884: Caring For PH Workers, Farm To ECE Program

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, April 14, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

THERESA ARRIOLA: 

A lot of people just say it, but they don't act on it. So, I can easily say to a staff, I appreciate you, but do you really appreciate them? So, showing them their appreciation.

SILVERS: 

Theresa Arriola is the director of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services and an ASTHO member. One of her priorities since taking over the role is to take care of her own people.

ARRIOLA: 

People need to feel that their work environment is a healthy environment, not just healthy in the sense of safety, but healthy in their spirit to be creative and to be appreciated.

SILVERS: 

Sometimes appreciation can be a small thing, like taking a special day off,

ARRIOLA: 

I have the authority to grant administrative leave to staff, and it is not a government policy, but I have the authority to do it in-departmental. I allowed my staff to take their birthday off administratively, meaning their leave will not be charged.

SILVERS: 

It all comes back to one of Arriola's guiding principles.

ARRIOLA: 

One of the things that I believe in, and I live my life by, is, if you take care of people, they will take care of you.

SILVERS: 

The Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, or ASPHN, is doing important work for childhood nutrition. Dr. Emia Oppenheim, with ASPHN, says often they get the question of why they're so focused on children, when a lot of their work centers on adult-onset health issues.

EMIA OPPENHEIM: 

They're not growing out of the weight like they used to, but children are carrying that excess weight into adolescence and then adulthood.

SILVERS: 

ASPHN has been working on an initiative called 'Farm to ECE.' ECE stands for Early Care and Education Programs. Essentially, any care outside of the home for a child is an ECE, and Oppenheim's team has been working to teach those children important lessons.

OPPENHEIM: 

Farm to ECE is a group of strategies that actually, many educators have been doing for a long time, and that is teaching children about growing food, having children learn about growing food through hands-on experiences like gardening, visiting a farm, cooking, and also making sure children's taste, touch, and feel that food by buying local, fresh foods, and serving them to the children.

SILVERS: 

Oppenheim says it's been shown that these programs have real impacts.

OPPENHEIM: 

They have healthier lunches, lowering the percentage of calories from fat and processed foods, better fiber, calcium, and so on. There's also studies that show that the children in these programs are more willing to try, like, accept and eat, most importantly, the fruits and vegetables being offered.

SILVERS: 

You can learn more about the Farm to ECE work that ASPHN is doing on its website. We have a link in the show notes.

Also, an upcoming ASTHO webinar dives into how you can create a successful academic health department partnership. The webinar will describe what an AHD is, demonstrate how they work, and identify opportunities for those partnerships. You can sign up today using the link in the show notes.

Finally, stay up to date on all the latest public health news by signing up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly newsletter. The newsletter is created specifically for public health professionals and dives into all the latest news you need to know. There's a link in the show notes to sign up.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.