Programs  

  Nutrition/Physical Activity
  Community Food Security
  Tobacco Control
  Breast/Cervical Cancer
  Other Prevention
  Past Programs

Past Programs

Del Paso Heights Community Farmer's Market

The Del Paso Heights Community Farmers' Market began business on July 9, 2005. The innovative market draws on the expertise of local residents in food production. The market is a partnership between the Health Education Council, Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project, the City of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation, Mutual Assistance Network of Del Paso Heights and community residents. 

FEED (Food Education Equity and Diversity) Coalition  - A food security project that established the first community-based farmers market in the low income neighborhood of Del Paso Heights in Sacramento, California.  FEED also conducts garden based nutrition and physical activity education and training for at risk youth in a 4 county region.  FEED staff provides assistance to organizations to increase access to produce and healthy foods and culturally relevant health education programs.

Initiating Faith-based Tobacco Interventions- A Black Church Cessation Model:

Designed to improve the availability and effectiveness of cessation services to low Socioeconomic Status (low SES) and African American populations while seizing the opportunity to train quitline providers to better assist African American and low SES callers.

California Project LEAN

The vision of California Project LEAN is that Californians are physically active, eating healthy foods and living in communities that support healthy lifestyles.  The Health Education Council LEAN staff work to accomplish the goal of increasing the number of school district policies that support healthy eating and physical activity through two programs, Food on the Run and the School Board Nutrition Policy Project. 

Cancer Detection Programs: Every Woman Counts!

Cancer Detection Programs: Every Woman Counts!, formerly known as BCEDP, provides free breast examinations and mammograms to women 40 years of age and older with moderate incomes, little or no health insurance in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties.

Impact Project - Healthy Beverages in School Pilot Project:

Childhood obesity is a multi-faceted problem that can be linked to individual, genetic, environmental, and social factors. Adolescent obesity has tripled since 1980 and is quickly becoming a national epidemic with serious health consequences. Overweight and obesity affects all racial groups, both male and female alike. The rising prevalence of obesity in children has been linked in part to the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, per capita soft-drink consumption has increased by almost 500% over the past 50 years. Carbonated soft drinks account for more than 27% of American's beverage consumption and children start drinking soda at remarkably young age with consumption increasing through young adulthood.

Exclusive beverage pouring contracts between schools/school districts in California and soft drink manufacturers are making soda accessible to younger kids and provide free access without the knowledge of parents. Contracts between soda companies and school districts for exclusive soda rights encourage children as young as elementary school to consume soft drinks. School children who drink an average of 9 ounces or more of soda a day consume 188 more calories than those who do not consume soft drinks. There is also a direct link between good nutrition and the ability to learn, play, grow and develop properly.

The Health Education Council has received two-year funding from The California Endowment to develop a collaborative partnership to increase parent and school official awareness around exclusive soda contracts from being enacted and to develop a replicable model that can be implemented by other low-income and ethnically diverse districts to decrease obesity and unhealthy beverage options for middle and high school aged youth in California.

Women Partnering with Women

Women Partnering with Women is an innovative educational, screening and diagnostic program funded by the Susan G. Komen Foundation/Sacramento Affiliate to reach the gay, lesbian and trans-gender community. This program was developed by the Lesbian Task Force of the CDP, and also makes available to the community a Sacramento Lesbian Health Resource Guide online. This is the website for the online link: http://www.saclesbianhealth.com/

The Role of Home and Community in Youth Consumption of Produce

The link between fruit and vegetable consumption and cancer and the importance of developing good eating habits in childhood are well documented. The purpose of this project is to explore how children's environments promote or impede consumption of fruits and vegetables as a strategy for the primary prevention of cancer.

The one year pilot project will assess the environments of low-income, ethnically diverse elementary school students in Sacramento involved in 5 a Day-Power Play!, a primarily school-based program to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among 9-11 year olds through six channels: school, Farmers' Markets, food service, grocery stores, restaurants, and community youth organizations. However, some research suggests that factors outside of school, including the home and the broader community, are also powerful predictors of children's consumption of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, the results of this pilot study will be used to identify the environments amenable to change, and to develop and test an intervention to alter one or more environments in order to complement an existing 5 a Day-Power Play! program.

The goals of this project are to explore the attributes of after-school care, the home, and community in two low-income neighborhoods in Sacramento, California that either encourage or discourage fruit and vegetable consumption among elementary school children, and to develop an intervention to address the barriers identified in the exploratory research.

Spirit of Health-Building a Tobacco Free Community

Educated and promoted policy change regarding environmental tobacco smoke exposure, pro-tobacco influences and in-store tobacco sales. Primary venues for action were through sporting venues (Major League Soccer) and statewide interdenominational church associations.

Ayude Su Comunidad/Help Your Community

A bilingual (Spanish/English) coalition based, breast cancer and diabetes education program served the communities of Madison, Esparto, Knights Landing, Woodland, Yolo and Winters. The project featured three major components:

Risk Factor Education

A media information program featured bilingual newspaper articles and radio and television spots. A quarterly coalition newsletter was distributed throughout the county.

Diabetes and Breast Cancer Screening, Referral, and Tracking

Diabetes screening, referral and tracking reached over 5,000 Hispanic residents from the target communities.

Breast cancer screening, referral and tracking reached over 50% of low income Hispanic female residents of the target communities between the ages of 40-75 years.

A quarterly screening calendar was developed and distributed.

Questionnaires were developed and analyzed to assess access to care barriers and utilization rates of breast cancer and diabetes services in Yolo County.

Provider Education

A volunteer Breast Cancer & Diabetes Network consisting of bilingual volunteers trained in breast cancer early detection prequalification methodology techniques was formed for the Yolo County area. Volunteers were trained in diabetes screening, tracking, referral, follow-up techniques and to provide ongoing support for community members.

Hypertension Council

Coordinated high blood pressure control activities since 1979 under a grant from the State Department of Health Services - Hypertension Control Program. The Council's service area included the counties of: Sacramento, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba. The Council concentrated on providing professional and patient education workshops, developing worksite, clinic, and church site hypertension control programs, and bringing hypertension awareness to specific target populations. The Minority Involvement Committee organized events each year involving representatives from other health agencies. The Council also produced a free newsletter and a screening site directory, and gave classes on blood pressure measurement.

Our efforts were directed at the 1 in 4 Californians who have high blood pressure. Over 40% of the population does not know that they have the disease, even though it is easily and painlessly diagnosed in less than a minute by having blood pressure checked. Of those who are aware they are hypertensive, only 17% have their blood pressure adequately under control to reduce risk. By working closely with the media, the public, and professional, the Council hopes to decrease the number of people suffering from heart attacks, strokes, or kidney failure as a result of untreated or uncontrolled hypertension.

Tobacco Control for High Risk Youth and Young Adults
Aims at reducing the tobacco-use prevalence rates among at-risk youth and young adults through education and training.

Everybody Wins Tobacco-Free Sports Project

The goal of the "Everybody Wins" program is to provide a tobacco-free environment for youth in Sacramento County who participate in soccer, baseball and volleyball programs.

• Approximately 3,000 teens become addicted to tobacco products every day.
• Tobacco kills approximately 1,200 people every day.
• Almost 90% of those who smoke became addicted before the age of 19.

CANFit (California Adolescent Nutrition & Fitness) Fit Kids Program

Promoted healthy eating and physical fitness opportunities through community and school outreach programs for low-income Southeast Asian youth residing in the Lemon Hill area of Sacramento.

Access to healthy foods in the After School setting

A collaborative community/academic research project funded by the California Cancer Research Program, an assessment and intervention was implemented in after school settings in Sacramento's low income areas. The program resulted in an increased in healthy snack availability at sites.

Sacramento Community Clinic Consortium

A Sacramento collaborative of safety net providers and representatives from community clinics who advocate and educate on behalf of the low-income patients they serve.

Not in Mama's Kitchen Campaign

Tobacco Education for Certified Nurses Assistants (CNA's) Project

Funded in 1990 through a grant from the California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, main highlights and accomplishments of this program included:

• Development of the first policy statement and policy development resource for long term care facilities in CA to address worksite smoking.
• Development of a Tobacco and Health chapter in the training curriculum used by the Quality Care Health Foundation's CNA training program. All CNA's now receive this education as part of their certification training.
• Development of a collaborative partnership between the Health Education Council, California Association of Medical Directors, and the Quality Care Health Foundation to address the issue of secondhand smoke in long term care facilities and the high smoking prevalence among Certified Nurses Assistants.
• Development and distribution of the brochure: Smoking Policies and the Long Term Care Facility which has been disseminated to long term care facilities throughout California.

High Risk Youth Prevention of HIV/AIDS

In 1990-91 this project served youth through community centers, continuation schools and faith based organizations providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and skills building in 1990-1991. More recently, in 2005, the Council collaborated with UCDavis in the "BE TRUE TO YOURSELF" campaign.

Studies have shown that 11 - 14 year olds are at an ideal age for learning how to keep themselves safe and healthy for a lifetime. The Be TRUE to Yourself program helped young people discover their own resilience, build personal identity and strengthen family relationships. Multi session classes on substance abuse prevention and HIV risk reduction were held at community sites and clinics, local sites for youth and their families.

African American Tobacco Education Network (AATEN)

From 2000 to 2005, ATTEN received national recognition in advancing tobacco control initiatives among African American communities throughout California. The Network was advised by a board composed of African American representatives from health, education, social service, community, and businesses throughout California. The following activities helped achieve the mission:

• Enhance African American leadership in the campaign to reduce tobacco use in African American communities.
• Increase participation by African American community-based organizations in the campaign to reduce tobacco use.
• Increase the effectiveness of tobacco control programs targeting African American communities.
• Increase awareness of the disproportionately adverse health consequences of tobacco use among African Americans.

In 1996 AATEN received the Surgeon General of the United States Award for Community Service.

Patient Navigator Assistance

Funded by the Sacramento Valley Affiliate, Susan G. Komen Foundation, this program facilitated low income women into seamless access to treatment services for breast cancer.