External Leadership Team Meeting Minutes May 9th 2013

HSCI Activity Summary May 2013

OQUIN Feature Presentation

The South Carolina Public Health Institute was awarded a mini-grant by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) to assist the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) in a planning process to promote use of the Community Guide to Preventative Services in their operations.

The Community Guide (www.thecommunityguide.org) is a free resource developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help public health organizations improve health and prevent disease through program and policy interventions that have been proven effective.  It is a tool to promote and enable effective utilization of evidence based practices.

SCPHI worked with SC DHEC to complete the following activities: 1) increase awareness and knowledge of the Community Guide among SC DHEC Management Staff through trainings and educational opportunities, 2) conduct an assessment of existing DHEC programs to determine where Community Guide recommended practices are already in place, 3) document two case studies related to the Complete Streets recommended practice for a ‘winnable battle’ to include an analysis of implementation differences in an urban versus a rural community, and 4) create a long-term plan to guide future work related to the education, promotion, and implementation of the Community Guide in public health practice in South Carolina.

The results of the case studies may be found in “A Case Study of Two South Carolina Communities Pursing Complete Streets Policies: Considerations for Implementing A Community Guide Recommended Practice.”

Link to Download the Report

Download One-Page Showcase of the Community Guide Project

IMPH supports DHEC in Exploring Evidence-Based Practices

IMPH worked with DHEC to improve health and prevent disease by assessing the usage of evidence-based programs and policy interventions and sharing of resources to inform effective public health practice. One of the outcomes of this work was the compilation of resources for public health and medical professionals that provide access to information on evidence-based strategies and interventions.

Download a copy of Evidence-Based Research Compendium

Please contact Maya Pack for more information on the Institute’s role in promoting evidence-based public health in South Carolina.

Page first published: April 2011
Page last updated: June 2013

External Leadership Team Meeting Minutes March 13th 2013

Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina Presentation

2013-2014 Applicant Submission Summary

2013-2014 HSCI Scoring Process

The findings from the assessment, a community process known formally as a health impact assessment, are contained in the report entitled “A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Park, Trail, and Green Space Planning in the West Side of Greenville, South Carolina.”   An HIA combines scientific data, professional expertise and stakeholder involvement to determine the effects that a potential policy, plan, program or project might have on the health of a population.

Maya Pack, IMPH’s associate director of research and strategic initiatives, states “the application of HIA served as a valuable tool for advancing the conversation around community health and the built environment.  As a result, health, which is often overlooked in community development, became a front-burner issue.”

As a part of the HIA process, IMPH worked with an advisory committee which included elected officials, City of Greenville staff, national and local non-profit and advocacy organizations, public health representatives, health care providers and west side community members.  This committee prioritized impacts on physical activity, social cohesion and capital, community and family economic stability and access to healthy, affordable food. A second set of priorities included individual and community safety and air and water quality.  Recommendations made by the advisory committee indicate that the community’s residents should inform the design of the potential park, trails and green space through a public input process designed by the City.

The HIA process provided the opportunity for the City to work with IMPH in coordination with Connections for Sustainability, a project funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation that is allowing the City to focus planning efforts on the west side, including the ongoing City Park Plan.

According to Wayne Leftwich, community planner for the City of Greenville, “the HIA highlights the health advantages that the potential park could have on the community, and stresses the importance of involving the community in the planning process.”

The advisory committee concluded that the park has the potential to increase physical activity, leading to an improvement in an individual’s mental and physical well-being and addressing the high obesity and chronic disease rates in the community.  They also suggest that the proposed park would increase social cohesion among residents by providing a venue for residents to gather.  The HIA demonstrates the potential for changes in community and family economic stability and an opportunity to increase access to healthy food (for example, by including a community garden and/or farmer’s market in the park).

“HIA is truly a cutting edge model for inclusive community dialogue,” said Dr. Kinneil Coltman, a member of the advisory committee and director of diversity and language services at Greenville Health System.  “By empowering communities to come together to look at big planning decisions through the lens of public health, the HIA helps communities like Greenville align our community designs and public policy with our aspirations to build a healthier community for everyone,”

Work on the Greenville HIA began in March of 2012 when IMPH was awarded one of two national demonstration grants by the National Network of Public Health Institutes.  This grant was provided with support from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.  IMPH is experienced as a neutral convener and has expertise in the HIA process and its components, including primary and secondary research and data translation. The West Side HIA is the second HIA to be performed in South Carolina.  IMPH also facilitated the first, which examined the health impacts of a proposed road re-design in Spartanburg.

Specific ideas for implementing strategies to support community health can be found in the executive summary of the HIA report as well as the full report.

Download the full report: “A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Park, Trail, and Green Space Planning in the West Side of Greenville, South Carolina”

Download the Executive Summary.

For more information on this process or to obtain a printed copy of the report, please contact Maya Pack.

In March of 2012, the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health (IMPH) was awarded one of two national demonstration grants by the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) with support from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, to conduct a comprehensive HIA.  IMPH is experienced as a neutral convener and has expertise in the HIA process and its components, including primary and secondary research and data translation. The west side HIA is the second HIA to be performed in South Carolina; IMPH also facilitated the first, which examined the health impacts of a proposed road re-design in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Download a copy of “A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of a Proposed ‘Road Diet’ and Re-Striping Project on Daniel Morgan Avenue.”

The project’s Advisory Committee concluded that the park has the potential to increase physical activity, leading to an improvement in an individual’s mental and physical well-being and addressing the high obesity and chronic disease rates in the community. They also suggest that the proposed park would increase social cohesion among residents by providing a venue for residents to gather. The HIA demonstrates the potential for changes in community and family economic stability and an opportunity to increase access to healthy food (for example, by including a community garden and/or farmer’s market in the park).

Download a copy of the full report: “A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of Park, Trail, and Green Space Planning in the West Side of Greenville, South Carolina”

Download a copy of the Executive Summary.

The document files are large, please allow a few moments for complete download.

Nearly every county in the country is ranked on health outcomes (how healthy we are) and on health factors (how healthy we can be).  According to the 2013 Rankings for South Carolina, the five healthiest counties in terms of health outcomes, starting with most healthy, are Beaufort, followed by York, Edgefield, Lexington and Greenville.  The five counties in the poorest health in terms of health outcomes, starting with least healthy, are Marion, Lee, Marlboro, Bamberg and Dillon.  In terms of health factors Beaufort ranks as the healthiest county followed by Charleston, Lexington, Dorchester and Greenville.  The unhealthiest counties in South Carolina in terms of health factors are Marlboro, Allendale, Dillon, Chester and Jasper.  To learn more about the South Carolina Rankings please visit South Carolina County Health Rankings. 

“By examining a county’s health on an annual basis, local stakeholders can identify–health trends in their community and establish benchmarks for improvement” said Dr. Megan Weis, IMPH Associate Director of Outreach and Program Development.  “The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps present county-level health and contextual data.  This demonstrates that health extends beyond clinical facilities and is truly present in the areas that we live, learn, work and play.”

Examples of specific measures used to calculate the Rankings include: rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity and percentages of children living in single parent households.  This information helps counties see where they are doing well and where improvement is needed to ensure that every community is working towards becoming a healthy place to live.

New measures added for 2013 include, oral health which looks at the availability of dentists within a county.  Drinking water safety was also added as a measure to assess the physical environment.  Also new in 2013 are county-level trend graphs for several of the measures including children in poverty, unemployment and quality of health care.

The County Health Rankings illustrate what’s making people sick or healthy, while the County Health Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play.  The Roadmaps are about making changes to improve our health by building connections with local and national partners.  Together people from all different areas, education, transportation, public health, business and more can use the Roadmaps to implement strategies to improve health.  To learn more about the County Health Roadmaps visit the following website Roadmaps to Health.

Data provided by the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) show that 4 out of 5 South Carolina residents did not know the recommended guidelines for sodium consumption and 41 percent did not know processed food has more sodium than non-processed food.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a diet with excess sodium can lead to health problems including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Reducing sodium intake is an important component of creating healthier eating habits and can lower blood pressure which can lead to a decrease in the risk for hypertension. It is estimated that reducing daily sodium intake by 1,200 milligrams can prevent up to 92,000 deaths and save up to $24 billion in health care costs each year, nationally.

Teresa Hill, Healthy Eating Consultant, from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control stated that “sodium reduction is an important public health issue for South Carolina. Most South Carolinians consume too much sodium.  Excessive amounts of sodium in the diet lead to increased blood pressure, which increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.  The recently released report, Considering Sodium Intake Reduction Strategies in South Carolina, helps to increase public awareness of the amount of sodium in processed and packaged foods, helps to increase public awareness of the health outcomes of consuming a high sodium diet, and provides evidence-based strategies for reducing sodium intake to benefit the citizens of our state.”

The brief includes information related to chronic diseases associated with sodium intake; success stories from South Carolina and surrounding states related to nutrition guidelines for schools, menu labeling, multi-faceted sodium intake reduction strategies and recommendations to reduce sodium in our food supply.

“Improving access to healthy, delicious and affordable food such as fresh fruits and vegetables can have a significant impact on the amount of sodium in one’s diet,” states Amy Splittgerber, Executive Director of Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina and member of the Movers & Shakers Sodium Intake Advisory Committee. “Eat Smart, Move More SC is focused on strategies to make healthier choices easier to make throughout South Carolina. This report highlights successful initiatives and strategies that support this focus and provides consensus goals to guide future sodium reduction efforts in SC.”

The short term goals include involving a multitude of government agencies and stakeholders in sodium reduction practices. This includes modeling practices after other successful initiatives, encouraging communities to improve their overall nutrition systems and promoting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet in a way that fits the southern palette. Partners in this process are interested in introducing a Resolution to South Carolina’s General Assembly that would call for increased awareness of the health impacts of excessive sodium intake. The long term goals developed include establishing specific recommendations for food purchased by state agencies and creating legislative approaches for reducing sodium in food sold in South Carolina.

Download the Report: “Considering Sodium Intake Reduction Strategies in South Carolina”

The brief, includes information related to chronic diseases associated with sodium intake; success stories from South Carolina and surrounding states related to nutrition guidelines for schools, menu labeling, and multi-faceted sodium intake reduction strategies; and recommendations to reduce sodium in our food supply.

Download a copy of  “Considering Sodium Intake Reduction Strategies in South Carolina.”

The document file is large, please allow a few moments for complete download.