838: Oregon’s Bold Health Goals, Food Deserts

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, February 6, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

SEJAL HATHI: 

One of the objectives of the call to action is to establish a model for public-private partnership on these bold priorities that other states can emulate and adopt.

JOHNSON: 

ASTHO member, Dr. Sejal Hathi is director of the Oregon Health Authority. She says the Oregon Health Forward program has a goal of eliminating health inequities by 2030.

HATHI: 

We know that no single agency, not even necessarily state government itself, can eliminate inequities born in generations of social, political, economic biases and forces far outside of purview.

JOHNSON: 

Hathi says implementing a robust plan to meet bold goals will require conversations within the community.

HATHI: 

And it starts by creating fora and other opportunities for dialog between public health professionals and folks across these other sectors. The intent of the call to action is to proactively bring people from different sectors together to explore those opportunities for collaboration and coordination.

JOHNSON: 

Hathi adds that the implementation of the strategic plan approaches every angle.

HATHI: 

So, our strategic plan has five pillars. The first is transforming behavioral health, and that means creating services in a system that meets people where they are and ensures that everyone has access to equitable and affordable behavioral health care. The second is strengthening access to affordable care for all.

JOHNSON: 

Other pillars include fostering healthy families, achieving healthy tribal communities, and building the department's internal capacity. You can head to the show notes for more information on Oregon Health Forward.

Recent studies show that more than 27 million people live in food deserts or places where residents do not have a convenient option for healthy food. Here's ASTHO's Beth Giambrone.

BETH GIAMBRONE: 

A lot of states are establishing what are called food resiliency councils, so they're looking at ways to make food more accessible to the residents.

JOHNSON: 

The impacts of food deserts can be detrimental to people of all ages.

GIAMBRONE: 

So, when you have areas where you have a lot of people who are food insecure and also are in a food desert, then that starts to compound together, and you get a lot of risks for chronic health problems like obesity, diabetes, and within students that are you know, in school, they're more likely to have poor academic outcomes.

JOHNSON: 

Some states have instituted free lunch for all students, and some are looking to alter the current criteria for free school lunch.

GIAMBRONE: 

States are also looking at expanding eligibility requirements for free breakfast and free lunch. So, looking at things like state-based income requirements, so, lowering the income requirement to allow more students to be eligible for free meals at their schools.

JOHNSON: 

States are implementing other strategies as well. You can read all about them in the Health Policy Update. The link is in the show notes.

Also, make sure to check out the application for the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus Community of Practice. You can be involved and share your expertise in the development of a sustainable framework to address adolescent health through the schools, but you have to hurry. The deadline is tomorrow, February 7. Apply now.

And don't miss tomorrow's newscast. Jeffrey Ekoma will be back with a View from Washington report.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Summer Johnson, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition, have a great day.