July Health News
Summer Meal Program:
40 Years of Summer Meals
More than 21 million American children and teens depend on free or reduced-price school meals during the school year, and when school cafeterias close, many of them lose their most important source of balanced nutrition and are at risk of going hungry.
According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, “For 40 years, USDA has supported summer meal programs that keep children in low-income communities active and engaged when school is out, while providing critical nutrition and reducing the learning loss that often occurs during the summer months.”
This year, USDA hopes to serve an additional 13 million meals to meet our challenge of serving 200 million meals to children nationwide.
To locate sites serving summer meals throughout the country in Spanish and English please click here
Serving More Summer Meals in Rural & Tribal Areas
A recent White House report found that 1.5 million children in rural areas live in poverty, and that over 85 percent of persistent poverty counties nationwide are located in rural America.
This summer, certain high-need rural and tribal communities will get the help of 60 AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates to help recruit volunteers, raise awareness of the summer meal program, and provide operational support.
The Department of Interior has collaborated with USDA and school administrators to expand Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school participation in all FNS' food and nutrition programs. The number of summer meals sites at BIE schools has increased by 127 percent, compared to this time last year.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program:
USDA official notes positive impact on individuals and communities when local farmers markets provide fresh fruits and vegetables to SNAP participants
Since 2008, the number of SNAP-authorized farmers, roadside farm stands, and farmers markets grew dramatically, from 753 to in excess of 6,400.
According to Agriculture Secretary Kevin Concannon, "All Americans, including those participating in our nutrition assistance programs, need to include more fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet"
Through a partnership with the National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, USDA provides free wireless equipment to qualifying farmers and farmers markets, enabling them to accept SNAP via electronic benefit transfers (EBT). Additionally, in May, USDA announced the availability of $3.3 million in competitive funding to help farmers markets serve SNAP participants.
Farmers are a vital lifeline to healthy nutrition in low-income areas, because many bring their products to "food deserts" with few, if any, supermarkets or grocery stores. "Redemptions through farmers and producers nourish local economies, while helping those in underserved neighborhoods," Concannon said.
USDA Support for Older Americans
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program serves more than 4 million senior.
USDA works to positively impact the nutritional and health outcomes of these low-income seniors through seven nutrition assistance programs that are available support the health and nutrition of older Americans.
Three of USDA's nutrition assistance programs are exclusively for seniors; the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and the Nutrition Services Incentive Program.
USDA has worked to decrease participation barriers for older Americans by simplifying the application and recertification processes and providing additional accommodations for elderly and disabled participants.
Advocacy
Obama Administration Assists Communities in Building Local Food Systems to Foster Economic Growth
The Obama Administration invited communities to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative providing direct technical support to build strong local food systems as part of a community's emerging economic action plans. Under this effort, a team of agricultural, transportation, public health, environmental, and regional economic experts will work directly with local communities to spur local economic growth and improve the quality of life for all residents.
"Local food creates new market opportunities for farmers, brings fresh meals into schools and other institutions, expands healthy food access to underserved communities, and builds infrastructure needed to support ranchers and other meat processors. By investing in projects at the local level, this Administration is encouraging growth in this sector and creating new opportunities for families who live in rural America." said Secretary Vilsack.
Successful Medicaid Enrollment Strategies to Cover the Uninsured
A new Brief from the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization presents four strategic approaches Kentucky and Arkansas adopted to increase enrollment for low-income residents and cut their uninsured populations in half:
• Integrating administration and enrollment;
• Establishing multiple application pathways;
• Providing robust consumer assistance; and
• Developing high-impact awareness campaigns.
Applying the specific approaches and best practices states like Kentucky and Arkansas have implemented successfully can help pave the way forward for broader and sustained increases in coverage nationwide.
Read the full brief here
Prepared by Jenifer Silva, LULAC National Health Program and Advocacy Intern