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"The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs,
but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”
Thomas Edison
The Healthy Eating/Active Living Community Team meets the first Thursday of every month from 1pm-2:30 pm via Zoom. This team has been working on a campaign to increase use of the Health Incentives Program (HIP) by households in Hampden County who have SNAP (EBT card) benefits, and working to promote the Let's Move Hampden County 5210 program.Please contact Becky Basch at bbasch@pvpc.org if you would like to join this Community Team.
Strategy Implementation
Strategy Implementation
Community Team 4 has identified two strategies to focus their collective work together in 2022
HIP Outreach and Education
The Healthy Incentives Program allows SNAP users to purchase fresh and frozen produce and seedlings from farms, farmers markets, farm stands and CSAs that have been authorized by the State to accept payment through the HIP program. It effectively doubles SNAP dollars by reimbursing funds back onto the EBT cards after produce is purchased at eligible locations.
Springfield has among the highest enrollments in the state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or EBT cards) and one of the lowest rates of HIP usage (less than 5% and as low as 2% in some neighborhoods) among SNAP enrollees.
Trainings for service providers on how to explain HIP to patients or clients have been conducted in both English and Spanish.
The Springfield Food Policy Council are doing ongoing trainings with residents to become HIP advocates and will provide them with stipends for their time to be trained and do outreach in the community.
For more information, contact Liz O'Gilvie at liz@springfieldfoodpolicycouncil.org.
Springfield has among the highest enrollments in the state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or EBT cards) and one of the lowest rates of HIP usage (less than 5% and as low as 2% in some neighborhoods) among SNAP enrollees.
Trainings for service providers on how to explain HIP to patients or clients have been conducted in both English and Spanish.
The Springfield Food Policy Council are doing ongoing trainings with residents to become HIP advocates and will provide them with stipends for their time to be trained and do outreach in the community.
For more information, contact Liz O'Gilvie at liz@springfieldfoodpolicycouncil.org.
Holyoke Farmers Market Coach and Food Demonstrations
A Hampden CHIP Mini Grant funded the Let’s Move Hampden County (LMHC) 5210 collaborative to hire a Farmers Market Coach to promote HIP and hold food demonstrations and other activities at the Holyoke Farmers Market in the Summer of 2021. The bilingual Farmers Market Coach hired through the grant and continued at the Winter Farmers Market through funding from Project Bread, greets customers at the Holyoke Farmers Market, explains the HIP program, and orients people to the vendors in the market.
The LMHC 5210 initiative is modeled on a program that started in Maine and that has been replicated in other states, cities and towns throughout the country. The program promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging the consumption of at least 5 fruits and vegetables, no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time, 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary beverages per day. This messaging is communicated through educational tools, trainings, community events and partner organization promotion. Since its inception in 2012, the program has been adopted by over 15 community organizations and is in the process of being promoted to other Hampden County communities.
For more information on the LMHC 5210 program, contact Ana Jaramillo at ________.
The LMHC 5210 initiative is modeled on a program that started in Maine and that has been replicated in other states, cities and towns throughout the country. The program promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging the consumption of at least 5 fruits and vegetables, no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time, 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary beverages per day. This messaging is communicated through educational tools, trainings, community events and partner organization promotion. Since its inception in 2012, the program has been adopted by over 15 community organizations and is in the process of being promoted to other Hampden County communities.
For more information on the LMHC 5210 program, contact Ana Jaramillo at ________.
Food-related Preventable Chronic and Life-shortening Diseases
Food-related Preventable Chronic and Life-shortening Diseases
High rates of food-related preventable chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obesity, and associated morbidity continue to affect Hampden County residents. In addition to contributing to chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, obesity can impact overall feelings of wellness and mental health status. A healthy diet and physical activity play an important role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Increased physical activity and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables are forms of prevention that could reduce obesity rates and improve the overall health of Hampden County residents. Many neighborhoods have limited access to affordable healthy food and safe places to be active, and there is a need for programs that educate residents about the links between food, exercise and chronic disease. The Hampden CHIP promotes improvements to infrastructure for walking and biking in all communities, especially in neighborhoods that have seen historic dis-investment or redlining; improved access to healthy foods through community or backyard gardens, access to vendors that accept the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), and community-based outreach around this program; and increased programming that encourages physical activity for youth and families. Areas of food insecurity and food deserts are prevalent in many urban areas within Hampden County, and the lack of public transportation makes it difficult for many low income people in rural areas to access food.
An estimated 30% of adults in the population are obese, with high rates also observed among children. Although childhood obesity rates have been falling nationally and within some communities in the region over the last few years, rates among children remain high Hampden County. [ADD link to what we mean when we talk about obesity - link to lack of access to healthy food]
HIP Outreach & Education:
HIP Outreach & Education:
Over 250 individuals representing Hampden County organizations were trained including staff from the Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke Health Center, Hilltown Community Health Center, the Food Bank of Western MA, and senior service agencies.
Some training participants have said that they have shared what they learned with up to 60 clients, suggesting that this approach has had a broad impact on spreading knowledge and understanding about the program.
The Gardening the Community Farm Store in Springfield has reported a large increase in HIP sales since the trainings were held in the summer of 2021.
Survey of how people using HIP know about the program
% SNAP recipients that use HIP (data from the Department of Transitional Assistance
Let's Move Hampden County 5210 - Holyoke Farmers Market Coach and Food Demonstrations
Let's Move Hampden County 5210 - Holyoke Farmers Market Coach and Food Demonstrations
Farmers Market Coach interacted with 500 people during Summer of 2021 - 130 children and 370 adults; approximately
# schools with School Wellness policies that include walking/biking to school, school nutrition requirements that include fresh local produce
# of partners implementing 5210 programs
# of fruits and vegetables consumed (Youth Risk Behavior Survey)
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