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Building Healthy, Equitable Communities
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October 2017 Newsletter
Harvesting for Good Health

Newsletter

Funding Application Wrap-Up 
The deadline for the 2018 Community Implementation Funding proposals was September 26, 2017 at 5pm. We received a total of 36 applications to fund projects for Healthy Housing, Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Schools, and Healthy Economy for a total amount of $1,256,790. We are very excited to see so many partners working on building healthy, equitable communities. Please hang tight while we review your applications. Selections will be announced early December.  Our external review committee will have some difficult decisions to make.

Want to Start a Rewarding Career in the Health Care Sector?
A few weeks left to support a young person into a well-paid and rewarding career! EMS Corps (Emergency Medical Services) is now accepting applications for its Spring 2018 class. San Mateo County young males of color between the ages of 18 and 26 are invited to apply. San Mateo County participants will receive a $5,000 student grant to complete the training and a potential job opportunity with the American Medical Response (AMR) San Mateo County. If you have any questions contact our Senior Community Health Planner, Belén Seara, bseara@smcgov.org or 650-573-2319.  Apply today!

Understanding Health Inequities 
Part of building healthy, equitable communities starts with tackling health inequities. Looking at social, environmental and economic conditions with a health lens helps us understand health disparities and the issues that lead to poor health outcomes for some sectors of the population. For instance, high poverty neighborhoods in cities such as East Palo Alto, Daly City and Redwood City have fewer healthy and affordable food options than their city averages. Check out San Francisco State University’s health inequities infographic or this 3-minute video to learn more about health inequities.  

Immigration Learning Circle
Attend the Immigration Learning Circle, a presentation/discussion by First 5 San Mateo County (F5SMC) and Legal Aid Society about immigration laws. Hear what has changed and what has not from recent federal executive orders to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Monday, November 6, 2017, from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. This presentation is ideal for child-serving professionals and paraprofessionals. Register by 10/31.

Items to include in this newsletter

Health by Numbers

Life Expectancy for Asians in San Mateo County

The average age of death in San Mateo County is 77. Whites average 79 years of age while Asians only average 76.  Daly City has the highest concentration of residents identifying as Asian (57%).

Staff Perspective Juvy Ann Reyes

Clarifying our Contract Process

Hi, Get Healthy Partners:

Many of you have interacted with me as the Contract Coordinator of Health Policy and Planning. I coordinate the contract development and amendment process with departments, program managers, and other County departments. As we select the next cohort of 2018 GHSMC Community Implementation recipients, I wanted to take this opportunity to share the basics of the contract process to clarify some of the questions we often receive during the application and contracting process.

There are 5 phases in the contract process:

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Housing Leadership Day: Healthy Housing and Workshops on ADUs and Walkability

Housing Leadership Day was October 20. The theme was housing and health, and our healthy housing video debuted at and kicked off the event. Our senior community health planner, Belén Seara, presented on the panel Accessory Dwelling Units: Maximizing Healthy Housing while Mitigating Displacement, and shared best practices in housing inspection to preserve neighborhood stability. Our senior manager, Shireen Malekafzali presented on walkable communities and their relationship to health, equity and housing.

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Affordable Senior Housing 

Seniors are a growing population in San Mateo County and they are deeply impacted by the increasing housing costs that have created instability for many of our older residents. The good news is that more affordable senior housing projects are being completed around the County, creating healthy, stable homes for low-income seniors! We’re excited to share this 90-unit development in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven and it looks like cities in San Mateo County are taking note.

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A Growing Local Transit Justice Movement 

The Transit Equity Allied Movement Coalition (TEAMC) continues to educate and engage San Mateo County residents and partners from diverse sectors in transportation justice discussions given the important impacts of transportation on residents and workers’ lives. TEAMC has been working with youth and low-income transit riders across the county to better understand the connection between transit access and improved health outcomes and to inform solutions for an equitable transportation system.

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Promoting Safe and Active Transportation

Our community health planner, Heather Arata, recently presented HPP’s active transportation strategies at the 54th International Making Cities Livable Conference in Santa Fe. At this conference, Heather presented HPP’s work to understand bike/pedestrian collision hotspots, transit access and Safe Routes to School equity needs in San Mateo County. These analyses are critical in helping Get Healthy SMC understand policy opportunities informed by data.

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Pacific Islander Health Fair! 

Pacific Islanders experience many health inequities in San Mateo County and across the nation, but data on PI communities are limited because they are often aggregated with a broader Asian demographic community. We partnered with Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) and others a while back to develop a PI Needs Assessment to learn directly from the community about their health needs. As a next step, PCRC developed the Pacific Islander Ambassador program and they are organizing a PI Health Fair on November 4th from 10-2pm.

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San Mateo County School Wellness Alliance meeting- November 9th

Experiencing the outdoors has many health benefits for people young and old alike. From reducing stress to increasing physical activity, there are many reasons to spend time in nature. With children and adults spending more time than ever looking at screens, whether it’s a phone, TV, or computer monitor, we need to prioritize unplugging from our devices and getting outside. On November 9th the San Mateo County School Wellness Alliance will discuss the latest research on the connection between nature and health.

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Choose Children 2018 Launches!!

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation along with Oakland-based Children Now and other child-focused organizations recently launched the Choose Children 2018 advocacy campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to ensure that the next governor of California understands the needs of children and their families and is willing to act in their best interest.

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Lack of Breakfast = Lack of Vital Nutrients 

New research highlights the importance of eating breakfast, especially for children. A recent study from the UK showed that children who didn’t eat breakfast regularly lacked key nutrients, while those who did met nutritional guidelines when they were tested. Adequate nutrition in childhood years is associated with healthy development and academic achievement.

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Fostering Employment Opportunities for Residents with Disabilities 

According to the American Community Survey’s 2011-2015 Estimates, only 22% of SMC residents with disabilities over the age of 16 are employed, compared to 69% of residents without a disability. Moreover, nearly 14% of residents with disabilities of working-age live below the federal poverty line. However, San Mateo County has a number of programs and resources for jobseekers with disabilities.