Did you know that for every $1 spent in wellness programs, companies could save an average of $3.27 in medical costs and $2.73 in absenteeism costs?
This new resource guide includes strategies and case studies for healthy eating, active transportation, physical activity, alternative scheduling and breastfeeding. You can also learn why companies should care about worksite wellness, how to start a wellness committee and even get links to assessment and sample policies.
Employee health is a worthwhile investment. Everyone benefits from worksite wellness programs: employers, employees, shareholders, and the broader community. When we are healthier as a society, we all benefit.
Using evidence-based strategies, this guide will help employers take bold action to invest in worksite wellness that can help businesses improve their bottom line by reducing health care spending and creating more productive workers.
Topics in the Resource Guide include:
- Starting a Wellness Committee
- Healthy Eating
- Active Transport/ Physical Activity
- Alternative Scheduling
- Breastfeeding
- Employer Success Stories
Download the IAPO Worksite Wellness Resource Guide here.
IAPO Releases Healthy Farms Healthy People Report
In October 2012, a wide array of health and agricultural stakeholders - including farmers, public health and food safety practitioners, food processors, food, nutrition and health entrepreneurs, to name just a few - converged on Springfield for the Healthy Farms, Healthy People symposium to address food access, regulations, food safety, and production/supply issues. IPHI has released a compendium of the innovative and exciting policy change and policy research opportunities and common themes that emerged from this groundbreaking event, including these topics:
Read important policy change recommendations in the areas of:
- Production, supply and distribution
- Access
- Risk Management and food safety
Check back soon for the report.
Illinois Fresh Food Fund
One of our top three policy goals has been accomplished. The Illinois Fresh Food Fund has been established. This is a huge win for obesity prevention advocates and for public health.
The newly created fund will finance the creation of full-service grocery stores and, on a case-by-case basis, other retail models that will increase the availability of fresh food in low-access areas. The program is modeled after successful efforts in Pennsylvania that, since its launch in 2004, has helped finance 88 new supermarkets or grocery store renovations -- providing residents in disadvantaged communities with greater access to a nutritionally balanced diet, coupled with nutritional education.
The establishment of the fund was prioritized as one of the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity's top three priorities in our Policy Agenda.
The Illinois General Assembly allocated $10 million for this innovative business development program. Additional funding for the program comes from a $3.5 m.illion grant that IFF secured through the U.S. Department of Treasury's Healthy Food Financing Initiative and also from banks and foundations.
Click here to see an IAPO press release about the Illinois Fresh Food Fund. For more information visit http://iff.org/illinois-food.
Visit out "News Room" for coverage about the Illinois Fresh Food Fund and other important updates.
About IAPO: The Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity (IAPO) is a statewide coalition comprised of a broad range of stakeholders working for a state-level response to the obesity epidemic. The IAPO works to shape and advance solutions to reverse dangerous obesity trends. IAPO supporters believe that Illinois must respond to the obesity epidemic by developing coordinated policy, systems, and environmental changes with investment on the scale of the problem. The Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity was launched and is coordinated by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI).
|
