Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Policy &
Prevention
Chronicles:
Quarterly Newsletter
Health Department Completes its First
Health Impact Assessment
By: Katherine Hebert, HIA Specialist
Having started in October of 2014, Policy & Prevention is
happy to announce that it has finished its first Health
Impact Assessment (HIA)! The HIA is on the Blue Line
Extension light rail project that will connect Uptown
Charlotte to the Main Campus of UNC Charlotte (UNCC).
The HIA examined what health impacts could be expected
due to changes in housing, transportation options, the
environment, and UNCC policies in response to the Blue
Line coming to the University Area.
The HIA was conducted in partnership with UNCC and the
Charlotte Area Transit System, with funding from the
National Association of County and City Health Officials
(NACCHO). As a result of the HIA, two stakeholder
workshops were held including training on HIA and updates
from the project partners. Finally, 32 recommendations on
ways to improve the project’s health impacts for students,
faculty, staff, and residents of the University Area were
approved by stakeholders. (Continued Page 2)
What’s Inside...
Pg. 2
Health Department Partners in 5210
League
Pg. 3
Bringing Healthy Food to Neighborhoods:
The Corner Store Project
Pg. 3
Local & National Health Observances
Pg. 4
Taking A Fresh Look at School Food
Pg. 4
Health Department Leads Bike Tour at
National Association of Counties Meeting
Pg. 5
Promoting Active Transportation
Pg. 5
Meet the Staff
Policy & Prevention staff member accepts
prestigious award. (Page 4)
What is a Health Impact Assessment?
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a decision-support tool that looks at what potential health impacts a project,
policy, plan or program will have on a population. HIA is used to combine scientific evidence with community input
to determine: the current health conditions of an area, how a proposal will impact health conditions, and what can
be done to minimize negative health impacts and maximize positive health impacts. HIA can be used to empower
communities and promote health equity.
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Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Health Department Completes its First Health Impact Assessment (Continued Page 1)
Recommendations included:
Support additional studies that collect baseline health data, record usage of the Blue Line Extension
(especially by students, faculty, and staff of UNCC), and monitor the health impacts of increased
transit options.
Identify neighborhoods at risk for gentrification. Implement policies and incentives that would protect
existing low and middle-income neighborhoods from gentrification and require the inclusion of
affordable housing and a wide variety of housing types and price points along the Blue Line Extension.
Conduct a recurring commuter (motor vehicle operators, pedestrians, and bicyclists) survey and counts to
determine commuting patterns of UNCC students, faculty and staff to determine where they are
commuting from, the length of commute, time of commute, mode of travel, and barriers to taking
transit.
Establish a “Go Pass” that would allow UNCC students, faculty, and staff
to use their campus identification card to take all forms of public
transit offered by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), either for
free (subsidized by UNCC using either student fees or parking
permits) or for a reduced rate.
For more information on the Blue Line Extension HIA, please contact Dick
Winters at (980) 314-9067 or dick.winters@mecklenburgcountync.gov.
Health Department Partners in 5210 League
By: Jonathan Levin, Policy & Prevention Manager
The Health Department will partner with Carolinas HealthCare System and many other organizations on the
childhood obesity prevention initiative entitled 5210 League. This best-practice initiative encourages a
healthy lifestyle by helping kids, parents and the community:

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies

per day
Limit recreational screen time (i.e.TV, phone,
social media) to less than 2 hours a day

Be physically active for at least 1 hour a day

Drink 0 sugary drinks, go for water or low
fat milk
The launch took place on June 23rd and the special
guest of honor was Carolina Panthers quarterback
Cam Newton, who is pictured with Dr. Plescia and
Policy & Prevention staff.
More information can be found at
www.CarolinasHealthCare.org/HealthyTogether
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Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Reggie Singleton
speaking at a recent
community event on
current initiatives.
Bringing Healthy Food to Neighborhoods:
The Corner Store Project
By: Jonathan Levin, Policy & Prevention Manager
There are many neighborhoods in Mecklenburg County that do
not have easy access to fresh produce and other healthy foods.
Citizens may have to drive several miles or take a long bus ride
to get to a full service grocery store or farmers market. In
neighborhoods such as this, citizens often rely on convenience
or “corner” stores for meals, stores that carry mostly snacks and
processed foods that are generally high in sugar, fat, sodium and
calories. These items are less healthy than fresh produce, whole
grains, lean meats, etc.
For that reason Policy & Prevention staff have been working on
a project to help corner stores increase the number of healthy
food choices so that folks in surrounding neighborhoods can
have better access to good nutrition.
Staff and interns are currently visiting over 200 stores in the
County to assess the kinds of foods that are available. In the
next few months, 10 of these stores will be selected to
participate in a pilot project to improve the availability of fresh
produce and other healthy choices through means such as
product availability, placement and marketing. Staff and interns
are also working to implement tobacco-free policies at select
locations, and are performing assessments on the walkability to
each location. These additional assessments will be used to
further impact the health environment around each corner
store. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting initiative!
Coming Soon: Farmers
Market at NW Health
Department!
Neighborhoods along Beatties Ford
Road and the Health Department are
working together to start a farmers
market on the grounds of the NW Health
Department. The market will be an
additional venue for residents to obtain
fresh, healthy, and locally grown
produce. Planning is in the beginning
stages, and the projected start date is
June 2016.
At this point, Policy & Prevention staff,
under the leadership of Reggie Singleton,
have engaged about 25 community
residents and stakeholders to get their
input on the name of the market, farmer
recruitment, community education, food
preparation, and market promotion. This
community advisory group will also
provide guidance on other possible food
access initiatives for the area.
The Health Department is fortunate to
be able to utilize Reggie’s expertise and
knowledge in community engagement,
gardening and farming, and the assets of
the Beatties Ford Road Corridor to
further this community-based initiative.
Be sure to stay tuned for more
information as this exciting project takes
shape.
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Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Taking A Fresh Look at
School Food
By: Clint Grant, Information Coordinator
The Fresh Look at School Food
initiative launched on September 26 with a community kickoff event for administrators,
chefs, youth, parents, and
teachers. With more than 240
attendees, the event started off with a screening
of the documentary film “Cafeteria Man,” which
tells the story of chef and former director of food
service at Baltimore’s public school, Tony Geraci,
as he leads community-driven efforts to replace
pre-plated, processed school foods with locally
grown, freshly-prepared meals.
The event also featured a panel discussion that
allowed audience members to hear various
perspectives on the state of school nutrition.
Some of the conversation highlights included
questions around overall child nutrition, concerns
about unhealthy concessions and vending, the
state of the school cafeteria, and possible steps
to improve the
quality of school
nutrition in CMS.
Event attendees
were also treated
to an interactive
cooking competition between Chef Megan Lambert of Johnson &
Wales Univ., Chef Clark Barlowe of Heirloom
Restaurant, and two cafeteria managers. After a
hard fought battle, Chef Lambert’s dish of sweet
potato hash was selected by the youth panel. Her
winning dish will soon be featured in school
cafeteria’s across the district. This event was only
the beginning of our child nutrition initiative — so
stay tuned. Follow this link for more information
www.afreshlook.org
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Policy & Prevention Staff
Member Recognized
Office of Policy & Prevention team member, Karina
Gonzalez, was awarded the Bertlyn Bosley Award for
Excellence in Public Health Nutrition at the North
Carolina Public Health Association Conference in
Winston-Salem. This award goes to a North Carolina
resident who has made a significant contribution to the
field of public health nutrition. Congratulations, Karina!
Pictured (L-R) Erin Bayer
Smith, Karina Gonzalez,
Dr. Marcus Plescia, and
Kathie Cox
Health Department Leads Bike Tour
at National Association of Counties
Meeting
Dick Winters, Built Environment Coordinator in Policy
& Prevention, led a bike tour of Mecklenburg County to
showcase examples of how the County has
incorporated health into planning and building. The
tour was part of the National Association of Counties
annual conference that was held in Charlotte in July.
Officials from across the country participated. Dick was
able to highlight innovative projects in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, connectivity between parks,
and park features such as fitzones and parklets. Dick
was selected to co-lead this tour because of his passion
and advocacy for biking and his expertise in how the
built
environment
can
support healthy choices.
Visitor enjoying one of the new
fitzones in Mecklenburg County.
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Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Promoting Active Transportation
By: Jonathan Levin, Policy & Prevention Manager
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people who walk, bike or use
mass transit for transportation have decreased risk for chronic diseases such as
heart disease and diabetes, and are less likely to be overweight. These modes of
transportation are referred to as “active” or “healthy” transportation.
A Health Department priority is to educate citizens on the benefits of active
transportation, and advocate for infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes and
mass transit that supports active living. Research suggests, citizens who use active
transportation are 30% more physically active and are less likely to live sedentary
lifestyles, than those who do not use active transportation. So whenever there are
improvements to transportation infrastructure, this is cause for celebration!
That was the case in Charlotte’s recent trolley service that began on
July 14. The trolley for now will operate on Trade Street/Elizabeth
Avenue between the Uptown Transportation Center and Presbyterian
Hospital. The route will eventually extend out between the Beatties
Ford Health Department and the Eastland Transportation Center.
Dr. Plescia and Policy & Prevention staff were in attendance at the
ribbon-cutting ceremony which featured Secretary of Transportation
Anthony Foxx and County and City officials.
Meet the Staff
We have several new staff members! Our newest additions are Senior Health Manager
Erin Bayer Smith, Regional Tobacco Control Manager Carleen Crawford, Information
Coordinator Clint Grant, and Food Access Coordinator Elliott Royal. In this issue we will
introduce you to Carleen Crawford.
Carleen was hired in May and is responsible for coordinating a CDC-funded grant to
expand tobacco-free living efforts in Mecklenburg and 10 surrounding counties.
Examples of her priorities include helping multi-unit housing complexes to adopt tobaccofree policies, preventing youth initiation of tobacco use and promoting resources for tobacco use cessation.
Carleen held a similar position with the Cabarrus Health Alliance, so she has been able get started right away
with some exciting initiatives.
Carleen is a Georgia native spending her early years in Atlanta and Waycross. She has lived in several states
and Europe, and loves to travel, frequently visiting family in the Yucatan in Mexico. She and her husband Jack
live in Hickory NC in a restored 108 -year-old home. They have two grown children, four grandchildren and
two sweet and cuddly bulldogs – one English, one pit.
Carleen is known for her boundless enthusiasm, energy and passionate tobacco control advocacy. She is a
big fan of food: she has a vegetable garden, loves restaurant dining, and is an incredible cook, keeping her
co-workers well-fed. Carleen is known across the Carolinas for her recipes, especially her olive-pecan spread.
We are truly fortunate to have Carleen on staff!!
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Policy & Prevention Chronicles: Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2015 Issue 2
Meet the Interns
The Office of Policy & Prevention is proud to offer competitive, year-round internship and volunteer
opportunities for area college students. Pulling from college and universities across the country, our
interns and volunteers get firsthand experience developing and promoting Policy & Prevention initiatives.
Our goal is to provide a unique working experience for our interns and volunteers to prepare them for the
diverse field of public health. For more information about our internship and volunteer opportunities,
please contact Danielle Gilliard at Danielle.Gilliard@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov
Starr Johnson
Walden University
Focus: Measurement of Evidence-Based Interventions
and School Nutrition Policy
Jaime O’Connor
Alabama University
Focus: Social Media
Michael Pella
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Focus: Built Environment, Evaluation, and
School Nutrition
Jessen Houston
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Focus: School and Worksite Nutrition
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