223951 EMPOWER – Arizona's collaborative leadership efforts in implementing policy on childhood obesity and tobacco use in child care settings

Monday, November 8, 2010

Jeanette Shea, MSW , Division of Public Health Prevention Services, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
Syed Hussaini, PhD , Bureau of Women and Children's Health, Office of Assessment & Evaluation, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
Sharon Sass, RD , Bureau of USDA Nutrition Programs, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
Gowri Shetty, MS, MPH , Office of Tobacco Education and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
The article discusses Arizona's strategic implementation of a policy that incorporates childhood obesity and tobacco use prevention—two critical public health issues into an innovative prevention program called EMPOWER, by blending dollars from three funding streams. The Division of Public Health and Prevention Services within the Arizona Department of Health Services worked with the State Licensure for Child Care Facilities to target child care providers that provide services to families of infants and children, by ‘incentivizing' adaptation of EMPOWER child care standards and off-setting rising child care licensing costs in Arizona. The article focuses on how public health issues can be effectively and efficiently addressed through collaborative leadership, blending funding streams, and utilizing evidence-based practices to assist communities in achieving public health outcomes. Preliminary findings and baseline data on the efficacy of the strategy and implications are discussed.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe and demonstrate the efficacy of implementing a policy that incorporates childhood obesity and tobacco use prevention—two critical public health issues into an innovative prevention program called EMPOWER, by blending dollars from three funding streams.

Keywords: Collaboration, Child Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee all prevention programs in the Division of Public Health Prevention Services within Arizona Department of Health Services.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.