Goal: Children in Santa Cruz County will be physically fit through healthy eating and regular physical activity.
History of Go For Health!: In 2004, over 150 agencies representing a wide array of sectors worked to create a comprehensive plan to address the rising rates of childhood overweight in Santa Cruz County. The result was the Go for Health! collaborative and its various sub-committees. Go for Health! is working with schools, parents, health care professionals, local media, local markets/businesses, city planners, local and state policy makers to effect long-term change in reducing the rates of obesity in our community.
Strategies Being Used: During its planning phase, Go for Health! did extensive research to learn how to address childhood obesity. They found that childhood obesity cannot be addressed through one or two approaches or by simply talking to or educating the affected population but that it must be a multi-pronged approach incorporating many different sectors. For this reason Go for Health! has, from its inception utilized a comprehensive multi-sector approach to address the fast growing epidemic of childhood obesity. The collaborative also found that a unified ‘big picture’ strategy, known as Environmental Prevention strategy, has been the best method to address such an epidemic. EP strategies strive to create long-lasting change within systems so that individuals are able to make healthy choices. One of the purposes of the collaborative therefore, is to bring agencies together as to not work in silos, so that we are unified in our effort to create long lasting change.
Examples of Go for Health! Successes:
- Created school wellness policies with comprehensive language around nutrition and physical activity for each school district in Santa Cruz County.
- Incorporated recommendations for healthy lifestyle components to general plans (the work that GFH! did with the city of Watsonville with their general plan has been used as an example with many state-wide public health organizations such as Public Health Law program).
- Co-hosted tri-county summit on the Built Environment.
- Hosted workshops for Santa Cruz County healthcare providers featuring pediatricians who are experts in the field of childhood obesity prevention.
- In 2004, when GFH! first began, Santa Cruz County was among the top ten counties for high rates of childhood obesity. Data gathered in the last year has shown that we are now 29th in the State of California for high rates of childhood obesity.
Go for Health! Sub-committees & contacts:
Go for Health! Steering Committee meets on the first Tuesday of every month and collaborative meets quarterly, on the fourth Thursday of the month, for a list of the 2009 meeting dates -->click here
To review the Go for Health! strategic plan, please click here.
- Shama Ball at Vine Hill Elementary PTA for Creative Physical Education Program
- Maureen Beddow at Vine Hill Elementary for Creative Physical Education Program
- San Lorenzo Valley Elementary for Creative Physical Education Program
- Mary Simon at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary for School Gardens
- Shahe Moutafian at Pajaro Valley Unified School District for Passion of Wellness Coordinator
- Greg Muck at Freedom Elementary for Healthy Nutrition Program
- Tim Hyland at Live Oak Elementary for School Gardens
- Georgette Callaway at YMCA, Boulder Creek Elementary for School Gardens
- Jessica Curcio & Susan Dahlgren at Gault Elementary Life Lab for School Gardens/Healthy Nutrition Program
- Tara Redwoods School for Healthy Nutrition Program
- Amy Hedrick at Scotts Valley Unified School District for Healthy Nutrition Program
- Jennifer Bruno at Cesar Chavez Middle School for Healthy Nutrition Program/School Gardens/ Creative Physical Education Program
- Patrick Littleton at Cesar Chavez Middle School for Healthy Nutrition Program
- Tierra Pacifica Charter School for School Gardens, Healthy Nutrition Program, and Creative Physical Education Program
Alianza Charter School- (Michael Jones): Best Food Service, Most Creative Physical Education Program
Riverview High School- (Brian Mercer): Best Garden
Rolling Hills Middle School-( Rick Ito): Most Creative Physical Education Program
Green Acres Elementary- (Doug Fritsch): Best Garden
Mac Quiddy Elementary- (Jack Davidson): Best Garden, Best Nutrition Promotion, Most Creative Physical Education Program, Best Food Service
Nature Academy: Best Garden, Best Nutrition Promotion, Most Creative Physical Education Program, Best Food Service, Healthiest Concessions
Jessica Castillo- (Cesar Chavez Middle School): Most Creative Physical Education Program
Thad Bishop- (Cesar Chavez Middle School): Most Creative Physical Education Program
Kathy Church- (Cesar Chavez Middle School): Most Creative Physical Education Program
Freedom Elementary –(Jean Gottlob): Best Garden, Most Passionate Wellness Coordinator
Gault Elementary- (Mary Ann James): Most Creative Physical Education Program, Most Collaborative Wellness Committee, Best Nutrition Promotion, Best Garden, Most Improved, Healthiest Concessions, Most Passionate Wellness Coordinator
Soquel Elementary School District– (Kathleen Howard): Healthiest Concessions, Most Improved, Best Food Service Staff
Julie Case- (Harbor High School): Most Passionate Wellness Coordinator, Most Creative Physical Education Program
Gary Garcia & PE Dept- (Watsonville High School): Most Improved
Amy Hedrick- (Scotts Valley Middle School): Most Improved
Pajaro Valley High School-(Pancho Rodriguez): Most passionate Wellness Coordinator, Most Collaborative Wellness Committee, Healthiest Concessions, Best Nutrition promotion, Most Improved
Jessica Curcio- (Gault Elementary): Best Garden, Most passionate Wellness Coordinator, Best Nutrition Promotion
Claudia Riege- (Gault Elementary): Best Garden, Best Nutrition Promotion
Renaissance High School- (Tom Tatum): Most passionate Wellness Coordinator, Most Collaborative Wellness Committee, Healthiest Concessions, Most Improved
Elizabeth Stoll- (Lakeview Middle School): Most Passionate Wellness Coordinator
Stephanie Raugust- (Pacific School): Most Creative Physical Education Program, Most Collaborative Wellness Committee, Best Nutrition Promotion, Best Garden, Best Food Service Staff, Most Passionate Wellness Coordinator
Daniel Robins- (Starlight Elem): Most Creative Physical Education Program
Starlight-(Erin Haley): Best Garden, Best Nutrition Promotion
Silvia Garcia and Maria Ramirez & Cafeteria Staff- (Alianza Charter School): Best Food Service
Pajaro Valley High School: Best Food Services
Greg Muck- (Freedom Elementary): Best Garden
Ken Dickerson- (County Office of Ed., Regional Occupation Program Agricultural Educator): Best Nutrition Promotion
1st Annual Golden Carrot Award Winners -
The Golden Carrot awards recognize those restuarants that have made the effort to provide high standards in food safety and nutrition.
Redwood Pizzeria, Felton
The Galley, West Marine, Watsonville
Red Pearl, Boulder Creek
Auntie Mame's, Scotts Valley
Walnut Ave. Cafe, Santa Cruz
Peachwood's Steakhouse, Santa Cruz
Falafel of Santa Cruz
Alfresco Kiosk, Santa Cruz
|
