- Author: Michael Hsu
Suzanne Rauzon desarrolló técnicas que ayudan a identificar programas públicos efectivos
Cuando Suzanne Rauzon y May Wang cursaban la maestría en salud publica en la Universidad de California en Berkeley durante la década de 1980, Wang supo desde entonces que su compañera contaba con una brillantez única para aportar a este campo.
“¿Si tenías que votar por la persona que tiene mayores posibilidades de triunfar? Esa persona era Suzanne”, manifestó May Wang, profesora de ciencias de la salud comunitaria de la Facultad Fielding de Salud Pública de UCLA. “Suzanne iba siempre adelante de todos nosotros; era tan visionaria y con un pensamiento progresista y creo que todos – para ser honesta – nos sorprendíamos de ello”.
Décadas después, cuando Rauzon se preparaba para jubilarse el pasado mes de enero, la directora de salud comunitaria del Instituto de Políticas sobre Nutrición (NPI, por sus siglas en inglés), ya había cumplido con esa promesa excepcional. Sus muchas contribuciones han ayudado a las comunidades a identificar los programas más efectivos para beneficio de la salud pública.
Lorrene Ritchie, directora del NPI (un instituto de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC), señaló que Rauzon ha jugado un papel fundamental en transformar los resultados de las investigaciones en acciones comunitarias y cambios políticos. Agregó que, Rauzon ha aportado una extraordinaria combinación de visión estratégica para la dirección general de estudios sobre nutrición e inteligencia táctica para anticipar las necesidades de quienes financian los proyectos y las comunidades.
“Pocas personas pueden aportar ambas habilidades – completar eficientemente las tareas diarias y ser a la vez y pensar a gran escala”, dijo Ritchie. “Ha sido tan instrumental en contribuir al impacto del NPI”.
Un conjunto único de destrezas para afrontar retos complejos
Parte de lo que hace a Rauzon única en su campo es su extensa experiencia en el sector privado. Después de obtener su grado de maestría, Rauzon desarrolló una iniciativa integral para el bienestar de los empleados en el sitio de trabajo en una compañía de telecomunicaciones– un nuevo conjunto de programas que lideraron el sector en la década de los 1990.
“Suzanne fue, es y siempre ha sido muy visionaria”, expresó Wang.
Sin embargo, después de pasar varios años en el sector corporativo, en el 2001 Rauzon aprovechó la oportunidad de regresar al mundo académico (y reunirse de nuevo con Wang) en el Centro para Peso y Salud de UC Berkeley's, un precursor del NPI. Al trabajar con la co directora del centro, Patricia Crawford, Rauzon indicó que, el proyecto para investigar los efectos de las bebidas azucaradas en la salud, fue “perfecto” para ella.
Preocupados por la creciente tasa de obesidad infantil, los investigadores estudiaron las diferencias significativas en los resultados sobre salud entre los estudiantes de preparatoria que limitaban el acceso a bebidas como las gaseosas, comparados con escuelas que no tenían esta restricción.
“Ese campo en general – tratar de limitar bebidas endulzadas con azúcar – empezó con un enfoque en escuelas y se expandió a otros ambientes (como los campus universitarios) al paso de los años y ha continuado enfocándose en la salud pública”, mencionó Rauzon, “hasta trabajar ahora para limitar el acceso a bebidas azucaradas en otras instituciones públicas”.
La gestión de cambio y la capacidad de comunicación de Rauzon también fueron cruciales al estudiar la revolucionaria Iniciativa de Almuerzos Escolares en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Berkeley – una colaboración con la Fundación Chez Panisse de la chef Alice Waters y el Centro de Alfabetización Ecológica para hacer partícipes a los jóvenes en el cultivo y preparación de alimentos. Asignadas a la evaluación de la eficiencia del programa, Wang y Rauzon se dieron cuenta que había que alterar su mentalidad y métodos al trabajar con colaboradores que respondían a circunstancias a menudo cambiantes.
La perspectiva transectorial, los conocimientos prácticos y las habilidades interpersonales para cultivar relaciones positivas con personal y educadores del distrito de Rauzon, fueron algo instrumental en poder llevar a cabo estudios con mayor rigor posible en entornos reales como las escuelas.
“La mayoría de los investigadores, para ser honestos, siguen esforzándose por hacer eso con las comunidades”, mencionó Wang. “Es una tarea increíblemente retadora porque las comunidades harán lo que desean hacer – y lo que necesitan hacer – para responder a las necesidades de la gente”.
Wang, quien ahora capacita a académicos en investigaciones de participación comunitaria, dijo que el paradigma "de base" ha sido moldeado por el pensamiento de Rauzon. “Muchas de las ideas que tengo ahora llegaron por el trabajo conjunto en la Iniciativa de los Almuerzos Escolares”, expresó Wang.
Un legado de nuevos métodos y de mentoría jóvenes profesionales
Uno de los proyectos más largos -y complejos- de Rauzon ha sido la evaluación de las intervenciones sanitarias de la comunidad en todo el país, incluyendo una variedad de iniciativas de Kaiser Permanente para promover la alimentación saludable y actividad física.
“Lo verdaderamente interesante de ese trabajo fue que tratamos de entender los efectos combinados de realizar muchas cosas diferentes que están relacionadas – ver el efecto general que puede tener en la comunidad”, dijo Rauzon, destacando que las intervenciones oscilaron desde clases de nutrición hasta cambios en las políticas para mejorar la seguridad para que las personas pudieran estacionar el coche y montar en bicicleta.
Wang indicó que algunos de sus hallazgos, particularmente en uno de los estudios en el condado de Los Ángeles, sugiere que los programas efectivos son los de intervenciones en la primera infancia (incluyendo un énfasis en la lactancia materna), las visitas de enfermeras y trabajadoras sociales a hogares vulnerables y la colaboración con minoristas para hacer que los alimentos saludables sean más accesibles.
En el proceso, los investigadores ayudaron a crear nuevas herramientas de investigación – incluyendo enfoques con “mapeos de sistemas” interdisciplinarios en los cuales los científicos informáticos disciernen los vínculos entre varios programas y sus efectos y el altamente influenciable concepto del “índice de dosis de intervención comunitaria” que puede usarse para evaluar múltiples estrategias de intervención dentro de la comunidad.
Además, las contribuciones de Rauzon en la investigación y evaluación, Ritchie también destacó su papel como supervisora y mentora de estudiantes y personal del NPI e investigadores durante sus más de veinte años con UC – papel del cual Rauzon se siente más orgullosa.
“Aunque contribuí a la salud comunitaria en intervenciones efectivas y cómo medirlas”, manifestó Rauzon, “yo diría que personalmente la parte más gratificante del trabajo que he llevado a cabo durante las últimas dos décadas es ver el crecimiento, desarrollo y progreso de las personas que han trabajado para mí las cuales realmente han despegado en sus propias carreras – eso para mí ha sido inmensamente satisfactorio”.
Como investigadora emérita, Rauzon continuará apoyando a los profesionales del NPI y su investigación y agregó que siente muy entusiasmada de embarcarse en una nueva colaboración – con su esposo, un geógrafo – para mitigar el impacto del cambio climático en los humanos y la salud del medio ambiente en todo el mundo.
Las personas interesadas en apoyar el legado de Rauzon y el continuo trabajo en salud y nutrición y pueden hacer una donación al fondo de becas del NPI el cual proporciona a los estudiantes de grupos subrepresentados la oportunidad de trabajar en investigaciones del NPI y recibir la orientación de investigadores de este instituto.
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes
- Author: Michael Hsu
New law mandates at least 30 minutes of recess for K-8 public school students
Last year, while working on a bill that would require California public schools to provide at least 30 minutes of recess, State Sen. Josh Newman sought the latest research on youth physical activity. Newman, whose district encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, traveled to the Bay Area to see one of the leading experts in the field.
During several visits with Newman, Hannah Thompson – a Nutrition Policy Institute senior epidemiologist and an assistant research professor in the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health – shared the most recent science.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that children have 20 minutes or more of daily recess. But, when asked about the current “state of recess” across California, Thompson said she only knew of anecdotal evidence at the state level.
“I said, ‘You know what? I don't actually know what is going on in California,'” Thompson recalled. “I contacted a couple of colleagues who had done more national-level work on recess that included samples of California schools – but no one was really able to disaggregate what was happening in California.”
She brought up the bill during a meeting with her fellow researchers at NPI, an institute under UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
And it turned out that Janice Kao, an NPI academic coordinator, had exactly what she needed.
CalFresh Healthy Living evaluation team provides key recess data
Kao leads a project team that evaluates local health departments' programs of CalFresh Healthy Living – California's version of the educational arm of SNAP (the federally supported Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
As part of that evaluation process, Kao's team coordinates questionnaire administration at SNAP-Ed-eligible schools that are partnering with local health departments on CalFresh Healthy Living interventions, ranging from nutrition programs to physical activity initiatives. The survey asks school administrators about their current policies, environments and practices – including the provisioning of recess.
“It was just really good luck that everything was in the right place at the right time to be able to work together,” Thompson said.
At Thompson's request, Kao and her colleagues processed and cleaned that crucial piece of data, comprising responses from 153 low-income elementary schools in the 2021-22 school year.
“Just 56% of schools reported providing more than 20 minutes of recess daily,” Kao said. “So this was a situation where the data showed, ‘OK, there is some room for improvement, perhaps at that state policy level.'”
Thompson and Rebecca London, a sociologist at UC Santa Cruz, wrote a research brief detailing their analysis of the data. They describe disparities in recess time based on school size and income level of families, with students in larger, less affluent schools generally receiving less daily recess.
Thompson said those disparities are related to funding and academic inequities, as the imperative to boost test scores forced schools to increase certain classroom hours at the expense of recess time.
“We did all this work engineering physical activity out of the school day despite the tremendous body of evidence that shows physically active kids not only are healthier but can concentrate better; they have better academic performance, fewer disruptions, better classroom behavior,” explained Thompson, a former physical education teacher in Oakland. “In trying to address that academic gap, we ended up exacerbating a lot of these public health disparities.”
Virtual learning during the pandemic showed educators and parents – firsthand – the harmful effects of children staying sedentary in front of computer screens for hours. But the resulting momentum for restoring recess and time for physical activity was soon stalled as schools tried to make up for “lost time” in returning to classrooms, Thompson said.
NPI resources, expertise invaluable to lawmakers
Newman's bill, SB 291, was an attempt to lock in those recess minutes that are crucial for student health, development and scholastic performance. Both Thompson and London testified before the Senate Education Committee in April 2023, providing the senators with science-based information and context to guide their policymaking.
“Crafting policies rooted in science is critical for legislators to ensure our policies are impactful,” Newman said. “The work of Dr. Thompson and her colleagues at UC provided clear and useful guidance on the benefits of unstructured play and how to improve health and educational outcomes in California schools.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 291 into law last October. Starting this coming school year, public elementary and middle schools across California will be required to give at least 30 minutes of recess to K-5 students – and prohibited from withholding recess as punishment.
Kao said her team was excited that their CalFresh Healthy Living evaluation data was useful for lawmakers, illustrating NPI's important role in informing evidence-based policy.
“I'm hopeful that we can use this same data set to also provide key pieces of information on other types of legislation that's in the works, or newly passed legislation,” Kao said.
Thompson said the challenge now will be ensuring schools have the resources and funding to provide quality time for young people.
“If you only have one schoolyard, and it's already dedicated to PE, what do you do now, if you have to increase your time for recess and you don't have that space?” she said.
Thompson added that she is currently applying for a grant to study how schools across California are adjusting to meet the new requirements.
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
Nutrition Policy Institute researcher developed techniques that help identify effective public health programs
When Suzanne Rauzon and May Wang were in the master's of public health program at the University of California, Berkeley during the mid-1980s, Wang knew that her classmate had unique brilliance to bring to their field.
“You know how you vote for the person in high school who's most likely to succeed? That was Suzanne,” said May Wang, a professor of community health sciences in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “Suzanne was always ahead of every one of us; she was so visionary and forward-thinking and I think we were all – to be honest – a little bit in awe of her.”
Decades later, as Rauzon prepares to retire in January 2024 as director of community health at the Nutrition Policy Institute, she has fulfilled that exceptional promise. Her many contributions are helping communities identify the most effective programs to benefit public health.
Lorrene Ritchie, director of NPI (an institute under UC Agriculture and Natural Resources), said that Rauzon has played a pivotal role in translating research findings into community action and policy change. She added that Rauzon has brought an extraordinary combination of strategic vision for the overall direction of nutrition studies and tactical savvy to anticipate the needs of project funders and communities.
“Few people can bring both of those skills – efficiently complete the day-to-day tasks as well as be a big-picture thinker,” Ritchie said. “She has been so instrumental in contributing to NPI's impacts.”
A unique skill set to tackle complex challenges
Part of what makes Rauzon unique in her field is her extensive experience in the private sector. After attaining her master's degree, Rauzon developed a comprehensive employee worksite wellness initiative at a telecommunications company – a new set of programs that led the field in the 1990s.
“Suzanne was, is and has always been very visionary,” Wang said.
After years in the corporate space, however, Rauzon leaped at the chance to return to academia (and reunite with Wang) in 2001 at UC Berkeley's Center for Weight and Health, a precursor to NPI. Working with center co-director Patricia Crawford, Rauzon said the project to investigate the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages was a “perfect fit” for her.
Concerned with rising childhood obesity, the researchers studied the significant differences in health outcomes for students in high schools that limited access to beverages such as soft drinks, versus schools that did not.
“That field in general – looking to limit sugar-sweetened beverages – started with a focus in schools, and expanded into other environments (such as college campuses) over the years, and has continued to be a focus in public health,” Rauzon said, “all the way up to work now on limiting sugar-sweetened beverages access in other public institutions.”
Rauzon's change-management and communication skills also were crucial in studying the revolutionary School Lunch Initiative in the Berkeley Unified School District – a collaboration with chef Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation and the Center for Ecoliteracy to engage young people in the growing and preparation of food. Brought in to evaluate the efficacy of the program, Wang and Rauzon found they had to alter their mindset and methods when working with partners who were responding to oft-changing circumstances.
Rauzon's cross-sector perspective, practical know-how and people skills in cultivating positive relationships with district staff and educators were instrumental in successfully completing studies with as much rigor as possible in real-world settings such as schools.
The researchers created new analytical tools to evaluate health interventions developed by communities themselves – as opposed to programs engineered by academics and applied to community members with the expectation that they would accept it.
“Most researchers, to be honest, are still striving to do that with communities,” Wang said. “It is an incredibly challenging task because communities will do what they want to do – and what they need to do – to respond to the needs of people.”
Wang, who now trains academics in community-based participatory research, said that the ground-up paradigm has been shaped by Rauzon's thinking. “A lot of the ideas I have today really came about from our work together on the School Lunch Initiative,” Wang said.
A legacy of new methods, mentoring early-career professionals
One of Rauzon's longest-running – and most complex – projects has been the evaluation of community health interventions across the country, including a variety of Kaiser Permanente initiatives to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
“What was interesting about that work was we really were trying to understand the combined effects of doing a lot of different things that are related – and to see the overall effect that can have on the community,” said Rauzon, noting that interventions ranged from nutrition classes to policy changes to park and bike-safety improvements.
Wang said some of their findings, particularly from one study in Los Angeles County, suggest that effective programs are early childhood interventions (including an emphasis on breastfeeding), home visitations by nurses and social workers to vulnerable households, and partnerships with retailers to make healthy food choices more accessible.
In the process, the researchers helped pioneer new research tools – including interdisciplinary “systems mapping” approaches in which computer scientists discern linkages among various programs and their effects, and the highly influential “community intervention dose index” concept that can be used to evaluate multiple intervention strategies within a community.
In addition to Rauzon's contributions in research and evaluation, Ritchie also highlighted her role in supervising and mentoring students and NPI staff and researchers during her 20-plus years with the UC – the role in which Rauzon takes the most pride.
“While I made a contribution to community health in effective interventions and how to measure them,” Rauzon said, “I would say personally the most rewarding part of the work I've done over the last couple of decades is seeing the growth and development and advancement of people who have worked for me and who have really taken off in their own careers – that to me has been immensely satisfying.”
As an emeritus researcher, Rauzon will continue to support NPI professionals and their research, and she added that she's excited to embark on a new partnership – with her husband, a geographer – to mitigate impacts of climate change on human and environmental health across the globe.
People interested in supporting Rauzon's legacy and the ongoing work in health and nutrition can donate to NPI's Student Fellowship, which provides students from underrepresented groups the opportunity to work on NPI research and be mentored by NPI researchers.
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalón
- Editor: Danielle Lee
- Editor: Gail Woodward
El artículo, "Asociaciones entre los cambios en los comportamientos de adquisición de alimentos, la ingesta dietética y el peso corporal durante la pandemia de COVID-19 entre los padres de bajos ingresos en California" se publicó recientemente en la revista Nutrients.
Los padres de bajos ingresos en California informaron cambios en los comportamientos de adquisición de alimentos/comidas, la ingesta dietética y el peso corporal desde antes hasta durante la pandemia a través de una encuesta en línea realizada de abril a agosto de 2021. El estudio encontró que la disminución de las compras en el supermercado o en el mercado de agricultores se asoció con una disminución de la ingesta de frutas y verduras y un mayor consumo de bocadillos poco saludables.
La comida en línea y los pedidos de comidas se asociaron con una mayor ingesta de dulces, bocadillos salados, comida rápida y aumentos de peso. Los aumentos en la preparación de comidas saludables en el hogar se asociaron con mejores resultados nutricionales. Esta investigación sugiere la necesidad de intervenciones que apoyen la cocina casera saludable y aborden los efectos negativos de la compra de alimentos y comidas en línea para ayudar a mitigar las disparidades de salud después de la pandemia y prepararse para futuras emergencias similares.
El estudio fue dirigido por las investigadoras del Instituto de Políticas de Nutrición, Gail Woodward-Lopez, Erin Esaryk, Suzanne Rauzon, Sridharshi C. Hewawitharana, con Hannah R. Thompson de la Escuela de Salud Pública de la Universidad de California, Berkeley, y las coautoras del Departamento de Salud Pública de California, Ingrid Cordon y Lauren Whetstone.
Adaptado al español por Ricardo Vela del artículo en inglés.
- Author: Mike Hsu
Nutrition Policy Institute, Impact Justice, ChangeLab Solutions partner with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Serving slices of watermelon on the Fourth of July is a long-standing tradition at some facilities within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. But this July, there was something different about the watermelon offered to the approximately 8,000 residents at California State Prison Solano, California Medical Facility and Folsom State Prison.
It was juicy. It was sweet. It was “scrumdiddlyumptious,” according to one resident. And it was grown on a California family farm.
The three institutions are part of a “farm to corrections” project, Harvest of the Month, which aims to serve seasonal, locally grown produce to people who are incarcerated in California, while opening new opportunities for California farmers.
“We appreciate that someone cares enough to introduce this program that gives us something new,” said Jason Romero, a California State Prison Solano resident. “We look forward to what's coming in the future – California has the best stuff, right? – and hopefully we get other varieties of stuff.”
The program – bringing together the Nutrition Policy Institute, the nonprofit Impact Justice, and ChangeLab Solutions in collaboration with CDCR – was officially launched with the watermelon delivery in July. Pluots followed in August, and Bartlett pears were delivered in September.
“It's a ‘multiple wins' kind of an effort,” said Wendi Gosliner, the NPI principal investigator on the California Department of Food and Agriculture specialty crop block grant supporting the project. “The funding is available because the state is looking for state partners to purchase and expand the markets for California-grown fruits and vegetables. And we know that getting more of those fruits and vegetables on the plates of people who are incarcerated would be a huge bonus for them.”
California State Prison Solano resident Patrick Range said that, after tasting pluots for the first time through the program, the plum-apricot hybrid is now one of his favorites.
“I think I had five of them that day – and I'm waiting for them to have them again so I can get more; they were so good,” Range said. “It's something I'd never experienced, in the outside world or in prison.”
With rave reviews from residents and staff alike, CDCR – the State of California's biggest purchaser of food – is planning to roll out Harvest of the Month to all 33 of its adult facilities within the next two years.
“Food brings individuals together and introducing new products can give those in the care of CDCR something to talk about, as well as look forward to,” said Lance Eshelman, CDCR's departmental food administrator.
Improving conditions for people within correctional institutions is core to the mission of Impact Justice, which is working with partner organizations across the U.S. to bring fresher, more nutritious food to facilities, in support of residents' physical, mental and emotional health.
“We really want to prioritize the holistic well-being of an individual to help ensure that once they come home from incarceration, they are in a place where they are ready to actually contribute back to society,” said Heile Gantan, program associate with the Food in Prison project at Impact Justice.
Range said that enjoying the fresh produce – and learning more about its nutritional value – is helping him live a healthier, more energized, and hopefully longer life.
“I was a kid that didn't like vegetables; I didn't want nothing to do with vegetables…[but] as an adult, being 46 years of age, I want this for myself – I want to be able to tell someone else, to teach someone else about what I experienced when getting these fruits and vegetables that helped that nutritional factor,” he said.
In addition, Gosliner noted that early research suggests better food can benefit not only the well-being of residents but also of staff, with a calmer and safer work environment.
Partnership built on shared values, priorities
Gosliner and Ron Strochlic, academic coordinator at NPI, saw an opportunity to support “farm to corrections” work through a CDFA block grant, which aims to boost the purchase of California-grown specialty crops.
“CDCR is the state's largest single purchaser of food, so they're a natural place to consider ways to improve food systems,” said Gosliner, who was awarded the grant in 2020 to work with partners to research and develop pathways that encourage CDCR procurement of California produce, as well as nutrition programs for formerly incarcerated individuals. The project produced a report summarizing the opportunities and challenges in bringing more California-grown produce to the state's prison system.
The staff at Impact Justice appreciated that the NPI team brought not only research and evaluation acumen to the partnership but also an abiding concern for the people inside correctional facilities.
“Our grant funding was focused on simply increasing access to and consumption of California-grown specialty crops in CDCR prisons, but our team was very much in alignment around values and really focusing on the health and well-being of residents – highlighting and amplifying residents' experiences and voices,” said Leslie Soble, senior program manager of the Food in Prison Project.
Gantan echoed that sentiment, adding that NPI – which is under the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources umbrella – also contributed its familiarity with regional food systems, particularly food hubs across the state.
According to the NPI team, engaging food hubs – organizations that aggregate, distribute and market food products from local producers – was a logical way to make a “farm to corrections” match.
“The majority of CDCR facilities are located in rural, agricultural regions, so to us, it was kind of a no-brainer to connect those facilities with the local communities and local farmers in the area,” Strochlic explained.
For the Harvest of the Month project, the partners teamed up with Spork, a Davis-based, mission-driven food hub that sources from growers across Northern California. Spork also aggregates the fresh produce from local farmers and delivers it to participating CDCR facilities each month.
“The farmers are very excited to see the change in the systems at CDCR in food and nutrition and what they're offering to the residents – and they're excited for the potential that this has for a larger, more consistent market,” said Hope Sippola, co-owner of Spork, which emphasizes working with underserved farmers as part of its mission. “We really needed to dig deep to figure out how to successfully implement this change of CDCR purchasing from large distributors to a food hub who sources from local family farms.”
Carolyn Chelius, an NPI project policy analyst and project manager of NPI's Farm-to-Corrections work, said the team hopes, as Harvest of the Month scales up, that they will be able to make Spork's generous investment of time and resources pay off.
“Our ultimate goal is to be able to benefit Spork and help them with their business, but it's been really helpful to have them as champions – people who are really interested in the mission,” Chelius said. “I don't know if this project would have been possible otherwise.”
California produce purchasing requirement helped spur project
Of course, cultivating a strong working relationship with CDCR also was essential. On the heels of AB 822 (a policy requiring state agencies to buy California-produced food over other options if the price differential is 5% or less), another powerful impetus for CDCR was the passage of AB 778 in 2022. It requires that, by the end of 2025, at least 60% of food purchased by state-run institutions must be grown or produced in California.
Eshelman, the departmental food administrator, said the law has challenged CDCR to look closely at its statewide menus and identify items that could be sourced from California growers and producers. He said that, through this project, food service team members have gained new knowledge about food production in the state, such as variability due to regional differences and weather trends.
“The Harvest of the Month program provides an additional resource, and places CDCR in contact with subject matter experts such as food hubs and local growers who can provide valuable insight into what to expect in terms of California-grown or produced food items and their accessibility,” Eshelman explained, adding that NPI and Impact Justice also have been vital resources for CDCR.
Gosliner acknowledges the challenges in retooling processes and procedures across CDCR, the second-largest correctional system in the U.S. With nearly 100,000 incarcerated individuals in its care, CDCR purchases more than $163 million in food each year.
“It's a big ask of a major state institution to reconsider some of their systems for doing something that they do every day: providing food to the people who are incarcerated,” Gosliner said. “It's revolutionary for them to rethink who they're sourcing from, to rethink how much fresh produce they're serving, to rethink the variety of that produce – it's a big lift for CDCR.”
‘This is really the beginning'
As CDCR brings Harvest of the Month to more institutions across the state, the collaborators anticipate that the logistics will smooth out – and that more farmers will be willing to participate.
“If we can add some more facilities and increase the volume, we have a better chance of making it work for growers, so we're really hoping that we can continue with this food hub model,” Strochlic said. “For us it's really important to be able to source from small and medium growers as well.”
And while flyers describing the health benefits of each month's “Harvest” item are currently distributed at the participating facilities, the partners hope they can provide additional nutrition education opportunities for the residents – during their time inside and after incarceration (like in the workshops held across the state).
Soble and Gantan of Impact Justice also noted that all members of the project team have been learning together, exploring “new territory” in growing this innovative partnership.
“I know personally I've learned so much from the NPI folks just about policy related to food and nutrition in California and about different nutrition interventions,” Soble said. “To me, it's been a very valuable and positive partnership.”
Gosliner said that building on those relationships will be crucial, as the movement to improve the services provided to incarcerated individuals continues to gain momentum in the state.
“This is really the beginning of California's work,” she said. “Even though we grow so much of the food here, there are other states in the country that are further along than we are in California. This is really the launch.”
Funding for this project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant AM200100XXXXG032. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
Funds from UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program's Small Grants Program also helped support this project.
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