Respond to Chronic Disease Survey

Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Action Team
Standing: Daniel Remley-The Ohio State University, Valerie Duffy-University of Connecticut, Bernestine
McGee-Southern University, Linda Cronk-Michigan State University, Betty Greer-University of Tennessee,
Julie Garden-Robinson-North Dakota State University, Tamara Warren-Alabama A&M University, David
Buys-Mississippi State University, Chair. Kneeling: Cindy Nelson-Utah State University, Marla Reicks-University of
Minnesota, Marcel Horowitz-University of California, Suzanne Prevedel-Extension-Utah State University

The Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Action Team, one of five teams making up the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team, needs your help to determine current Extension education related to chronic disease prevention and management. Responses will be used to identify gaps and make recommendations to equip Extension “to do for the nation’s health what it did for American agriculture,” according to action team chair, David Buys, Mississippi State University. The survey https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bBnfv3eNsmku6C9 asks questions about program characteristics and process, partnerships, and barriers. Please encourage participation by colleagues at state, regional and local levels. Some participants may be asked for additional information based on their responses to the original survey. Direct questions to Buys at david.buys@msstate.edu or 662.325.3060. 

Value of FCS Webinar 3.9.16 – USDA-NIFA invites you to a webinar 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. this Wednesday on the North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA) new study highlighting the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension in the region. Prepared by the research organization Battelle, the study reviewed the impact of 107 FCS Extension programs and was organized around three primary areas of impact: Family and Human Development; Food, Nutrition, and Health; and Family Resource Management. FCS Extension programs help individuals, families, and communities change behavior, increase their life knowledge, and develop useful life skills, from stress management techniques to making healthy food choices for a family on a limited food budget. To join via Adobe Connect, go to http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/r1vpcdhjhdr/ or by phone at 888.844.9904, Code 6042732.

Nominate “Horizon” Panelists by 3.10.16 – As part of the new ECOP Task Force on Innovation, chaired by Keith Smith (retired), Ohio State University, eXtension is leading an effort with the New Media Consortium to develop an Extension Horizon report about emerging technologies and methods between 2016-2021. For details see https://extension.org/2016/02/25/a-new-tool-for-looking-beyond-the-horizon-in-cooperative-extension/. In order to build a 45-person panel to determine trends, you are asked to nominate panelists by March 10, 2016 at https://vte.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0B4hdEtHFXxy7c1. In addition to Extension professionals, including self-nominations, you are encouraged to include others with a working knowledge of Cooperative Extension. For questions, contact Jerry Thomas, Leader, eXtension i-Three Labs at jthomas@extension.org or 419.306.9400. 

Health Conference Early Registration Closes 3.9.16 – The 2016 National Health Outreach Conference will be held in Roanoke, VA this year hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension. The theme is All Aboard: Building Partnerships for a Healthy America. The goal is to offer a participatory and collaborative conference joining organizations and agencies working across systems to address current and future health issues. The conference will be of interest to health professionals, health educators, health policy makers and anyone interested in learning more about physical and mental wellness. The conference begins on April 6 at 12:30 p.m. with participants having the choice of either several tours or the preconference. The main conference kicks off with a banquet at 6:00 p.m. Plenary and concurrent sessions continue through noon on April 8. For early registration rates through 3.9.16 and more information, see http://www.cpe.vt.edu/2016nhoc/.

4-H Grow True Leaders Week – National 4-H Council invites Extension Leadership to three events, April 12-13, 2016, during the inaugural Grow True Leaders Week in Washington, DC.

These events will help launch the Grow True Leaders Campaign and highlight Extension’s positive impact for a national audience. A Youth Rally on April 12 at 9:00 a.m. at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD will highlight youth issues and 4-H youth-driven solutions and feature a performance by award-winning recording artist Jennifer Nettles. The National 4-H Council Legacy Awards on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Union Station in Washington, DC honors the collective accomplishments of Extension professionals and volunteers. A Legacy Extension Leader gift of $1,000 provides two tickets to the event. Purchase tickets online via credit card at www.4-h.org/extension. National 4-H Council Congressional Breakfast on April 13 at 9:00 a.m. at Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50 brings together Members of Congress, Extension leadership and youth to highlight 4-H programs and recognize bipartisan support on Capitol Hill; all Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to attend, along with two youth from each institution. Subsequently, 4-H delegations from National 4-H Conference will visit with Members of Congress on the Hill as part of this powerful youth advocacy day. For more information on these events, see http://www.4-h.org/extension/grow-true-leaders-week/. To RSVP to any or all of the events above, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GTLWeekRSVP. 

Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People (HFSHP) Report – The APLU Boards on Agriculture and Human Sciences announces release of the report Healthy Food Systems, Healthy People www.aplu.org/healthy-food-systems. The report calls for collaboration and integration amongst agriculture, food, nutrition, and health care systems to address issues related to human health and chronic disease prevention. The effort got its launch at the July 2014 Joint COPs meeting with impetus from the report http://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/CFERR_Library/national-framework-for-health-and-wellness/file of the ECOP Health Task Force, which completed its work in March of 2014 under the leadership of Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware. The HFSHP Steering Committee was co-chaired by Chris Ladisch, Purdue University, and Rich Linton, North Carolina State University. Cooperative Extension was represented on the committee by Celvia Stovall, Alabama A&M University, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, who now co-chairs the ECOP-ESCOP Health Implementation Team. The next step in the HFSHP effort is to determine an appropriate budget requirements to address the programmatic priorities outlined in the report – integration across systems; drivers of food choices and consumer behavior; impact of food on consumer health; definition and accessibility of quality food, and education, outreach and engagement. 

University of Delaware Welcomes ECOP – Michelle Rodgers, ECOP Chair, welcomes colleagues to the University of Delaware this week for an intense two-day ECOP meeting. Key agenda items relate to the 2016 goals of private resource mobilization, urban programming, innovation, professional development, and national system. For more information about the ECOP goals and ongoing priorities, see www.extension.org/ecop. Minutes of ECOP meetings are located at this site, along with other details of how ECOP is organized to provide national leadership of benefit to state and local programming. 

Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, and
Gary Thompson, Pennsylvania State University

ESCOP-ECOP Work Together on Budget – Gary Thompson, Pennsylvania State University, and Rick Klemme, University of Wisconsin, chairs respectively of the ESCOP and ECOP Budget and Legislative Committees will engage in a joint meeting today. While the chairs serve as liaisons to the other COP, engaging in a joint meeting is a strategic new development. Amongst agenda items will be a discussion of a strategy for advocating for the “both-and” of competitive and capacity funding and creating broad-based support for major initiatives, such as water security.