HEAL-SLO Mission

To increase Healthful Eating and regular Physical Activity among children in SLO County by working at each level of the socio-ecological model, such as through policy, behavioral and environmental changes to affect improvement towards a healthy lifestyle.

Strategic Goals: The HEAL-SLO Coalition has decided during the last meeting on July 27, 2010 to focus on a few strategic goals.  According to the last Heal-SLO survey, a few coalition goals were identified as important initiatives.

As of the last meeting, the top-voted goals are now the 3 workgroups in the coalition: 1) community education/outreach, 2) policy and 3) the grants/sustainability group.  Each group has developed 3-5 strategies and activities to work on and members should be active in looking for ways to be involved in those strategies.

Community Education/Outreach Group: Charmaine Martinez, a Cal Poly Graphic Arts Professor, is the chair for the group and future projects include a Speakers’ Bureau, the Heal-SLO Summit, gaining media attention, revamping the website, and nutrition education (for preschools, schools, public).

Policy Group: Joel Diringer is the group chair and future goals consist of supporting policies that include beverage choices, healthy eating, joint use of facilities, food policy, inducements (toy ordinance), school wellness policy, land use/strategic growth, and health impact assessments.

Grants/Sustainability Group: Future endeavors include applying for state grants, food policy/planning grants, CA Department of Public Health funds, media grants, and foundation grants.

HEAL-SLO History: In 2005-2006, the Public Health Department found that 29 percent of local, preschool children, 3-5 years old, were at-risk or overweight.  Data from the California Department of Education, 2005-2006, show that 32.1 percent of SLO County 5th, 7th, and 9th graders are at risk or overweight and 68.4 percent are not physically fit.  The severity of the obesity epidemic and the costs that will come with it later on in life inspired community action, such as the Healthy Eating, Active Living – SLO (HEAL-SLO) Coalition.

HEAL-SLO was founded in 2005 comprising of loosely knit individuals.  Urged by Health Commission, PHD, and Community members, the Board of Supervisors endorsed the creation of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force (COPTF) in Feb. 2006 to develop a county-wide strategic Action Plan (http://www.sloccf.org/forms/Giving-CN-ChildhoodObesity.pdf ).  County leaders funded SLO County Community Foundation to convene and facilitate the Task Force.

In 2007 the Community Action Plan was completed and made as a guide for collaborative efforts, which included recommended actions and funding for a Health Educator position housed within the Public Health Department to coordinate and maintain a functioning county-wide coalition.  The previously loosely knit individuals and the COPTF group solidified as the collaborative called HEAL-SLO through this process.

The HEAL-SLO coalition is now funded by a TCE grant and the Community Foundation.  It has been voted the lead umbrella organization for childhood obesity efforts in San Luis Obispo County and is made up of diverse members ranging from representatives with San Luis Sports Therapy to Diringer Associates.

Past Accomplishments

• Walkability Survey Project: CX3 community surveys were conducted in Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, San Miguel and Oceano, and was funded by the Community Foundation.  The surveys assessed food availability, walkability infrastructure and marketing.  Walkability examines how well an area caters to pedestrians versus cars, with key indicators being sidewalks, speed limits and crosswalks.
• Presciption Walking Trails: the Parks and Rec Department, YMCA and members of HEAL-SLO developed 4 different brochures of walking trails specific for North County, South County, Coastal and San Luis Obispo areas.  The brochures were distributed to local physicians to use in their practice as an encouragement tool for physical activity.
• 2 Walk to School Days: San Miguel participated in their first Walk to School Day (W2S) on October 8^th, 2008 and had 75% school participation!  The San Miguel Resource Connection, San Miguel PTO, Lillian Larsen faculty, active community members in San Miguel and members of HEAL-SLO organized and volunteered at the successful event.  Another has also been held during March and a crossing guard was hired as a result of the 1st W2S day!
• TCE Grant: HEAL-SLO has recently received a 2 year grant from the California Endowment from Nov. 2008-Nov. 2010 to impact school wellness policy in 2 target pilot schools – Lillian Larsen Elementary (San Miguel, CA) and Oceano Elementary (Oceano, CA) through two partners, Oceano Boys and Girls Club and the San Miguel Resource Connection.
• Smart Growth Principles: These principles have been continually appearing on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda.
• Project LEAN Trainings: HEAL-SLO has hosted a training in February and one in March through Project LEAN, which is a program out of Sacramento that specializes in providing training and resources to groups up and down California in School Wellness Policy and Policy Advocacy.
• Farm to Cafeteria Conference Attendance: HEAL-SLO funded both Food Service Directors from Lillian Larsen Elementary and the Lucia Mar School District (Oceano Elementary) to attend this conference in Portland in March 2009.  They had the opportunity to network with others from the Central Coast who also attended and learn how to incorporate fresh produce into their school lunch programs more in the future.

Meetings

This collaborative meets quarterly and contains 4 groups:

• Coordinating Committee (CC): directs and monitors HEAL-SLO initiatives and strategies.
• Outreach Workgroup: informs the community about HEAL-SLO events or county health-related happenings.
• Policy Workgroup: advocates for policy changes that promote opportunities for healthy eating and active living, work site wellness, and sustainable growth.
• Grants Workgroup: this small group is a resource for HEAL-SLO members who may want to pursue a grant; the group also searches for grants to sustain HEAL-SLO.