Online Program

LI Course
Oral

Partnership: 1. Community Health Planning and Policy Development Khusdeep Malhotra, BDS, MPH, National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30310, Phone: 4047565284, kmalhotra@msm.edu. Shariece Johnson, MA, Health Studies Sector, Westat, 1600 Research Boulevard, TB 373, Rockville, MD 20850, Phone: 240-314-2414, shariecejohnson@westat.com 2. Food and Nutrition Angela Watkins, MBA, MPH, Community Epidemiology and Evaluation, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 NE 10th, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, Phone: 405-271-9444 x 56428, angelaw@health.ok.gov. Amber Canto, MPH, RD, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, 432 N. Lake St, Room 335, Madison, WI 53706, Phone: 608-265-4975, amber.canto@ces.uwex.edu

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this Learning Institute is to enable public health professionals interested in health planning and community health policy to formulate verbal health improvement strategies into geographic strategies, analyze health improvement assets and problems across geographic scales, and design cross-sectoral collaboration efforts with systems and geographic thinking. This course will address two related professional skill gaps: (1) The gap between practitioners’ knowledge of the geography of health determinants and the ability to employ this knowledge as a planning and organizing tool for cross-sectoral collaboration. (2) The gap between knowledge of health improvement strategies and the ability to translate this knowledge into geographic strategies. As a CDC CTG awardee (TOUCH in in Broward County, Florida), we identified these gaps through our work with our healthy food access initiatives. We found that although we understood maps of food and health disparities for our county, conveying this knowledge to our partners and decision makers through presentations did not alone bring about the cross-sectoral collaboration that is necessary for systems and policy change. However, we began to see improved collaboration and geo-strategic thinking when we constructed a workshop whereby participants translated their healthy food access improvement strategies into geographic strategies on large printed maps. This Learning Institute will be a replication of the workshop we developed to help our partners collaborate geo-strategically. Healthy food access and food system planning will be used as organizing themes. Because everyone eats, food issues naturally bring together health professionals, community organizers, activists, academics, and policy makers around a common discourse. After a brief introduction about food systems planning concepts, the participants will be divided into three groups, each organized around two components of the food system (e.g., growing & processing, distribution & marketing). Each group will be provided a strategy matrix and a large 42”x 60” map of Broward County’s food environment and health disparities. By combining food system components with community plan elements (e.g., transportation, schools) on the strategy matrix, each group will come up with strategies to improve healthy food access. By drawing on the maps, participants will then translate how these strategies could work geographically. Each group will be given 15 minutes to report their strategy matrix and geographic solutions. This workshop will be delivered by a team of Broward County CTG awardee partners with expertise in public health, community food systems, urban planning, and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Session Objectives: Describe how to use maps and strategy matrices as tools for food system cross-sectoral collaboration and policy change. Design a strategy matrix using food system components and community planning elements. Formulate graphic strategies from verbally stated strategies.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)