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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12061988 - IO.2 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I . 0. 2 n,�,.,♦ FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE V�,l.,��,I}1,,ra November 28 , 1988 "W� DATE'. Co R^1�1/ SUBJECT: COMMUNITY NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM v�Jl.11 �l� SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Express the Board' s appreciation to the staff of the Health Services Department for their prompt action and clear leadership in bringing the issue of nutrition education to the public ' s attention. 2 . Agree to jointly co-sponsor a Nutrition Education Planning Committee including at least the following: the Nutrition Council, Contra Costa Health Coalition, Bay Area Cancer Coalition, Public and Environmental Health Advisory Board, and Health Services Department sometime early in 1989, and request the 1989 Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to represent the Board of Supervisors in kicking off this planning effort. 3 . Appoint Supervisor Sunne McPeak as the Board of Supervisors ' permanent representative to the Nutrition Education Planning Committee. 4 . Concur with the basic theme of nutrition education as set forth by the County' s Director of Public Health; namely, that "good nutrition begins with enough food" . 5 . Encourage the Health Services Department to undertake a public education program emphasizing the vital importance of nutrition by producing a series of culturally appropriate video tapes, and other educational materials, which point out those foods which people like which are nutritionally important to their good health. 6 . Request the Health Services Director and Social Services Director to jointly consider ways in which better nutrition education information can be made available on a voluntary basis to AFDC and Food Stamp recipients in an effort to encourage them to make better nutritional use of their welfare and food stamp allotments for the benefit of their children. In this regard, request the Health Services Director to consider the possibility of establishing nutrition education classes using volunteers, such as physicians, nurses, and teachers who would be willing CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE X_ APPROV SIGNATSunne W. McPeak Tom Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON December 6, 1988 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X Also DIRECTED County facilities to emphasize the importance of good nutrition. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES; NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. County Administrator. ATTESTED /V.littiyy,�l.fif.� G �98� cc: Health Services Director Social Services Director PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Director of Public Health SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Supervisor Tom Torlakson Supervisor Sunne W. McPeak BYa&fft � 44��_,DEPUTY M382/7-83 Sheriff Page 2 6. (continued) to donate a few hours a month to help welfare recipients learn how they ' can improve the nutritional value of their food purchases. 7. Request the Health Services Director to identify possible legislative options that need to be pursued on ways to do public education on what is needed in the way of nutrition education. These might, for instance, include requiring better nutritional labeling of foods purchased in grocery stores, better disclosure of the relative nutritional values of foods purchased in fast-food restaurants, and similar proposals. Request the Health Services Director to present his proposed legislative options to the Board of Supervisors at his earliest convenience. 8 . Encourage all : citizens who believe they are aware of instances where welfare or food stamp recipients are misusing their welfare checks or Food Stamp allotments in ways which hurt the children for whom they are intended to bring the specific situations to the attention of the Social Services Director so the facts can be determined and the situation can - be investigated. These may include cases where food stamps are being sold illegally on the "black market" ; where an adult uses welfare funds to purchase drugs or to engage in other illegal activity to the detriment of the children who are entitled to the funds, or where a parent or guardian is simply failing to properly feed children. 9. Encourage persons wishing to volunteer their services in any of the County' s nutrition programs to contact: Jean Neudleman or Marice Ashe at 646-6511 10. Remove this item as a referral to our Committee. BACKGROUND: On September 20 , 1988, the Board of Supervisors asked the Health Services Director to undertake a community nutrition education program and referred the matter to our committee for oversight. On November 28 , 1988, our Committee met with Dr. Wendel Brunner, Director of Public Health for the County. Dr. Brunner reported to us that a number of significant steps have been taken recently which have heightened the public exposure to the importance of nutrition and nutrition education. o The Public and Environmental Health Advisory Board has selected nutrition as its highest priority for work in the near future. o The Contra Costa Health Coalition has also determined that nutrition is a high priority for its work in the community. o The U. S. Surgeon General has recently released a report on nutrition which has served to focus attention on the need for greater work in this area. o The Bay Area Cancer Coalition has established as one of its three operating committees a committee on nutrition because of its concern for the need to determine -the awareness of the public to the connection between nutrition and cancer. Page 3 o The Mayor of Richmond has recently convened a committee to focus on ways in which churches in Richmond can be used to contact the black community in Richmond and emphasize the importance of nutrition and the need for nutrition education. o The Health Services Department is working with the Hunger Task Force in Richmond on a school breakfast program which will assist in improving the nutrition of children in West County. o Hands Across Contra Costa and Second Harvest are sponsoring a Food Stamp awareness program. Of particular importance is the fact that a Nutrition Education Planning Committee is being convened with the joint sponsorship of the Nutrition Council, the Public and Environmental Health Advisory Board, the Bay Area Cancer Coalition and the Health Services Department. Their first meeting will be held sometime after the first of the year. We believe it would be entirely appropriate for the Board of Supervisors to join in co-sponsoring this Committee and have suggested that the 1989 Chairman of the Board of Supervisors should represent the Board in kicking off this most significant event. Thereafter, we believe that Supervisor McPeak should be authorized to represent the Board of Supervisors on the Planning Committee. We are very pleased that the Health Services Department has already made staff assignments to head up the community nutrition education program for the County, and we have listed their names and telephone numbers for the purpose of encouraging individuals who would like to become involved to contact the Health Services Department to indicate their willingness to volunteer their time and talents to this most important effort. We are concerned that there are instances where welfare recipients are victimized by friends or family who steal their welfare checks to buy drugs, or where Food Stamps are sold on the "black market" to buy drugs. These illegal activities deprive children on welfare of any chance at a healthy, nutritious future, and we want to take whatever steps we can to prevent such fraud and abuse from continuing. We applaud all of the positive efforts that are being made to educate the public to the importance of nutrition and to help individuals and families to pay more attention to nutrition as a vital part of their lives.