Loading...
Harkin Wellness Grant Letter of SupportMasterpiece on the Mississippi TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Harkin Wellness Grant DATE: May 28, 2010 Dubuque ketil AA,Anetica Cull 11111! 2007 Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan recommends City Council authorization for the Mayor to sign a letter on behalf of the City of Dubuque supporting the Dubuque County Board of Health's application for a Harkin Wellness Grant. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Mary Rose Corrigan, RN, Public Health Specialist Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Mary Rose Corrigan, RN, Public Health Specialist Letter of Support for Harkin Wellness Grant May 27, 2010 Dubuque trail All- AmedcaCily lip! 2007 INTRODUCTION This memorandum requests the City Council to authorize the Mayor to sign the letter on behalf of the City of Dubuque supporting the Dubuque County Board of Health's application for a Harkin Wellness Grant. BACKGROUND In 2008, the Dubuque County Board of Health received a Community Wellness Grant and Harkin Wellness Grant for local health improvement which will end June 30, 2010. The grant program developed Reinventing the Family Meal, a program designed to help families to make food choices with hands -on experience on cooking healthy meals that can be replicated at home. The program has proven very successful. Dubuque County has the opportunity to apply for additional wellness grants in the next funding cycle. DISCUSSION This grant application continues that program with outreach to the business community for employees to participate in Reinventing the Family Meal. In addition, this application stresses the availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables, through working with local grocery stores and through creation of community gardens. The Dubuque County Wellness Committee partners to implement the programs with the Dubuque County Board of Health serving as the fiscal agent. The Dubuque County Wellness Committee consists of representatives from: • Hillcrest Family Services • HyVee Food Stores • City of Dubuque • Dubuque Community Schools • Crescent Community Health Center • Dubuque Community Y • Dubuque County Health Department and Board of Health • Finley Hospital • ISU Extension • Multicultural Family Center RECOMMENDATION Support the Dubuque County Board of Health's application for the Harkin Wellness and Health Improvement Grant. CITY COUNCIL ACTION Authorize the Mayor to assign the attached letter on behalf of the City of Dubuque. MRC /cj Office of the Mayor City Hall 50 West 13th Street Dubuque, Iowa 52001 -4864 www.cityofdubuque.org June 7, 2010 Dubuque County Board of Health Dubuque County Health Department 13047 City View Drive Dubuque, Iowa 52002 Dear Board of Health Members: The City of Dubuque supports the application by the Dubuque County Board of Health in conjunction with the Dubuque County Wellness Committee for the 2010 -2011 Offering Community Wellness Grants and Harkin Wellness Grants for Local Health Improvement. The City of Dubuque has partnered with the County Health Department in the current 2009 -2010 Harkin Wellness Grant program, which has been very successful and well received by the entire community. The Reinventing the Family Meal program is currently working to expand services into the business community to promote better nutrition in the workforce. The 2010 -2011 grant application will increase those business partnerships to focus on lasting behavior change in individual and family food choices by expanding the program to more employers. This application promotes additional partnerships to increase availability and consumption of fresh, locally grown foods as well as work with grocers to encourage individuals to make healthier food choices. Locally grown food is one of the City's eleven sustainability principles. The City of Dubuque supports the Dubuque County Board of Health's application to IDPH for this Harkin Wellness grant and will continue to work with the Dubuque County Wellness Committee to improve the health and nutrition of Dubuque County residents. The City of Dubuque will also support the program by providing resources for the grant match in -kind through use of space, provision of leadership time for Wellness Committee meetings, and assistance with marketing the program. Respectfully, Mayor Roy Buol MRC/cj Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork