Wellness and Prevention Health Reform Digest, March 1, 2016 | Health Reform

Wellness and Prevention

Health Reform Digest

Reports and Announcements

The American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Dietitians of Canada released a revised position paper in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, entitled Nutrition and Athletic Performance. The paper finds “that the performance of, and recovery from, sporting activities are enhanced by well-chosen nutrition strategies. These organizations provide guidelines for the appropriate type, amount and timing of intake of food, fluids and supplements to promote optimal health and performance across different scenarios of training and competitive sport.”

Last week, the National Press Foundation’s seminar Obesity’s Toll: Get the Skinny on Fat, “featured a wide range of perspectives and the latest scientific research on obesity, including a review of policies and trends from Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State of Obesity report, and from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The CDC has released a series of Prevention Status Reports that provide state-by-state information on “the status of public health policies and practices designed to address 10 important public health problems and concerns.”

A heads up from the American Association on Health and Disability of The Benefits of Staying Engage in Life Despite Chronic Pain, from the Healthy Aging & Physical Disability RRTC at University of Washington.

The American Public Health Association has announced that the National Public Health Week (NPHW) website is live. It contains “facts of the week,” downloadable logos, wallpaper and infographics and a full toolkit “to plan your events and rally to make the U.S. the healthiest nation by 2030.”

Upcoming Events

Healthy Food America and ChangeLab Solutions are hosting a webinar, Best Practices in Designing Local Taxes on Sugary Drinks, featuring a guide of the same name. The guide “draws on numerous resources and the expertise of a panel of the nation’s most experienced hands in developing this emerging health intervention. Where possible, it identifies areas of established consensus among the experts, while also highlighting issues in need of further exploration, clarification or experimentation.” The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (EST). To register for the webinar and/or to receive a copy of the guide.

The Public Health Foundation and the Association for Community Health Improvement is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 30th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (EDT) on The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) and how it can support community health improvement efforts. Participants “will learn more about The Community Guide and pilot activities underway to help hospitals use evidence-based recommendations and findings found in The Community Guide to take action and implement community health improvement activities in collaboration with health departments and other community partners.”

Reminder - The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is hosting a hearing tomorrow (March 2nd) at 10:15 a.m. - Examining the U.S. Public Health Response to the Zika Virus. The hearing will be held in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. To view the webcast.

Opportunities/Deadlines

The Opportunities/Deadlines categories are live links you can click on for further information.

Sign On Documents and Opportunities for Input

CADCA is circulating a national sign-on letter in support of H.R.953/S.524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) which currently has over 125 signatures. This bi-partisan comprehensive piece of legislation would make important advancements to effectively address the growing epidemic of drug abuse and misuse in the U.S. To sign onto the letter.

Prevention Partners is “asking organizations with school obesity prevention programs to map their location and promote themselves as a resource to schools on the newly launched School Health Hub. There’s no cost to participate-the goal is to get programs on the map so we all know where we are and to then promote the Hub to schools so they can take better advantage of these programs.” To submit your program.

The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) is asking organizations to sign a pledge to have healthy meetings, conferences, and events. To assist organizations, NANA has developed a Healthy Meeting Toolkit. (no deadline)

The CEO Pledge for Physical Activity, sponsored by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, “encourages every CEO In the United States and beyond to recognize physical activity as an important driver of employee health and business performance.” The number of pledges has risen substantially over the past year to well over 300 business leaders.

Regulatory Comments/Federal Postings

As part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) efforts to better understand the wide range of influences that can help build a national Culture of Health, RWJF has announced that Policies for Action: Policy and Law Research to Build a Culture of Health (P4A) is launching its first call for proposals.” Based at Temple University, P4A will consider proposals and fund research that identifies policies, laws, and other regulatory tools in the public and private sectors that can support building a Culture of Health.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget has released a Fall 2015 update of the status of regulations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Food, Nutrition & Policy Consultants has updated its document on upcoming regulations that provides a summary of upcoming key regulations regarding nutrition, obesity prevention, nutrition facts labels, tobacco, early care and education, and other public health topics based on a scan of the most recent Semiannual Regulatory Agenda publication (December 2015 update) - with multiple deadlines.

Funding Opportunities and Awards

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced a call for proposals for

Evidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health, a program supporting “investigator-initiated research to develop the evidence base needed to build a national Culture of Health - in which everyone has the opportunity to live their healthiest life possible.” Between five and 12 grants will be awarded each year, totaling approximately $2.2 million. (Letters of intent are being accepted on a rolling basis)

Plate of the Union, “a collaborative effort to raise the voice of the millions of Americans who care about food and farm issues in the 2016 presidential election cycle,” has announced the launch of its Campus Challenge. “Teams of college students in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are invited to apply. (deadline, March 21st)

Action for Healthy Kids is accepting School Grants for Healthy Kids applications for the 2016-2017 school year. “Schools may apply for School Breakfast grants to pilot or expand their School Breakfast programs or Game On grants to fund physical activity/nutrition initiatives.” Deadline is April 1st. You can also register for informational webinars: School Breakfast (March 1st) and Game On (March 2nd).

The de Beaumont Foundation and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health have a new partnership to promote “students or early career professionals who might like to experience the world of health philanthropy,” via a public health philanthropy fellowship program. (deadline, March 3rd)

The 2016 Health Datapalooza is accepting nominations for its Health Data Liberators Award. The award “recognizes extraordinary contributions and leadership in the liberation of health data, helping to accelerate the pace and multiply the volume of data available to innovators in order to foster the creation of products and services to improve health and health care.” (deadine, March 4th)

The CDC has released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DP16-1607: Sodium Reduction in Communities Program, “to implement and evaluate promising, broad-reaching, and sustainable strategies, while engaging food sector collaborators to facilitate reductions in sodium levels in commercially processed and restaurant foods…. Grantees will implement and expand on sustainable strategies while engaging food sector collaborators (e.g. vendors, suppliers, and/or trade association affiliates) to facilitate reductions in sodium levels in commercially processed and restaurant foods. (deadline, March 15th)

Partnership for a Healthier America has announced its Catalyst for Change Awards for “those working to make healthier choices easier.” For more information (deadline for nominations, March 25th), and to register for the 2016 Summit.

The CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control announced the availability of funding for the Core State Violence and Injury Prevention Program (funding opportunity number: CDC-RFA-CE16-1602). “This new funding opportunity will provide resources and support to focus on implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of injury and violence prevention (IVP) programs, practices, and policies with the best available research evidence.” Over $30 million over five years is available via cooperative agreements. (deadline for letters of intent, March 1st, and for applications, April 8th)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an Informational Bulletin “explaining a new demonstration project to evaluate the impact of direct certification for both free and reduced price school meals. The new demonstrations will evaluate the potential of direct certification to enroll new children, certify currently enrolled children, and impact participation in the school lunch and breakfast programs.” The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued a Request for Applications inviting state agencies that administer school meal programs to participate in the new demonstration project. (deadline for applications the 2016-2017 school year, April 15th, and deadline for the 2017-2018 school year, September 16th)

Community Partners, with support from The California Endowment, Blue Shield of California Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, has released a Request for Proposals for up to six Accountable Communities for Health. “Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) seek to explicitly bring together key sectors and partners-from the community to the health care delivery system-in order to collectively advance a common health goal.” Up to six awardees will receive up to $250,000 in the first year of funding and up to $300,000 per year for the next two years. Grantees will also receive technical assistance and participate in a learning community. To submit a proposal (deadline, April 29th).

Ahead of its 2016 Annual Meeting, the American Public Health Association is seeking nominations for a series of awards for those who have made “extraordinary contributions to public health.” The awards will be presented at APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo, October 29th - November 2nd in Denver, CO. (deadline, May 6th)

Upcoming Events

today’s additions in red

The Impact of Stigma on Public Health and Public Health Policy