Grantee Profiles
Santa Ana, Orange County
Healthy Eating, Active Communities—Santa Ana
Collaborating Grantees
Latino Health Access (lead agency); Santa Ana Unified School District; and Orange County Health Care Agency. Other partners include: City Parks and Recreation; Kaiser Permanente; Santa Ana College (Dept. of Athletics); Cal OPTIMA; UCI Community Clinic; Project ALISA; KidWorks; and Hoag Memorial Hospital. Members of the collaborative have been working to address childhood obesity and diabetes for the past five years in elementary schools and the surrounding neighborhoods. The HEAC effort in Santa Ana is building on prior investments by The California Endowment, including work on access to health care and diabetes outreach.
Community Description
The Santa Ana HEAC project targets the 92701 zip code area, bordered by McFadden Avenue to the south, Seventeenth Street to the north, the 55 freeway to the east and Flower Street to the west. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the population in eight of the nine census tracts in this area is Latino. There are 61,363 residents, 68% of whom are living at or below two times the federal poverty level. According to the Orange County Community Indicators Report (2004), Hispanic youth have the highest proportion of overweight in Orange County. 34% of Santa Ana youth are overweight or obese (2004 report from California Center for Public Health Advocacy). Eleven elementary schools in the area feed into three middle schools (none of which are in 92701) and two high schools (one of which is in 92701). The area is characterized by high population density and a severe shortage of open space. Santa Ana has only 0.9 acres of open space/ 1,000 people (National Parks & Recreation suggests 10 acres/ 1,000 people and California cities average 5 acres/ 1,000).
Collaborative members have been working together for several years to increase opportunities for active living and healthy eating in Santa Ana by working with community residents to assess their needs. To date, assessments of the vendor trucks in the Pio Pico neighborhood have been conducted, demonstrating that many of the "produce trucks" sell very little to no produce. The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) has conducted an assessment of the vending machines on county property to assess what foods and beverages are available to county staff and visitors. This assessment was followed-up by a survey of county staff to assess their food and beverage preferences. Using GIS technology, Latino Health Access (LHA) has worked with Trust for Public Land to assess where the most critical park shortages are in the city. The data found that there is one City Council ward, Ward 2, in particular that has significantly less park space than other areas. This is where much of 92701 is located, and where Latino Health Access (LHA) will continue to focus much of its efforts. LHA has a longstanding and nationally recognized history of successfully engaging community members on issues of diabetes and other disease prevention strategies.
Key Policy Goals and Strategies
- School Sector
- Implement and enforce SB 12 and 965 standards for a la carte foods and beverages district-wide.
- Enforce the required 200 minutes of PE every two weeks in schools, and include California Department of Education standards in the school district's Wellness Policy.
- Neighborhood Sector
- Increase access to open space in 92701 by fostering the political will to successfully expand joint-use opportunities between the city and the school district.
- Increase access to healthy food by engaging in city-level debates regarding how best to incentivize the sales of healthy foods in mobile vending trucks and food carts in Santa Ana.
- Increase access to healthy food by working with city staff to change vending machine contracts on city property to sell 50% healthy food and beverages.
- Healthcare Sector
- Promote workplace wellness by pursuing a change in Orange County Health Care Agency vending machine items sold.
- Expand health coverage to include primary and secondary prevention services.
- Conduct a Health Impact Assessment of the Santa Ana River basin.
Accomplishments
- Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) is transferring all vending contracts to the District's Business Office, as they expire, to ensure better quality control of foods and beverages sold in vending machines.
- Wellness Policy passed by SAUSD in Fall 2006 that strengthens the food and physical activity environment of children.
- Three youth councils created in different neighborhoods within 92701.
- Had input into the Santa Ana Renaissance Plan meetings hosted by the city, voicing the need for open space.
- Met with elected and appointed officials in support of the LHA Park at 4th Street and Minter Street. LHA has been negotiating with the city since 2003 to obtain this ½ acre of park space for the community. The plans were incorporated into the city's Renaissance Plan and brought as a complete project to the city council in Spring 2007 for formal approval.
- Received supplemental funding to work closely with Trust for Public Land to pursue joint-use funding in the city of Santa Ana.
- Santa Ana City Council passed a 50% healthy foods in vending machine ordinance in August 2006.
- Extensive communication with city elected officials and staff about the need for incentives for local vendor trucks to sell healthier foods. Once the federal and state lawsuits waged by the truck owners against the city are settled, further negotiations can begin.
- Conducted Healthy Weight, Healthy Teeth training for Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP) providers.
- Changed Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) guidelines for bike-helmet mini-grants to mandate that any organization receiving the money focuses on promoting biking and skateboarding as forms of exercise.
- OCHCA developing a Health Impact Assessment of the Santa Ana River.
- Assessment of county vending machines conducted. OCHCA is going to propose a change in regulations that would change vending machine food and beverages sold to include 50% healthy options.
To Learn More, Contact:
Latino Health Access
Sandra Viera - HEAC Santa Ana Site Coordinator
714-542-7792
sviera@latinohealthaccess.org
Orange County Health Care Agency
Amy Buch, MA
714-834-5728
abuch@ochca.com
Maridet Ibañez, RD
714-834-8092
mibanez@ochca.com
Santa Ana Unified School District
Frances C. Byfield
714-558-5528
Frances.Byfield@SAUSD.US
