Eric Ernst of the Sarasota Herald Tribune wrote this column, hilighting local efforts to address obesity. Published on 7/6/10.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100706/COLUMNIST/7061031

Imagine getting around your community, safely and easily,without a car. AARP has produced a handy guide to help folks explore some “active transport” options. Check it out! www.completestreets.org/webdocs/resources/aarp-gettingaroundguide.p

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Momentum continues to build around efforts to curb obesity rates and create a healthier Sarasota County.

Without the $4.7 million in grant funds we had hoped for from the CDC, we still plan to get some things done.  

At our last meeting, on May 26th, we heard from County Planning staff about the upcoming opportunity to provide input on the County’s comprehensive plan, our workgroups met and we continued to build off of the work that has already been done to create a community-wide plan to address obesity.

We will meet next on Wednesday, June 23^rd, again at the lovely Edson Keith Mansion at  Phillippi Estates Park, from noon-1:30.  Bring your lunch and your ideas!

 As a collective group working to address obesity in Sarasota County, I can see us having 3 products in the next couple of months:

• A comprehensive set  policy recommendations  for addressing obesity in Sarasota County (For businesses, schools, governments, etc.),
•   An action plan which identifies some key actions which can be accomplished by the end of 2011, and finally,
•  An awareness campaign, or brand, that ties everything together and promotes Sarasota County as a healthy, vibrant community. 

In addition to the 4 workgroups that have been identified (Branding our Message/Creating a Community Ethic Around Health, Creating a Healthy Food System, Safe Routes to School/Walking School Bus, and Walkability/Bikeability), issues relating to breastfeeding, health and wellness in schools and health and wellness in the 0-5 population remain on our radar and we plan to have recommendations and actions identified for these areas as well.

This effort is certainly not the only thing happening in Sarasota County to address obesity. We would like to make an effort to capture some of the great things that are happening County-wide, just to ensure that the dots are connected. I am not yet sure how this will happen or what this will look like, but this too, is something that is on the radar.   

Thanks to everyone involved – particularly our amazing workgroup champions (Robert Kluson, Hugh Henkel, Jennifer Robertson and Chuck Henry).

 Thanks and be well!

Title: Community-Wide Effort to Address Obesity in Sarasota County
Location: Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estates Park – 5500 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
Link out: Click here
Description: This will be our third workgroup meeting as we come up with a comprehensive plan to address obesity in Sarasota County.

We are working to:

1. Create a brand identity around the healthy Sarasota County concept.

2. Share this story about applying for the big grant, not getting it, and proceeding anyway to address obesity in Sarasota County

3. Create a set of policy recommendations which can delivered to local leaders, business, schools, etc.

4. Create an action plan for 2010-2011 which will include some key actions that we can take to address obesity at a policy, systems, and environmental level.

Anyone is welcome to be part of the effort. Contact Kari at kari@chip4health.org for more info.
Start Time: 12:00
Date: 06/23/2010
End Time: 13:30

A group of about 25 gathered on April 28^th at the Selby Library to see what we could do as a community to address obesity in Sarasota County … minus the $4.7 million we had been hoping for from the CDC.

We had some great discussion. Most of the meeting was spent identifying a number of things that could be done without funding. We also discussed some possible upcoming funding opportunities.

Most importantly, we left the meeting with 4 areas of focus, and 4 champions to lead these efforts. (Hooray for champions!)  The focus areas include:

• Branding our Message/Creating a Community Ethic Around Health  (Champion: Hugh Henkel)
• Food System Changes (Champion: Robert Kluson)
• Safe Routes to School/Walking School Bus (Champion: Jennifer Robertson)
• Walkability/Bikeability Assessments (Champion: Chuck Henry)

In addition to these 4 focus areas, a separate workgroup that has been focusing on wellness in schools would like to bring their energy to this effort.

A follow-up meeting has been set for Wednesday May 26^th, at noon, at Phillippi Mansion. Bring your lunch! In fact, you can grab a something to eat at the Phillippi Estates Farmhouse Market (located on the grounds).

Invite others that may be interested.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 26^th!

Kari

In late 2009, community partners came together to prepare an application to the CDC. The charge was to come up with a plan to address obesity through systems, policy and environmental change. We received input from dozens of local organizations and agencies and came up with a roadmap for how to address obesity in Sarasota County. The application we submitted exceeded more than $4.7 million.

Did we get the funding?  Um, no.

Do we still have the drive to move forward and see what we can do despite a lack of funding from the CDC? Absolutely.

On Wednesday, April 28th, those involved in helping to craft the original application (and anyone else interested!) will gather at the Selby Libraray Auditorium in Sarasota to talk about next steps.

The key questions we need to answer are:

• What in the plan can be accomplished without funding?
• What funding opportunities exist to support elements of this plan?
• What emerging opportunities should we be aware of and take advantage of?

Have ideas? Leave a comment and let us know!

We will be reporting the outcomes of this meeting on this blog. We hope to use this as a space to develop ideas, inspire action, and connect those interested in making Sarasota County a healthier place to live.

Stay tuned!