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Baldwin Park, Los Angeles County

The 57th Assembly District Grassroots Nutrition and Physical Activity Team

Collaborating Grantees

The California Center for Public Health Advocacy (lead agency), the Baldwin Park Unified School District, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Service Planning Area (SPA) 3&4). Other partners include: the City of Baldwin Park, Kaiser Permanente, Citrus Valley Health Partners, CHOICES Program, the Baldwin Park Resident Advisory Committee (BP-RAC) and Healthy Teens on the Move. The 57th Assembly District Grassroots Nutrition and Physical Activity Team is a community coalition with seven years of experience working to prevent obesity and diabetes. The team, now recognized in Baldwin Park as People on the Move, advocates for changes in local and state policies and shares its experiences with community groups throughout the state.

Community Description

The City of Baldwin Park in Los Angeles County is located in the San Gabriel Valley about 20 miles inland from downtown LA. The city, which began as an agricultural region in the 1860's, is today a suburb of 75,837 residents. The city's population is predominately young (63% of the population is under the age of 35) and Hispanic (79%). Over half of the residents are foreign-born and 70% speak a language other than English at home. Over 32% of the city's children are overweight and 41% are considered physically "unfit".

For more information on Baldwin Park's community efforts and accomplishments click here.

News Coverage/Awards/Campaigns

• Launched a Menu Labeling campaign to support implementation of AB 1420. This project targets chain food restaurants to comply with the state legislation and identifies three other pilot restaurants (that fall outside of the state legislation of 30 restaurants) to help them develop calorie information and post it on their menu boards.

Key Policy Goals and Strategies

HEAC Phase One (2005-2009)

School Sector

• Achieve 100% compliance with California state policies SB 12 and SB 965 for a la carte food and beverages by September 2006.
• Develop and implement a school district Wellness Policy that complies with SB 12 and SB 965 by June 2006.
• Incorporate California Department of Education, Physical Education requirements in the school district's Wellness Policy and implement compliance plan.

After School Sector

• Incorporate physical activity and nutrition guidelines in the school district's Wellness Policy for after school programs administered by the district.
• Develop guidelines for program directors to enhance physical activity in Kaiser Permanente after school programs, after school programs that use city facilities, and others.
• Expand city's Healthy Policy Yields Healthy Minds policy to city-run and HEAC partner after school programs.

Neighborhood Sector

• Adopt policy to institutionalize a Healthy Parks Plan in the City of Baldwin Park (and/or incorporate plan into City Parks Master Plan).
• Develop prioritized list of changes in neighborhoods to improve access to physical activity that can be addressed through policy, such as joint use agreements for parks, a park assessment, or updating of zoning codes.
• Identify and pursue a city policy to support grocery stores to position fruits and vegetables in-front of the store and/or in store check-out aisles.

Healthcare Sector

• Determine how to change policy regarding clinical practices; incorporate accepted guidelines for the prevention of pediatric overweight into clinical interactions.
• Investigate and create plan for changing policies in healthcare facilities to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

HEAC Phase Two (2009-2010)

School and After School Sector

• BPUSD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) will continue to implement, monitor and revise local school wellness policies to assure that all school environmental changes are sustained through the following strategies:
  • o Link BPUSD school-based after school programs with schools to create a seamless nutrition and physical activity environment including:
  • o Assure adoption and implementation of food standards and physical activity guidelines and/or standards by Baldwin Park afterschool program Prop 49 funded after school programs through strategies such as the following:
  • o Development of media kit to promote HEAC After school goals, objectives and activities and identify key leaders within local media to establish relationship in order to yield new HEAC stories in the media.

Nieghborhood and After School Sector

• Develop, adopt and implement policies and environmental changes to improve access to affordable healthy food in Baldwin Park neighborhoods/ communities by "converting" local markets/corner stores to increase fresh produce and decrease access to unhealthy foods, implementing SB1420 pilot menu labeling in at least 3 food establishments and developing criteria and campaigns to recognize healthy retail food outlets.
• Develop, adopt and implement policies and environmental changes to improve access to physical activity opportunities in Baldwin Park neighborhoods/communities by developing two joint use policies between schools (Olive Middle School and Jones Jr. High School), and after school programs, incorporating health language into specific plan for the downtown redevelopment project and by developing a community wide plan that addresses crime and traffic safety to improve access to physical opportunities.
• Increase access to healthy "out-of-school" environments (including summer programs, local parks, league programs, faith-based programs and youth development programs) for a broad cross-section of youth (K-12) through strategies such as by extending Healthy Policy Healthy Yields (HPYHM) Minds nutrition and physical activity policy in at least two more community-based programs and extending local/state nutrition policies to community-based after school programs.
• Develop a sustainability plan for BP-RAC to ensure parental and community engagement.
• Expand youth development and leadership efforts to ensure related issues, such as mental health and violence prevention efforts are addressed.
• Partnering with initiatives such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Permanente HEAL, and California Community Foundation to further expand and sustain HEAC's work through youth and resident engagement.
• LAC DPH SPA 3 and 4 area health office will improve organizational capacity linking HEAC to other internal categorized programs (nutrition program, chronic disease prevention, physical activity program) to improve nutrition and physical environments in new communities in Los Angeles County.

To learn More, Contact:

California Center for Public Health Advocacy
Rosa Soto
626-961-1179

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, SPA 3 & 4
Clara Steimberg
213-240-7946

Baldwin Park Unified School District
Christine Dennis
626-856-4443

Accomplishments

Accomplishments, Baldwin Park

• Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Grant: In December 2008, the People on the Move Collaborative was awarded with the Health Kids, Healthy Communities Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The California Center for Public Health Advocacy will receive a $400,000 grant from RWJ to improve opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy, affordable foods for children and families. Based on demonstrated success in increasing active living and healthy eating, Baldwin Park is one of nine leading sites selected for the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative. This $44 million national program is RWJF's newest and largest investment to date in community-based solutions to childhood obesity. By late 2009, it will include approximately 70 communities across the country.
• Breastfeeding Taskforce: The Breastfeeding Taskforce formed by Kaiser Permanente and HEAC partners had a major accomplishment in December 2008: the approval for the opening of a Lactation Room for KP employees. This is part of the KP Employee Wellness Policy that mirrors the City of Baldwin Park Lactation Accomodation Policy in Baldwin Park. A reception and guided tour offered by lactation consultants will be offered on February 6th during the Grand Opening event.
• Corner Stores Healthy Selection Initiative: The Corner store Conversion taskforce formulated a Healthy Selection Initiative with the following three components 1. Engage city council and staff to identify and enforce existing local signage ordinances not being enforced and develop an enforcement component for these, 2. Build relationships with business owners to identify healthy products in their stores and encourage increased sales of healthy foods, and 3. Develop corner store conversion guidelines to convert stores. The campaign seeks to tackle key challenges business owners face during the economic crisis such as lack of information for sustaining their businesses with innovative purchasing as well as understanding the impact the corner store can have on community health and the profitability of increasing food access. A "Healthy Selection" logo, that was developed locally from a teen art contest was used is corner stores in the form of stickers and aisle signs to identify fruit and vegetable displays as well as products with minimal salt, fat and sugar that comply with California Laws SB12 and SB 965, which set healthy requirements for snacks and beverages in schools. Between October and December 2008, nine stores were recruited to participate in the Healthy Selection Initiative. They include: Smart and Final, 7-11, Vallarta Market and other locally owned stores.
• Baldwin Park Unified School District: BPUSD has been diligently working to improve food and physical activity environments in schools. Specifically, they have trained HEAC Coaches K-12 to implement California Physical Fitness Standards and Content Standards for students. The district ensured that all schools were accurately implementing the Wellness Policy, SB12 and SB965 and PE minutes in the first quarter. In addition, the Baldwin Park Unified School District is spearheading an innovative effort to create new community health and fitness facilities at three of its schools.
• Adoption of a comprehensive school Wellness Policy by the Baldwin Park Unified School District (BPUSD) that calls for compliance with SB12 and SB965 and for compliance with the state mandate of 200-400 minutes of Physical Education every 10 days in grades K-12 .
• Implementation of SB 12 and SB 965 food and beverage standards by Baldwin Park Unified School District one year ahead of the required implementation deadlines.
• Assessment of BPUSD's physical education program in grades K-12 and development of curriculum guide for elementary school teachers to support them in complying with state physical education mandate.
• Incorporation into City's Park Master Plan of community input from youth and adult resident committees.
• Completion of Photovoice project about nutrition and physical activity environments in Baldwin Park by Healthy Teens on the Move and presentation of PhotoVoice at City Council Chambers, county library and to Baldwin Park Unified School District.
• Walk Baldwin Park Day!, led by youth from Healthy Teens on the Move and Baldwin Park Resident Advisory Council, with policymakers and community leaders, to determine high priority walkability issues in the city.
• Park audits by Healthy Teens on the Move conducted of five Baldwin Park city parks, to determine access, use and the condition of equipment at those parks.
• Audits by residents from Baldwin Park's Resident Advisory Council to assess safety and walkability at three parks, and their surrounding street access.
• Promotoras/es selected and trained to provide "platicas" (talks) on barriers to nutrition and physical activity environmental change through community homes, faith organizations and parks. 60 sessions have been held in the community to date addressing 500+ residents of Baldwin Park.
• Healthcare provider champions identified to support environmental change efforts in schools, communities and in after-school programs.
• Task force established to create plan to promote healthy eating and physical activities in healthcare facilities through wellness policies.
• Passage of a moratorium on drive-thrus in the downtown redevelopment area of Baldwin Park to support walkability to downtown businesses and parks.
• Engaged the following businesses in our Healthy Selections Corner Store Project: Vallarta Market, El Mambi, La Blanquita, El Mercado Del Pueblo Jay's Liquor, J& J Market. These stores join Smart and Final and 7-11 in identifying healthy selections in their store and featuring fruits and vegetables and healthy snacks near check-out stands.
• Launched a Menu Labeling campaign to support implementation of AB 1420. This project targets chain food restaurants to comply with the state legislation and identifies three other pilot restaurants (that fall outside of the state legislation of 30 restaurants) to help them develop calorie