Statewide HEAL Initiative: Local News

Farms Are Interested in Supplying NH Schools with Local Produce

2010-09-02T17:56:55Z

The New Hampshire Farm to School Program just announced in their Back To School Newsletter that local farms are ready to provide fresh, local produce to our school children.

NH Farm to School Program
Back to School Newsletter
9/2/2010

As the new school year begins, don't put off thinking about the New Hampshire Farm to School Program. Farmers are having a fantastic year and many fruits and vegetables are being harvested early due to the warm spring we had.

These farmers are waiting to hear from you! Contact the farms nearest your school location.

Alma Farm, Porter, Maine (Freedom Schools) eat@almafarm.com
Apple Annie, Brentwood, NH, cpratt@exeter.edu, 778-8881 (No apples this year due to frost)
Applecrest Farm Orchards, Hampton Falls, NH, info@applecrest.com, 926-3721
Apple Hill Farm, Concord, NH, chuck@applehillfarmnh.com, 224-8862
Autumn Harvest Farm, Grafton, NH, Ray LeBlanc, 632-9144
Ballentine Farm, Dalton, NH, Danny Ballentine, 444-3476
Bee Thankful Farm, Deerfield, NH, nkarakoudas@beethankfulfarm.com
Blueberry Bay Farm, Stratham, NH, info@blueberrybayfarm.com
Brookdale Fruit Farm, Hollis, NH, brookdalefruitfarm@yahoo.com, 465-2241
Brookford Farm, Rollinsford, NH, brookfordfarm@gmail.com, 742-4084
Campton Farm, Campton, NH, cglidden@gmail.com
Carter Hill Orchard, Concord, NH, carterhillorchard@comcast.net, 225-2625 (they also carry 8oz apple cider)
Country Dreams Farm, Nashua/Mason, NH, Drema Cady, 878-3437
Crooked Pine Farm, Wolfeboro, NH, crookedpinefarm@hotmail.com, 539-5603
Devylder Farm, Wolfeboro, NH, 569-4110
Eastmans Fish, Seabrook, NH, Carolyn Eastman, 760-7422
Fertile Fields Farm, Westmoreland, NH, schreierlori@aol.com, 399-7772
Fletcher Community Farm, Haverhill, MA, fletchercommunityfarm@yahoo.com, 978-388-3422
Frosts Roadside Garden, Monroe, NH, ebfrost@roadrunner.com
Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook, NH, info@gouldhillfarm.com, 746-3811
Grande Hill Farm, Madbury, NH, remcdonough@comcast.net, 868-5176
Hackleboro Orchard, Canterbury, NH, bossmohn@msn.com, 783-4248
Hague Family Farm, Barnstead, NH, 435-8411, Mike Hague
Haynes Hill Farm, Wolfeboro, NH, 569-1936, Erica Horskin
High Hopes Orchard, Westmoreland, NH, info@highhopesorchard.com, 399-4305
Huckins Farm, Hebron, NH, huckinsfarm@gmail.com, 347-2448
J and F Farms, Derry, NH, jandffarms@gmail.com, 437-0535
Joes Brook Farm, Barnett, VT, Mary Skovsted, mskovsted@gmail.com
Johnsons Highland View Farm, Windham, NH, farmnfools@comcast.net, 898-3831
Kellie Brook Farm, Greenland, NH, kelliebrookfarm@comcast.net (meat)
Ledgetop Farm, Wilton, NH, tommitchell@tds.net, 654-6002
Longview Farm, Plymouth, NH, cperk40119@aol.com, 536-3823
Lyman View Farm, Lyman, NH, Dick Mordhurst, 838-6425
McKenzies Farm, Milton, NH, bmckenzie-1@hotmail.com, 652-9400
McLeod Orchards, Milford, NH, mcleodorchards@gmail.com, 673-3544
Meadow Ledge Farm, Loudon, NH, nhapples@aol.com, 798-5860
Meadows Mirth, Stratham, NH, josh@meadowsmirth.com, 767-2610
Meadowstone Farm, Bethlehem, NH, Tim Wennrich, 444-0786
Miller Farm, New Durham, NH, pvtpilot@metrocast.net, 859-1022
Mooseview Farm, Brookfield, NH, pam@mooseview.com, 522-0031
New Pastures Farm, Milan, NH, Mark Campbell, howsitgoing1234@hotmail.com
Nippo Brook Farm, Barrington, NH, Abe Pearson, 664-6779
No 6 Farmstand, Pike, NH, Allison Harmon, 989-5554
North Country Farm Fresh Cooperative, Colebrook, NH, connect777@gmail.com, 237-5159
Nottingham Orchard, Nottingham, NH, katyhiza@hotmail.com, 679-5524 (no apples this year due to frost)
Picadilly Farm, Winchester, NH, csa@picadillyfarm.com, 239-8718
Picnic Rock Farm, Meredith, NH, info@picnicrockfarms.com, 279-6126
Pustizzi Fruit Farm, Boscawen, NH, Joe Pustizzi, zaku@tds.net
Random Hills Farm, Weare/Contoocook, NH, Rick Berry, 657-8294
Red Manse Farm, Loudon, NH, earl@redmansefarm.com, 435-9943
Spider Web Gardens, Tuftonboro, NH, swg@worldpath.net
Stout Oak Farm, Epping, NH, Kate Donald, stoutoakfarm@gmail.com
Sullivan Farm, Nashua, NH, sullivanfarmllc@yahoo.com, 595-4560
Surowiec Farm, Sanbornton, NH, surowiecfarm@aol.com, 286-4069
Swampy Lane Farm, N.Haverhill, NH, Nicole, nickdenn97@aol.com, 747-2982
The Root Seller, Nottingham, NH, comtedan@aol.com, 942-1297
Touching Earth Farm, Kittery, ME, info@touchingearthfarm.com
Trombly Gardens, Milford, NH, Sean Trombly, 620-5785 or 673-0647
Vegetable Ranch, Warner, NH, vegetableranch@gmail.com, 496-6391
Warner River Organics, Webster, NH, warnerriverorganics@tds.net, 746-3108
Walker Hill Farm, Lisbon, NH, walkerhillfarm@gmail.com
Yankee Farmers Market, Warner, NH, kefarmer@tds.net, 456-2833 (bison)

Click here for more news from NH Farm to School.

NH Farm to School Program
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
phone: 603-862-4088
email: stacey.purslow@unh.edu
www.nhfarmtoschool.org

STEPtember 2010: A Month To A Healthy You!

2010-08-30T04:03:38Z

In September, America On The Move (AOM) will host STEPtember 2010, their fifth annual, month-long celebration highlighting how easy it is to be active and eat healthier. During the event, AOM will encourage Americans to try its small changes approach to healthier living, allowing hundreds of thousands of Americans to experience the simplicity, power, and success of making small changes to live a healthier life.

AOM's own research proves that small, specific changes in food and physical activity can have a significant impact on health and effectively stop weight gain. Their research-based programs encourage people to move more and eat healthier by making two small daily changes:

Take 2,000 more steps (about one mile)
Eat 100 fewer calories (about a tablespoon of butter)

Engaging in AOM's small changes approach can help participants achieve energy balance and stop the average national adult weight gain of one to two pounds a year.

For the entire article from AOM, and information on how to sign yourself or your group up, click here.

NH Group Seeks Stricter School Lunch Standards

2010-08-25T02:13:31Z

By Doug Ireland direland@eagletribune.com
Eagle Tribune

Despite new, stricter federal standards for food served for school lunches, some Southern New Hampshire residents are launching a campaign to make sure the health of school children isn't being taken for granted.

Derry native Benjamin Thompson of the New Hampshire Public Interest Research Group is spearheading an effort to ensure the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to tighten its standards for food served to the nation's youngsters through the national school lunch program.

On July 1, 2010 the USDA improved its standards for beef, but must still increase those for other foods such as fish, Thompson said. "We need all these standards to be up to par so we can feed them to our kids," he said.

Thompson teamed up with another Derry resident, state Rep. Gina Hutchinson, to launch his organization's Safe Food, Healthy Kids campaign Thursday, July 22, 2010 in front of the Statehouse in Concord.

Hutchinson, a teacher in the Derry and Timberlane Regional school districts for 35 years, said federal standards for school lunches need to be beefed up to make sure children are receiving the safe, nutritious food they need. "The whole idea is looking for better inspections, especially the ground beef and chicken," she said in an interview Wednesday.

The retired educator said although the general quality of meals served at New Hampshire's schools is perhaps better than in many other states, tougher federal standards means children will be less likely to suffer from food-borne illnesses such as salmonella.

Thompson said one particular concern is chicken, noting that the poultry sold to school lunch programs are "spent hens" too old to lay eggs. Their meat is tough and stringy, and four times more prone to salmonella than chicken sold at supermarkets, he said.

As part of his organization's campaign, Thompson said they plan to survey more than 1,000 New Hampshire parents over the next five weeks on the quality of lunches served in schools. The consumer advocacy group also intends to lobby Congress to pass the proposed Child Nutrition Act and to pressure the federal government to improve its tracking system for recalled foods.

But of course, adopting stricter standards means spending additional money to make sure improvements are made and that the more stringent regulations are enforced, Hutchinson said. "We want them to have more nutritious foods, but are we willing to put more money behind it?" she asked.

One local school food service director interviewed, Barbara Schultz of Salem High School, said while the USDA tries to enact tougher standards and schools do the best they can to provide nutritious meals, budget constraints can be a problem. "I feel that they are always trying to improve the standards and the schools are always trying to improve their standards for the meal," she said.

When asked to respond to the group's allegations, the USDA released a statement refuting many of the claims. The federal agency said the recall of school lunch program products is rare and there have been no food-borne outbreaks in schools for more than a decade.

In addition, stricter poultry standards were announced two months ago, the USDA said. "From USDA's perspective, there is no more fundamental function of government than protecting consumers from harm, in this case from food-borne illness."

Concord Community Garden Growing More Than Vegetables

2010-08-17T20:34:34Z

By Gina Gioldassis on Monday, August 9, 2010.

Vegetable gardening has become a lot more popular in recent years. And community garden plots are popping up around the state. Some of these gardeners are hoping to help their tightening grocery budgets. Some simply want to know where their food comes from. But as NHPR's Gina Gioldassis reports, at one community garden in Concord, a lot more is growing than just summer vegetables.

The site of the Sycamore Community Garden nestled right next to New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord looks like any other. The individual garden plots lined up neatly in rows across the otherwise overgrown field. Tiny green tomatoes hang loosely from waist high plants surrounded by rows of corn. Young eggplants and cucumbers peek out from under tresses of green beans. The gardeners are bent over, pulling weeds, sweating in the hot sun.

But here's the difference.
Sound of Somali
Read or listen to the entire interview at nhpr.org

Obesity Rates Increase in New Hampshire

2010-08-12T02:53:59Z

Department of Health and Human Services Working to Promote Change

CDC Fact Sheet: Obesity Rises Among Adults

NHP-Obesity Prevention Program
Published Date:08/03/2010
Contact Information: Public Information Office 603-271-6526

Concord, NH -The rate of obesity in New Hampshire has reached 25.7%, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The obesity epidemic affects every state, and New Hampshire falls roughly in the middle, but no state met the country's Healthy People 2010 goal of an obesity rate below 15%.

The new data, published in today's CDC Vital Signs Report, entitled "State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults--United States, 2009," shows that nine states had an obesity rate above 30%, meaning more than 1 in 3 people in those states can be classified as obese. This is an increase from no states in 2000 and three states in 2005.

"These numbers are very concerning," said Dr. Jose Montero, Director of Public Health at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). "As a nation and a state we are getting heavier and heavier, both the health consequences and the strain on our economy and healthcare system are tremendous."
The study points out that people who are obese incur $1,429 per person extra in medical costs each year compared with people of normal weight, and that the nation's total medical costs of obesity were $147 billion.

"Obesity is a complex problem that requires both personal and community action," continued Montero. "We know it requires eating healthier and being active on most days but helping people to get there is the key. In Hew Hampshire we have been working on a number of initiatives to help people make better choices and take steps to live healthier, but to reverse this epidemic we need to change our communities into places that strongly support healthy eating and active living."

DHHS now has an obesity program within the Division of Public Health Services through funding from the CDC, the New Hampshire obesity prevention plan, Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL), has been in place for over two years, and DHHS is working with State and federal partners to implement the Health Care Reform Act, which includes such steps as requiring menu labeling.

The HEAL initiative is helping communities to become healthier, such as adding walking trails, encouraging parents to allow children to bike or walk to school, encouraging healthy options in school vending machines, and creating incentives for restaurants and food retailers to provide healthier options for customers.

The Vital Signs report is based on new data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. BRFSS is the states' source of data for monitoring Healthy People 2010 objectives. To assess obesity prevalence, approximately 400,000 survey respondents were asked to provide their height and weight, which is used to calculate their body mass index (BMI). A person is considered obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above.

For more information on obesity rates, including an animated map, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns or www.cdc.gov/obesity. To learn more about the Obesity Prevention Program at DHHS, visit www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/NHP/obesity.htm or call 603-271-4517.

State House event celebrates Walk NH milestone

2010-06-10T16:07:53Z

Program Announces New Walking Goal

A celebration including Governor John Lynch and NH First Lady, Dr. Susan Lynch was held on the State House lawn today marking the 5^th anniversary of Walk NH, a statewide physical activity and public awareness program to encourage people of all ages to
be active by walking.

Walk NH, coordinated by the Foundation for Healthy Communities, was launched in 2005 and originally designed for children ages 6 to 12 as a way to teach kids that getting in shape is fun and easy. Children pledged to walk the equivalent of either the length - 190 miles - or the width - 70 miles - of New Hampshire either individually or by walking with friends and/or family members. Due to its popularity, the program was quickly expanded to include kids of all ages and adults.

The event kicked off with music emceed by radio personality Nazzy of 105.5 WJYY and included promotional item giveaways, door prizes and an appearance from the Oakhurst Dairy mascot, "Oakie". Shawn LaFrance, executive director of the Foundation for Healthy Communities welcomed the crowd of mostly school-aged children and thanked program sponsors, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Oakhurst Dairy. He also announced an expansion of the Walk NH program to include a new walking goal for program participants -- the perimeter of the state of New Hampshire or 599 miles.

Oakhurst Dairy vice president of sales and marketing, Jim Lesser introduced Paralympian skier Chris Devlin-Young from Campton, NH who delivered an inspirational speech focused on the importance of exercising every day and never taking being able-bodied for granted. Eric Schulz, from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation expressed what a great opportunity it has been to sponsor the Walk NH program these past 5 years before introducing Governor Lynch.

Governor Lynch read a proclamation, designating the first week of June as Walk NH week. He also noted that Dr. Lynch has walked with groups participating in the program from all around the state and in every kind of weather. He then introduced Dr. Lynch, Walk NH spokeswoman, who in turn thanked the program sponsors and the Foundation for Healthy Communities for coordinating the Walk NH program for the last 5 years.

"Five years ago we held an event right here at the State House to help launch the Walk NH and today we celebrate all those children and adults who listened to the message--walk New Hampshire--and walked as a means to increase their level of physical activity and maintain their health. The beauty of Walk NH is its simplicity. You do not need a membership card, expensive clothes or equipment and there is no need to make an appointment to participate", said Dr. Lynch.

Dr. Lynch next introduced tri-athlete, Jeremy Woodward who explained how he walked his way back to health after two open heart surgeries. He is now training for his first Iron Man competition in July.

The formal program concluded with Oakie leading a group of walkers, many clad in orange Walk NH tee-shirts, on a half-mile walk through downtown Concord.

Since October 2005, more than 45,000 children and adults Walk NH participants have collectively walked over 153,000 miles throughout New Hampshire.

NHPR Produces A Special Series On NH Food

2010-05-14T19:04:13Z

Everyone eats. Concerns about the quality, quantity and environmental impact of our food supply has caused people to rethink their daily dietary choices. NHPR will produce a week-long series of shows, reports and features looking at our food supply here in New Hampshire. This series will include coverage that focuses on: Food quality - Do we really know what goes into our food? Some of the things we'll explore are the pros and cons of organic foods and the "eat local" movement. Food economics - For those who can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on CSA shares or locally grown organic produce, what are the options? Food production - We'll look at local farming and how we get food to our tables. Click here to learn more.

White House Issues Report on Childhood Obesity

2010-05-14T15:03:32Z

'Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation' is the title of the new (May 2010) White House report that both identifies the issue and provides a the time frame to remedy it. It describes 5 major areas for action: Early childhood; Empowering parents & care givers; Healthy food in schools; Access to healthy, affordable food; and Increasing physical activity. Benchmarks for success are specified for each area. The report lists 70 recommendations and identifies actions for government and the private sector. The NH HEAL Initiative is engaged in many strategies described in the report. Many of the White House report's recommendations echo recommendations in the Report of the NH Commission on Childhood Obesity (November 2009), a policy initiative launched by the Foundation for Healthy Communities in 2007.

2010 HEAL Conference Set for October 26th

2010-05-13T15:50:43Z

The Third Annual HEAL Conference is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, 2010. The conference will be held in Concord, NH. Social entrepreneur Tyler Norris of Creating Healthier Communities will be the featured speaker.

Tyler's current focus is on healthy food systems, active community environments and health equity. He consults for a number of leading organizations including: Kaiser Permanente, the Public Health Institute, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He advises multiple state level "convergences" and community change initiatives.

The conference will be open to anyone interested in creating healthy eating and active living environments in New Hampshire.

for Healthy Communities in Concord, NH on Eventbrite" />

Preventing Childhood Obesity in the Granite State

2010-05-13T14:56:01Z

Strategies to reduce childhood obesity were featured on NH Public Radio's The Exchange Program on April 30, 2010. Terry Johnson, NH HEAL Director, Mary McGowan, MD, who served on the NH Childhood Obesity Prevention Commission and Commission Vice Chair Representative Nancy Stiles of Hampton each talked about policy recommendations and efforts to create healthier environments where children live, learn and play. Below are links to the NHPR program and to a copy of the Commission's report.
NHPR
Commission's Report

Safe Routes for a Healthier Community

2010-05-13T14:27:57Z

A May 5 'My Turn' column in the Concord Monitor describes the challenges and opportunities from the perspective of John Corrigan, NH Safe Routes to School Program coordinator. He explains the value of linking a safe routes project to other community strategies that promote active living. Successes in Gorham, Littleton and Concord area cited in the story. Read More

Your Food Environment Atlas

2010-04-27T15:14:42Z

The number of farms with direct sales to consumers in New Hampshire by county is just one of the many information resources you can find in the 'Food Environment Atlas' accessible through the new Let's Move website. The Food Environment Atlas can be found on the Accessing Affordable and Healthy Food page of the website.

Let's Move! has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. The Let's Move aim is to provide parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country. First Lady Michelle Obama is leading this group of community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, moms and dads in a nationwide campaign to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity.

Walk NH 2010 Week - June 1-7 - Register Your Event

2010-03-31T13:21:49Z

Walk NH is a simple strategy to promote active living where you live, learn work or play! The Governor will designate the first week of June Walk NH Week 2010 as a way to help promote walking and keep NH residents healthy. What better way to celebrate this special week than to plan a walk (or walks) in your community? Your school, club, senior center, business, park and recreation department, health facility, youth group, etc., can be part of this statewide effort to encourage people to make walking part of their daily lifestyle.

Since October 2005, NH residents have collectively walked nearly 470,000 miles in various Walk NH events! Adults and children alike have had fun participating in the Walk NH program. Walk NH can help you plan your group or community walk and provide tools to inspire participants to continue walking after the Walk NH event ends. Questions? Contact Lea Miner at 225-0900 or visit WalkNH

Assessing Body Mass Index (BMI) at School for Surveillance Bill Fails in NH House

2010-03-31T12:40:17Z

The NH House of Representatives voted 256-58 on March 18 to kill a bill (HB 1479) that would require students in grades one, four, seven and ten to have their BMI assessed and confidentially reported for the statewide surveillance system that could measure population based trends. The House Education Committee's prior vote as inexpedient to legislate was upheld. Representative Nancy Stiles, Hampton, led the fight to overturn the committee's recommendation, asking that she be allowed to bring forward a floor amendment that would address concerns expressed by the majority. She spoke of the bill as the only recommendation to come forward from a recent set of policy recommendations by the NH Commission on the Prevention of Childhood Obesity. The Commission was established by the Legislature two years ago. Representative Stiles spoke about the $302 million per year spent in NH on medical costs associated with obesity and the success of school-based screening in many NH communities. Opponents expressed concerns about costs and self esteem.

Report of the New Hampshire Commission on Childhood Obesity

HEAL Communications Consultant Request for Proposals - Deadline May 21, 2010

2010-01-01T19:19:05Z

HEAL NH is seeking a Communications Consultant. All of the documents related to this RFP can be found below.