Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tanner has focused its CFP project efforts includes the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53%), with a total population of 164,105 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities.Poverty, unemployment and lack of educational attainment affect access to care and a community's ability to engage in healthy behaviors.Individuals with more education live longer, healthier lives than those with less education, and their children are more likely to thrive. The population age 25+ in Carroll (18.9%), Haralson (21.7%) and Heard (21.1%) counties with no high school diploma exceed state (14.2%) and national (13%) figures.Nutrition education efforts focus on reaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority and children) to increase food knowledge, skills and food security. Food insecurity is an increasing problem in west Georgia. According to the 2022 County Health Rankings, residents of Carroll (14%), Haralson (12.7%) and Heard (13.4%) counties experience elevated rates of food insecurity (including a total of 21,890 residents in the three-county area that are food insecure) compared to the state (12%).Another target audience has been new and beginning local farmers, with interventions focusing on expanding their knowledge, skills and tools so they can make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance sustainability. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered our ability to implement our vision for expanding our initiatives under the CFP project. During the height of the pandemic, schools and businesses were closed, and people were sheltered at home, unable to get out in public. This made it difficult to implement some of the project's planned initiatives. One of those initiatives was the implementation of healthy lifestyle programming in GHLW's new facility, which features a Healthy Food Farmacy and a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with a food prep area and walk-in cooler. The kitchen was built near the farmers' market instead of an outdoor kitchen/farmers' market pavilion. The kitchen was completed in 2019, but due to the pandemic, GHLW staff could not fully utilize the facility until the Year 5 project period. Other programs affected included Cooking Matters, which was temporarily put on hold due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidance. Kids 'N the Kitchen, which GHLW paused after the pandemic shuttered schools in March 2020, remained closed through the end of the school year. The program resumed in September 2021. Since 2016, the program has implemented 1,828 lessons, reaching 72,588 children in 31 schools. Outcomes include an increased willingness to try fruits and vegetables. Because the pandemic affected GHLW's ability to have the initial reach it hoped for, Tanner requested and was approved for a 12-month no-cost extension. In response to the pandemic, Tanner employed a variety of emergency protective measures to control and reduce the pandemic's immediate threat to public health and safety, which included: Providing additional food donation support to the Community Christian Council (CCC) to respond to the increased food demand during the pandemic. Purchasing the technology needed to adapt several Get Healthy, Live Well's programs to an online format. Lowering in-person class sizes to allow for social distancing and keep residents safe. Additionally, implementing Epic, Tanner's electronic health record (HER) system, allowed GHLW to receive physician referrals for its free chronic disease and nutrition education class. By accessing this "one patient, one record" HER, physicians can see results for their patients receiving diabetes nutrition counseling or medical nutrition therapy from a certified diabetes educator or registered dietitian at GHLW. At the end of the 4-year project period, Tanner requested and was approved for a 12-month no-cost extension in response to the arrival and subsequent surges of COVID-19 and its variants, which made it difficult to complete the project's objectives. The extension allowed the health system to complete its objectives during the Year 5 project period and address farm and nutrition issues, as well as food access in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. But the drastic impacts of the pandemic continued to be a challenge in Year 5 as social distancing and the fear of spreading COVID reduced in-person interaction for primary and preventive care. In response, Tanner drastically changed its approach to care and education by launching new clinical programs -- like telehealth and remote health monitoring -- and flexing its programs to ensure the safety and accessibility of participants. GHLW has also taken several measures to mitigate these effects and continue providing programs and services to improve the community's health. These measures include supporting primary care physicians by offering virtual events and webinars on nutrition and chronic disease prevention and management. Rising food costs have also made it more difficult for low-income, food-insecure residents in rural communities to purchase healthy foods. GHLW and its partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank was also impacted by a lack of access to healthy, affordable food for distribution. To address the lack of access to healthy, affordable food, GHLW uses the Cooking Matters, Food As Medicine, Food Talk and Food Talk: Better U curricula to teach the priority population how to eat healthy on a budget. Transportation, including rising gas costs, remains a barrier, especially for rural residents living in poverty. To address transportation challenges, GHLW offers online classes for the community. GHLW also offers online nutrition education via Tanner's blog, YouTube channel, e-newsletter and text messaging interventions. Addressing the lack of broadband in rural areas, GHLW has partnered with organizations in the community -- such as libraries and schools -- that provide internet access to families who will be able to log into a computer to receive nutrition education through existing GHLW programming, which includes: 1:1 health coaching Carb Counting Cooking Matters Diabetes 101 Food As Medicine Food Talk Food Talk: Better U Broadband access is also available at physician offices, where the priority population will be able to receive food skills education by scanning a QR code. The CFP grant allowed GHLW to meet the needs of low-income individuals through food distribution, provide community outreach to assist in the participation of federally-assisted nutrition programs and improve access to food as part of comprehensive service. It also allowed GHLW to increase the self-reliance of communities in providing food and promote comprehensive responses to local food access and farm and nutrition issues. In addition, GHLW has expanded partnerships with farmers to enhance the availability of locally-grown fruits and vegetables and increase nutrition education and cooking skills training for low-income families. And this was accomplished in the years leading up to and following a global pandemic -- a historical point in time that will have a lasting effect on how everyone thinks about and approaches food, nutrition and health. Throughout the 5-year project period, the grant has allowed GHLW to reach more than 164,000 individuals in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties through chronic disease and nutrition education. It has also allowed GHLW to increase access to healthy foods for more than 67,000 individuals. These are just a few examples of the lasting effect that this CFP grant has had on the community. The grant will also allow GHLW to continue serving residents in this three-county area in a more comprehensive and sustainable way far into the future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?GHLW's West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative continued to increase the accessibility, availability, affordability and identification of healthy foods. The group includes more than 30 representatives, including business and restaurant owners, concerned citizens, local farmers, master gardeners and school nutrition directors. Its task forces have held workshops on business management for farmers. The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity provided to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an eight-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. So far, 103 individuals throughout west Georgia have completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offered in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Throughout the 5-year project, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential community sectors as active voices and contributors toward the successful implementation of CFP activities, including task force meetings and helping volunteers with various programming activities. GHLW partners with the University of West Georgia (UWG) School of Nursing, connecting senior nursing students to a variety of community health opportunities in west Georgia through a preceptorship program. The program helps students learn and gain skills in community health work and nutrition. Students gain insight on food insecurity, nutrition and how it affects disease processes. They also complete the program with an improved understanding of local resources available to the community. Each student must complete 10 hours of programming assistance. During the 5-year project period, 710 nursing students participated in the preceptorship program, completing over 12,300 hours. On Feb. 25 and 27 of 2020, a West Georgia Small Farm Conference was held in Haralson County, which over 100 individuals attended. Session topics included: Fruit tree and vegetable farms Honeybees and pollinators Irrigation Marketing Nuisance animals Pasture/grazing Small ruminant production Vegetable crop scheduling Vegetable pests Wine grapes Participants also toured local farms during the conference. As part of its efforts to improve the community's health and reach as many people as possible, GHLW is educating physicians about the resources available to their patients with diabetes and hypertension through its Food As Medicine program. GHLW's nutrition program coordinator and community outreach coordinator became National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWCs). After completing Emory University's health and wellness training and education program, they applied for certification, which will help them continue to deliver high-quality health and wellness services to the community. This includes 1:1 health coaching for FAM participants. Since 2020, they have helped educate 82 participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Communicating project results to stakeholders and communities of interest is an important part of GHLW's work. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative meets quarterly throughout the year to guide the implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held bi-monthly to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and to maximize project impact. Preliminary project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center's Board of Directors, Community Benefit committee, Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team and local community groups. This has been done to increase awareness of CFP project activities and gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. To this end, GHLW has used various methods to disseminate project results, including: Task force meetings where results are reported to partners, including local churches, libraries, schools and senior centers Developing and maintaining a website (GetHealthyLiveWell.org) that has been visited 141,493 times Social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, with 31,021 followers total Weekly e-newsletters, reaching 65,000 people weekly Tanner's 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment Physician office lunch and learns Flyers and promotional materials 1:1 contact with physicians and medical staff What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Get Healthy, Live Well (GHLW) completed all major goals during the 5-year project. The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market (CMFM) operates on Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton's campus -- located in a food desert -- with average weekly attendance of 121 patrons over 5 years. Tanner provides space and parking near the Carrollton GreenBelt and housing authority. Apush to promote EBT benefits resulted in increased participation in swipes and double-up tokens since 2018. By Year 5, SNAP recipients utilized $798 ($399 swipes + $399 double-up tokens) to spend at the CMFM from April 1through July 31, 2022. The Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries (BAUCM) "First Friday" Pop-Up Market -- which served 60 patrons monthly -- was held in 2018, 2019 and 2020, along with food pantry giveaways. In 2022, GHLW partnered with Villa Rica's Community Farmers' Market with an average weekly attendance of 300-400 patrons.The Power of Produce Club (POP), which began at CMFM in 2017 and expanded to more markets, empowers kids ages 4-12 to make healthy choices by providing nutrition education and $2 to spend on produce. The program paused in 2020 due to the pandemic but relaunched in 2022. Over the 5-year project, kids redeemed over 290 POP Bucks. GHLW partnered with food banks Manna House, Community Christian Council (CCC), BAUCM and Open Hands to offer nutrition education and increase the nutritional value of food donated, impacting about 1,500 families monthly with fluctuations during the pandemic. CCC is upholding a 2019 policy to increase healthy food donations and promote it to food banks. The CCC's free indoor market was expanded in partnership with GHLW and the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB).Haralson County food banks faced a greater need during the pandemic and cut distribution days due to scarce food supply. The CCC averaged 300 people served 2x weekly but increased to over 1,000 aweek post-pandemic. Since 2020, CCC has provided 37,000 hot meals and 850,000 pounds of produce and healthy staples to 43,000 people.Tanner built an indoor teaching kitchen near the farmers' market instead of an outdoor kitchen/farmers' market pavilion to increase reach. In 2020, GHLW moved into the facility featuring a Healthy Food Farmacy and a teaching kitchen with a food prep area and walk-in cooler.The kitchen has online programming and live streaming capabilities, reaching 16,307 people. GHLW could not fully utilize the facility until Year 5 due to the pandemic but now offers weekly chronic disease and nutrition education, cooking classes, and exercise classes.People with diabetes and hypertension often struggle to manage their conditions, especially the 15,800 residents in the target population living in food deserts. Knowing this, GHLW launched Food As Medicine (FAM) in 2020, offering free, nutritious food and diabetes, hypertension, social and environmental education services to low-income, food-insecure people with A1C levels greater than 7.0 and hypertension.There is an emphasis on teaching the connections between diet and health. Participants have free access to: Diabetes and hypertension education 1:1 health coaching 1:1 registered dietitian consult Cooking classes and recipes Meal planning Tips on buying healthy foods on a budget Weekly box of fruits, vegetables and shelf-stable foods for a family of 4 Blood pressure (BP) monitors, cooking utensils, exercise bands, reusable water bottles and exercise classes Through a partnership with ACFB, participants visit the farmacy weekly to "shop" for free fresh, nutritious food. In 2021, a team from the University of West Georgia's Department of Health and Community Wellness provided an outside evaluation of the program.Initial results show an average reduction in BP (140/81 to 125/72), BMI (37.01 to 35.26) and A1C (9.87 to 8.15) were reported among people completing the 1-year pilot program. Results also show participants can better manage their disease by FAM's end.Since 2017, 172 people have completed the program, receiving over 36,000 pounds of food.In 2017, GHLW partnered with other organizations to host Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters (CM) program, teaching low-income families how to cook nutritious, budget-friendly meals. In 2018, 11 people were trained to implement CM in their communities.Classes were hosted in GHLW's teaching kitchen and streamed live. Participants say it helped them buy healthier meals with SNAP benefits to support their families' health and food security.In 2022, Share Our Strength selected GHLW to pilot medical office interventions providing food skills and nutrition education to parents in a healthcare setting through CM. Interventions include 1:1 and small-group education and access to online information and recipes via QR code and text message.Since 2017, 26 classes have been hosted in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, reaching 291 people. Over 500 people have been served through chronic disease and nutrition education programming at the GHLW facility.In 2016, GHLW launched Kids 'N the Kitchen, an interactive mobile teaching kitchen program for grades K-8 teaching students healthy cooking methods to improve nutrition. The pandemic shuttered schools in March 2020; they remained closed through the end of the school year.The program resumed in September 2021. Since 2017, the program has implemented 1,828 lessons, reaching 72,588 kids in 31 schools.Outcomes include an increased willingness to try fruits and vegetables.GHLW recognizes the need for new farmers to supply the produce needed for healthy communities. In partnership with UGA Extension - Carroll County, GHLW began providing education to new and beginning farmers through the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program (JFCP) in 2018. JFCP completers have the chance to participate in a 20-hour mentorship with farmers.The program paused in 2021 due to the pandemic and resumed In 2022. To date, 103 people completed JFCP, with 11 completing the mentorship.In 2020, a West Georgia Farm Conference was held in Haralson County, with over 100 people attending.GHLW partnered with the extension office to host a Vegetables 101 workshop taught by Carroll County Master Gardeners in 2022, reaching 44 people. Four food preservation classes were held, averaging 15-20 people in each class.GHLW also partnered with the office to host Food Talk and Food Talk: Better U (FTBU) in-person and online at GHLW, with 29 participants. The classes, part of SNAP-Ed programming, provide nutrition and physical activity education using cooking demos andtastings. FTBU has an emphasis on lowering obesity rates. Additionally, food sources and farmers' markets have been listed in community resource guides online for Carroll and Haralson counties. The guides have received over 30,000 views. GHLW also provides an annual Farm and Food Resource Guide to residents in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties with a distribution of 4,500.In Haralson County, GHLW planted community gardens at senior centers and provided nutrition education.In 2021, 20 seniors attended GHLW's Carb Counting class at Bremen Senior Center. In 2021 and 2022, GHLW partnered with schools, the Neva Lomason Public Library, Villa Rica police, the Villa Rica Recreation Department and True Life Day Camp to host camps providing nutrition and physical education, impacting 307 kids. Other 2022 accomplishments include: Hosting a nutrition class at the Bremen Senior Center, reaching 18 seniors. Partnering with 3 churches to host a water challenge, reaching 130 people. Setting up a nutrition education station at the Heard County Teen Maze event, reaching 800 students. Providing nutrition education at the Carrollton Housing Authority's fatherhood event, reaching 200 people. GHLW used digital/social/print media to increase awareness of farmers' markets, nutrition assistance and education opportunities, reaching9,215,225 media impressions during the 5-year project.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tanner has focused its CFP project efforts includes the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53%), with a total population of 164,105 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities.Poverty, unemployment and lack of educational attainment affect access to care and a community's ability to engage in healthy behaviors.Individuals with more education live longer, healthier lives than those with less education, and their children are more likely to thrive. The population age 25+ in Carroll (18.9%), Haralson (21.7%) and Heard (21.1%) counties with no high school diploma exceed state (14.2%) and national (13%) figures.Nutrition education efforts focus on reaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority and children) to increase food knowledge, skills and food security. Food insecurity is an increasing problem in west Georgia. According to the 2022 County Health Rankings, residents of Carroll (14%), Haralson (12.7%) and Heard (13.4%) counties experience elevated rates of food insecurity (including a total of 21,890 residents in the three-county area that are food insecure) compared to the state (12%).Another target audience has been new and beginning local farmers, with interventions focusing on expanding their knowledge, skills and tools so they can make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance sustainability. Changes/Problems:During the height of the pandemic, schools and businesses were closed, and people were sheltered at home, unable to get out in public. This made it difficult to implement some of the project's planned initiatives. One of those initiatives was the implementation of healthy lifestyle programming in GHLW's new facility, which features a Healthy Food Farmacy and state-of-tart teaching kitchen with a food prep area and walk-in cooler. The enclosed kitchen was built near the farmers' market instead of an outdoor kitchen/farmers' market pavilion. The kitchen was completed in 2019, but due to the pandemic, GHLW staff could not fully use the facility until the Year 5 project period. Other programs affected included Cooking Matters, which was temporarily put on hold due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidance. Kids 'N the Kitchen, which GHLW paused after the pandemic shuttered schools in March 2020, remained closed through the end of the school year. The program resumed in September 2021. During Year 5, the program has implemented 344 lessons, reaching 8,807 children in 7 schools. Outcomes include an increased willingness to try fruits and vegetables. At the end of the four-year project period, Tanner requested and was approved for a 12-month no-cost extension in response to the arrival and subsequent surges of COVID-19 and its variants, which made it difficult to accomplish the project's objectives. The extension allowed the health system to complete its objectives during the Year 5 project period and address farm and nutrition issues as well as food access in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. But the drastic impacts of the pandemic continued to be a challenge in Year 5 as social distancing and the fear of contracting COVID have reduced in-person interaction for primary and preventative care. In response, Tanner drastically changed its approach to care and education by launching new clinical programs -- like telehealth and remote health monitoring -- and flexing its programs to ensure the safety and accessibility of participants. GHLW has also taken several measures to mitigate these effects and continue providing programs and services to improve the community's health. These measures include supporting primary care physicians by offering virtual events and webinars on nutrition and chronic disease prevention and management. Rising food costs have also made it more difficult for low-income, food-insecure residents in rural communities to purchase healthy foods. GHLW and its partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank was also impacted by a lack of access to healthy, affordable food for distribution. To address the lack of access to healthy, affordable food, GHLW uses the Cooking Matters, Food As Medicine, Food Talk and Food Talk: Better U curricula to teach the priority population how to eat healthy on a budget. Transportation, including rising gas costs, remains a barrier, especially for rural residents living in poverty. To address transportation challenges, GHLW offers online classes for the community. GHLW also offers online nutrition education via Tanner's blog, YouTube channel, e-newsletter and text messaging interventions. Addressing the lack of broadband in rural areas, GHLW has partnered with organizations in the community -- such as libraries and schools -- that provide internet access to families who will be able to log into a computer to receive nutrition education through existing GHLW programming, which includes: 1:1 health coaching Carb Counting Cooking Matters Diabetes 101 Food As Medicine Food Talk Food Talk: Better U To address the lack of broadband in rural areas, GHLW has partnered with organizations in the community, such as libraries and schools, that provide internet access to families who will be able to log into a computer to receive Cooking Matters food skills education. Broadband access is also available at physician offices, where the priority population will be able to receive food skills education by scanning a QR code. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?GHLW's West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative continued to increase the accessibility, availability, affordability and identification of healthy foods. The group includes more than 30 representatives, including business and restaurant owners, concerned citizens, local farmers, master gardeners and school nutrition directors. Its task forces have held workshops on business management for farmers. The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity provided to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an eight-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. So far, 103 individuals throughout west Georgia have completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offered in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Throughout the 5-year project period, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential community sectors as active voices and contributors toward the successful implementation of CFP project activities, including task force meetings and helping volunteer with various programming activities. GHLW has a partnership with the University of West Georgia (UWG) School of Nursing, connecting senior nursing students to a variety of community health opportunities in west Georgia through a preceptorship program. The program helps them increase knowledge and gain skills in community health work and nutrition. Students are educated on food insecurity, nutrition and how it affects various disease processes. They also complete the program with a better understanding of community resources available to the community. Each nursing student is required to complete 10 hours of programming assistance with GHLW. In Year 5 of the CFP, 211 nursing students participated in the preceptorship program, completing over 2,570 hours. As part of its efforts to improve the community's health and reach as many people as possible, GHLW is educating physicians about the resources available to their patients with diabetes and hypertension through its Food As Medicine program. GHLW's nutrition program coordinator and community outreach coordinator became National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWCs). After completing Emory University's health and wellness training and education program, they applied for certification, which will help them continue to deliver high-quality health and wellness services to the community. This includes 1:1 health coaching for FAM participants. Since 2020, they have helped educate 82 participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Communicating project results to stakeholders and communities of interest is an important part of GHLW's work. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative meets quarterly throughout the year to guide the implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held bi-monthly to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and to maximize project impact. Preliminary project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center's Board of Directors, Community Benefit committee, Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team and local community groups. This has been done to increase awareness of CFP project activities and gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. To this end, GHLW has used various methods to disseminate project results, including: Task force meetings where results are reported to partners, including local churches, libraries, schools and senior centers. Developing and maintaining a website (GetHealthyLiveWell.org) that has been visited 141,493 times Social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, with 31,021 followers total Weekly e-newsletters, reaching 65,000 people weekly Tanner's 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment Physician office lunch and learns Flyers and promotional materials 1:1 contact with physicians and medical staff What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?While the current CFP grant ends on Aug. 31, 2022, GHLW is working to sustain the initiatives and programs implemented over the last five years. GHLW continues its work to improve the community's health and reach even more people with its services. GHLW will also continue: Nurturing its relationship with new and beginning farmers through education and its partnership with UGA Extension - Carroll County. Promoting extensive community clinical linkages that will increase the number of physician referrals, allowing GHLW to expand its curriculum to include other disease processes. Expanding Food As Medicine (FAM) to reach more low-income, food-insecure individuals living with chronic conditions beyond diabetes and hypertension. Continue providing nutrition education programming such as Kids 'N the Kitchen, Cooking Matters, Food Talk, Food Talk: Better U, cooking demonstrations at food bank giveaway days, etc. Utilizing the new GHLW facility and its teaching kitchen to provide more hands-on cooking classes and nutrition education to the community. Expanding cooking and nutrition education at GHLW's facility to include more online classes, impacting thousands of lives. Additionally, we will be expanding our outreach to the community by: Expanding the use of social media and other digital platforms to reach more people with our message of health and wellness. Printing and distributing marketing materials (e.g., flyers, posters) to raise awareness of our programs. Creating and sustaining partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, community groups and faith-based organizations to provide community members with the resources they need to lead healthier lifestyles. We will continue evaluating our programs to determine what has been most successful and identify opportunities for improvement. Our goal is to continue to make a positive impact on the health of our community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Get Healthy, Live Well (GHLW) completed all major goals in Year 5. The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market operates on Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton's campus -- located in a food desert -- with an average weekly attendance of 150 patrons. Tanner provides space and parking near the Carrollton GreenBelt and housing authority. A push to promote EBT benefits led to increased market participation in swipes and double-up tokens since 2018. In Year 5, SNAP recipients utilized $798 ($399 in swipes + $399 in double-up tokens) to spend at the market from April 1 through July 31, 2022. In 2022, GHLW partnered with Villa Rica's Community Farmers' Market with an average weekly attendance of 300-400 patrons. GHLW hosted the Power of Produce (POP) Club at both markets. POP empowers kids ages 4-12 to make healthy choices by providing nutrition education and $2 to spend on produce. Paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, POP resumed in July 2022, reaching 108 kids. GHLW partnered with food pantries Manna House, Community Christian Council (CCC), BAUCM and Open Hands to offer nutrition education and increase the nutritional value of food donated, impacting about 1,500 families monthly with fluctuations during the pandemic. CCC is upholding a 2019 policy to increase healthy food donations and promote it to other food banks. The CCC's free indoor market was expanded in partnership with GHLW and the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB). Haralson County food banks faced a greater need during the pandemic and cut distribution days due to scarce food supply. The CCC averaged 300 people served 2x weekly but increased to over 1,000 per week after the pandemic began. Since 2020, the CCC has provided 37,000 hot meals and 850,000 pounds of produce and healthy staples to 43,000 residents. To have a greater impact and reach, Tanner built an indoor teaching kitchen near the farmers' market instead of an outdoor kitchen/farmers' market. In 2020, GHLW moved into the new facility featuring a Healthy Food Farmacy and a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with a food prep area and walk-in cooler. The kitchen has online programming and live streaming capabilities, reaching 16,307 people. Due to the pandemic, GHLW could not fully utilize the facility until Year 5 but now offers weekly chronic disease education, cooking classes, nutrition education and exercise classes. People with diabetes and hypertension often struggle to manage their conditions, especially the 15,800 residents in the target population living in food deserts. Knowing this, GHLW launched Food As Medicine (FAM) in 2020, offering free, nutritious food and diabetes, hypertension, social and environmental education services to low-income, food-insecure people with A1C levels greater than 7.0 and hypertension. Education focuses on the connection between diet and health. Participants have free access to: Diabetes and hypertension education 1:1 health coaching 1:1 registered dietitian consult Cooking classes and recipes Meal planning Tips on purchasing healthy foods on a budget Weekly box of fruits, vegetables and shelf-stable foods for a family of 4 Blood pressure (BP) monitors, cooking utensils, exercise bands, reusable water bottles and exercise classes Through a partnership with ACFB, participants visit the farmacy weekly to "shop" for free fresh, nutritious food. In 2021, a team from the University of West Georgia's Department of Health and Community Wellness provided an outside evaluation of the program. Initial results show an average reduction in BP (from 140/81 to 125/72), BMI (from 37.01 to 35.26) and A1C (from 9.87 to 8.15) were reported among participants completing the 1-year pilot program. Results also show that participants can better manage their disease by FAM's end. As of August 2022, 172 participants have completed the program, receiving over 36,000 pounds of food. In Year 5, 78 participants completed the program. In June 2022, 2 Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters (CM) classes were held at the Bremen Senior Center, reaching 40 seniors. In August 2022, GHLW hosted another in-person class in its teaching kitchen, which was streamed live. Several participants said it helped them buy healthier meals with SNAP benefits to support their families' health and food security. In 2022, Share Our Strength selected GHLW to pilot medical office interventions providing food skills and nutrition education to parents in a healthcare setting through CM. Interventions include 1:1 and small-group nutrition education sessions and access to online nutrition information and recipes via QR code and text messaging. GHLW continues to implement Kids 'N the Kitchen, an interactive mobile teaching kitchen program for grades K-8 designed to teach students healthy cooking skills and improve nutrition. The pandemic shuttered schools in March 2020; they remained closed through the end of the school year. The program resumed in September 2021. In Year 5, the program implemented 334 lessons, reaching 8,807 children in 7 schools. Outcomes include an increased willingness to try fruits and vegetables. GHLW recognizes the need for new farmers to supply the produce needed for healthy communities. In partnership with UGA Extension - Carroll County, GHLW began providing education opportunities to new and beginning farmers through the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program (JFCP) in 2018. JFCP completers have the chance to participate in a 20-hour mentorship with farmers. JFCP paused in 2021 due to the pandemic and resumed In April 2022. In Year 5, 30 individuals completed JFCP focusing on small fruit and vegetable production. GHLW also partnered with the extension office to host a Vegetables 101 workshop taught by Carroll County Master Gardeners in March 2022, reaching 44 people. Four food preservation classes were also held, averaging 15-20 participants in each class. GHLW partnered with the extension office to host Food Talk and Food Talk: Better U (FTBU) in-person and online at GHLW, with 29 participants. The classes, part of SNAP-Ed programming, provide nutrition and physical activity education utilizing cooking demos and food tastings. FTBU has an emphasis on lowering obesity rates. Additionally, local food sources and farmers' markets have been listed in community resource guides online for Carroll and Haralson counties. The guides have received 30,000 views. GHLW also provides an annual Farm and Food Resource Guide to residents in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties with a distribution of 4,500. GHLW's nutrition program coordinator taught Carb Counting to 20 seniors at Bremen Senior Center in November 2021. In February 2022, the CFP grant program coordinator/registered dietitian taught a nutrition class titled "12 Tips to a Healthy Heart" to 18 seniors at the senior center. GHLW partnered with 3 churches to host a January 2022 water challenge, impacting 130 individuals. GHLW also set up a nutrition education station at a March 2022 Teen Maze event in Heard County, impacting 800 students. In June 2022, GHLW provided nutrition education at the Carrollton Housing Authority's annual fatherhood Initiative, impacting about 200 people. In 2021 and 2022, GHLW partnered with local schools, the Neva Lomason Public Library, Villa Rica police, the Villa Rica Recreation Department and True Life Day Camp to host camps providing nutrition and physical activity education, impacting 307 children. In Haralson County, residents were provided nutrition education. GHLW used digital/social/print media to increase awareness of farmers' markets, nutrition assistance and education opportunities and community programming with a reach of 4,634,683 media impressions in Year 5. Efforts included a social media campaign promoting nutrition education and 3 educational videos on healthy eating.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tanner has focused its CFPCGP project efforts include the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53%), with a total population of 161,707 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. Nutrition education efforts have focused on reaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority, children) to increase food knowledge and skills and food security. Another target audience has been new and beginning local farmers. Interventions have focused on expanding these individuals' knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance their sustainability. Changes/Problems:A significant challenge to Tanner's Community Food project work during the Year 4 project period has been the drastic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 within our communities has strained our health system and local economy, unlike any public health emergency to date. Efforts to slow the spread of the disease and mitigate strain on the health care system resulted in dramatic disruption of many aspects of individual's lives, including social distancing measures to prevent person-to-person transmission that precipitated the closure of numerous schools and workplaces. Local food banks saw drastic increases in need, having to cut down on the number of days open due to scarce food supply. For example, the Community Christian Council (CCC) Food Bank in Haralson County typically fed 300 people twice a week and had over 1,000 people show up in one day seeking food. As the coronavirus outbreak has spread, many lives have been lost. Its impact upon our families, friends, neighbors, and communities has been devastating, transposing a "new normal" reality upon where we live, learn, work, and play. Tanner's CFP grant work has continued through virtual meetings with task force members and ongoing communication and planning to ensure Tanner's CFPCGP goals and objectives are achieved, despite delays in implementation. In addition, Tanner's has implemented multiple protocols to ensure the health and safety of program participants and staff, including PPE donning, enhanced facility cleaning, social distancing guidelines as it relates to in-person program activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity provided to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an eight-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. So far, 73 individuals throughout west Georgia completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offered in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Five individuals who completed the certificate program participated in the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program, a 20-hour hands-on mentorship with an established local farmer. In 2018, one individual in 2018. Throughout Year 4 of the CFP project period, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential community sectors as active voices and contributors toward successfully implementing CFP project activities, including task force meetings and helping volunteer with various programming activities. GHLW forged a partnership with the University of Georgia (UWG) School of Nursing, connecting senior nursing students to a variety of community health opportunities in west Georgia through a preceptorship program that will help them increase knowledge and gain skills in community health work and nutrition. Students are educated on food insecurity, nutrition and how it affects various disease processes. They also complete the program with a better understanding of community resources available to the community. Each nursing student is required to complete 20 hours of programming assistance with GHLW. In Year 4 of the CFP project period, 202 nursing students participated in the preceptorship program, completing over 2,800 hours. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary means of communicating the results of CFP project activities to the community has occurred through GHLW task force meetings. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative has met quarterly throughout the year to guide the implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held on an ongoing basis (bi-monthly) to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and maximize project impact. Preliminary project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center, Inc.'s Community Benefit committee of the Board of Directors and Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team. Presentations to local community groups have also increased awareness about CFP project activities and helped gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Tanner will continue implementing its CFP work plan, with project activities and outcomes that aim to meet low-income food needs through food distribution, community outreach to assist in the participation in federally-assisted nutrition programs and efforts to increase access to food as part of a comprehensive service. Project activities and outcomes will also aim to increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for the community's food needs. This will be accomplished through farmers' markets, providing nutrition education programs for at-risk populations to enhance food-purchasing and food-preparation skills and heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health and farmer training/apprenticeships). This will also be accomplished by promotingcomprehensive responses to local food access, farm and nutrition issues (bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system through the West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative to address community food insecurity). During the Year 5 no-cost extension (NCE) project period, Tanner will continue implementing its Food As Medicine program and expand it to help low-income, food-insecure individuals living with conditions beyond diabetes and hypertension. In addition, partnering food banks will work to adopt and enforce healthy food donation guidelines within their institutions, impacting over 1,500 households monthly, expanding the use of the Atlanta Community Food Bank's mobile fresh food market. Nutrition education programming such as Kids 'N the Kitchen, Cooking Matters, cooking demonstrations at food bank giveaway days, etc., will continue to be implemented. The Journeyman Farmer program will continue with its mentorship and internship programs to further cultivate and help new and beginning farmers in the region establish, improve and sustain their operations. In addition, GHLW will expand cooking and nutrition education for other disease processes. Cooking and nutrition education will also be expanded to include online classes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During Year 4 (September 1, 2020-August 31, 2021) of the CFP project period, the following progress was made on the overall goals/outcomes as noted in Tanner's approved 4-year CFP Work Plan: The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market continued to operate adjacent to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, which is centrally located within a high-density food desert area. The location continues to be positively received. It includes convenient access to parking, nearby connections to the Carrollton Greenbelt (an 18-mile bike and pedestrian path) and the Tanner Walking Trail. It is also a short distance from a local housing authority. The average attendance at Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has been, on average, 150 patrons per week. Since March 2020, attendance has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market did not miss a Saturday, implementing various measures to adhere to social distancing and large crowd regulations to ensure the health and safety of patrons and farmers. Tanner has employed strategic communication activities to help advance program efforts to key audiences. This was accomplished by utilizing various diffusion strategies to gain support and increase awareness of the farmers' market's services and federal nutrition assistance and incentive programs, with a total reach of 2,527,611 media impressions during the Year 4 Project period. GHLW has worked through four area food pantries (Manna House, Community Christian Council (CCC), Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries and Open Hands who collectively serve over 1,500 families per month) to increase the nutritional quality of the food donated and served and educate clients on how to use their limited funds to purchase and prepare healthier foods. The leadership of these food pantries has convened multiple times during the project period and developed guidelines to increase the nutritional quality of their food donations. In June 2019, the CCC formally implemented a food policy related to increasing the healthy food donation disseminated to food patrons, continuing to comply with this policy during the Year 4 CFP project period. Through a partnership between the CCC and the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) and their mobile food market, during the 2020 and 2021, 41,784 residents have been served from fresh produce boxes, totaling 663,809 pounds of fresh produce, engaging approximately 1,566 volunteers to help with the distribution. Additionally, the CCC and ACFB provided 37,590 hot meals. During Year 4 of the CFP project period, GHLW had to cancel Cooking Matters programming because of stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the program made a significant impact on participants' nutrition knowledge and behaviors. Several low-income adults reported how the course has helped them buy healthier meals with their SNAP benefits, further supporting their families' health and food security. GHLW continued implementing Kids N' the Kitchen, an interactive teaching kitchen program for grades K-8designed to help teach students healthy cooking skills and improve their nutrition. During the Year 4 CFP period, Kids' Nthe Kitchen implemented 60 programs (lessons), reaching 2,551 children in 7 different schools. This program was significantly impacted by COVID-19, as local schools were closed on March 13 and remained closed during the close of the school year in May 2020. A notable outcome includes the ongoing reporting by teachers and parents about the positive impact the programming has had in influencing healthy eating behaviors among children/families and increasing their knowledge about the connection between diet and health. During the Year 4 project period, 2,527,611 media impressions were received through digital/social and print media channels to increase awareness of nutrition education opportunities and programming in the community. GHLW recognizes the critical need for new farmers in our region to help us supply the fresh fruits and vegetables needed for healthy communities. Although we need new farmers, the barriers would-be farmers face when growing new agricultural businesses from the ground up can be formidable. In partnership with the UGA Extension, the collaboration aims to mitigate these barriers through enhanced farmer education programming and opportunities in the region. Completers of the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program have the opportunity to participate in a 20-hour Journeyman Farmer mentorship with local farmers to help improve their build and/or improve their farm operations. At the completion of the mentorship program, participants have the opportunity to apply for an 80-hour working internship on a local farm. • During the first year of the program in 2018, 44 new or beginning farmers completed the Journeyman program, including three individuals who completed the mentorship program. • In February 2019, 10 individuals completed the program, with a focus on small ruminant production. From post-surveys, the majority of participants reported overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program format and material covered. • Two individuals completed the in June 2019, reporting positive and significant gains in hands-on knowledge of small ruminant farming. One participant stated in an evaluation form, "This is a valuable program for novice farmers. I did not find one or two aspects beneficial; I found the entire program beneficial!" • In February 2020, 22 individuals completed the program, focusing on fruit and vegetable production. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted participants' ability to participate in the program during the Year 4 project period. In mid-July 2020, GHLW launched a new innovative Food As Medicine program targeting 17 low-income, food-insecure individuals with diabetes. Participants were provided with free, nutritious food and comprehensive dietetic, social and environmental services. They were also provided with support, including a registered dietitian and nutritionist and certified diabetes educator (CDE) consultations, diabetes self-management classes, healthy cooking classes in a newly built teaching kitchen, and ongoing care coordination/navigation. They were also allowed to visit the program's food pantry twice per month and receive 10-30 pounds of food based on their household size. By March 2021, GHLW expanded its Food As Medicine program by 50 patients with hypertension. Overall, the program provided over 18,000 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and shelf-stable foods to food-insecure residents with diabetes and hypertension. After completing the 1-year pilot program, aggregate outcome data of participants also saw decreases in HbA1c (from 9.87 to 8.15), BMI (from 37.01 to 35.26) and blood pressure (from 140/81 to 125/72). A comprehensive evaluation of the program will be provided by an external evaluation team from the University of West Georgia's Department of Health and Community Wellness. In addition, local food sources and farmers' markets have been listed in community resource guides for Carroll and Haralson counties. In Haralson County, GHLW planted community gardens at senior centers and provided nutrition education. In Carroll County, the CFP grant program coordinator/registered dietitian provided a healthy snack demonstration and nutrition education to 50 elementary school-aged children during the Villa Rica recreation department's summer camp. Additionally, 52 Glanton-Hinesman Elementary School children and 44 Whitesburg Elementary School children participated in summer camps in Carroll County. Thirty children participate in the Villa Rica Police Department's kids camp.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tanner has focused its CFPCGP project efforts include the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53 percent rural), with a total population of 151,141 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. Nutrition education efforts have been focused at reaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority, children) to increase food knowledge and skills and food security. Another target audience has been new and beginning local farmers, in which interventions have focused on increasing these individual's knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance their sustainability. Changes/Problems:A significant challenge to Tanner's Community Food project work during the Year 3 project period has been the drastic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 within our communities during the past five months has strained our health system and local economy unlike any public health emergency to date. Efforts to slow the spread of the disease and mitigate strain on the health care system resulted in dramatic disruption of many aspects of individual's lives, including social distancing measures to prevent person-to-person transmission that precipitated the closure of numerous schools and workplaces. Local food banks saw drastic increases in need, having to cut down on their number of days they are open due to scarce food supply. For example, the Community Christian Council (CCC) Food Bank in Haralson County normally feeds 300 people twice a week and had over 1,000 people show up in one day seeking food. As the coronavirus outbreak has spread, many lives have been lost and its impact upon our families, friends, neighbors, and communities has been devastating, transposing a "new normal" reality upon the places where we live, learn, work, and play. Tanner's Community Food Project grant work has continued through virtual meetings with task force members and ongoing communication and planning to ensure Tanner's CFPCGP goals and objectives are achieved, despite delays in implementation. In addition, Tanner's has implemented multiple protocols to ensure the health and safety of program participants and staff, including PPE donning, enhanced facility cleaning, social distancing guidelines as it relates to in-person program activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity to provide to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an 8-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. So far, 73 individuals throughout west Georgia completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offered in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Five individuals that completed the certificate program participated in the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program, a 20-hour hands-on mentorship with a local established farmer. One individual in 2018 completed the 80-hour paid internship on a local farm. In addition, a West Georgia Small Farm Conference was held on February 26th and 27th in Haralson County, in which over 100 individuals attended. In July 2020, a new innovative Food as Medicine program was launched, providing program participants (low-income, food insecure patients with diabetes) with free, nutritious food and a comprehensive suite of dietetic, social and environmental services. Food as Medicine participants will be provided support that includes nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) consultations, diabetes self-management classes, healthy cooking classes in a newly built teaching kitchen, ongoing care coordination/navigation, and will be allowed to visit the program's food pantry twice per month and will receive 10-30lb of food based on household size. The Food as Medicine 12-month pilot program launched in July 2020, targeting 17 low-income food insecure individuals with diabetes. A comprehensive evaluation of the Food as Medicine program will be provided by an external evaluation team from the University of West Georgia's Department of Health and Community Wellness. Throughout Year 3 of the CFP project period, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential sectors of the community as active voices and contributors toward the successful implementation of CFP project activities, including task force meetings and helping volunteer with various programming activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary means of disseminated results of CFP project activities to the community has occurred through Get Healthy, Live Well task force meetings. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative has met on a quarterly basis throughout the year to guide implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held on an ongoing basis (bi-monthly) to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and to maximize project impact. Preliminary project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center, Inc.'s Community Benefit committee of the Board of Directors, in addition to Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team. Presentations to local community groups have also been held to increase awareness about CFP project activities and to gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Tanner will continue implementation of its 4-year CFP Work Plan, with project activities and outcomes that aim to: meet low-income food needs through food distribution, community outreach to assist in participation in Federally assisted nutrition programs, and improving access to food as part of a comprehensive service; increase self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the community (farmers' markets; providing nutrition education programs for at-risk populations to enhance food-purchasing and food-preparation skills and to heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health; farmer training/apprenticeships); and promote comprehensive responses to local food access, farm and nutrition issues (bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system through the West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative to address community food insecurity). During the Year4 Project Period, Tanner will continue its implementation of its new innovative Food as Medicine program, which launched in mid-July 2020, providing program participants (low-income, food insecure patients with diabetes) with free, nutritious food and a comprehensive suite of dietetic, social and environmental services. In addition, partnering food banks will work to adopt and enforce healthy food donation guidelines within their institutions, impacting over 1,500 households on a monthly basis, expanding use of the Atlanta Community Food Bank's mobile fresh food market. Nutrition education programming such as Kids N the Kitchen, Cooking Matters, cooking demonstrations at food bank giveaway days, etc. will continue to be implemented. The Journeyman Farmer program will continue with its mentorship and internship programs to further cultivate and help new and beginning farmers in the region establish, improve and sustain their operations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During Year 3 (September 1, 2019-August 31, 2020) of the CFP project period, the following progress was made on the overall goals/outcomes as noted in Tanner's approved 4-year CFP Work Plan: The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market continued to operate at a new location adjacent to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, which is centrally located within a high density food desert area. The new location continues to be positively received, with noted increases in weekly attendance at the market. This includes convenient access to parking; nearby connections to the Carrollton Greenbelt, an 18-mile bike and pedestrian path; the Tanner Walking Trail, and a short distance from a local housing authority. Average attendance at Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has been approximately 100 patrons per week, for an average of 400 patrons per month. Since March 2020, attendance has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite initial closures, the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market opened back up to the public in late Spring implementing a variety of measures to adhere to social distancing and large crowd regulations to ensure the health and safety of patrons and farmers. The Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries' "First Friday" Pop-up Market, held once a month from April to October, was held in conjunction with food pantry giveaway days, with the market slogan "Take What You Want, Pay What You Can, Eat What You Take." The Bowdon Pop Up Market has served approximately 60 individuals per month. Tanner has employed strategic communication activities to help advance program efforts to key audiences, utilizing various diffusion strategies to gain support and increase awareness of the farmers' market's services and federal nutrition assistance and incentive programs, with a total reach of1,157,113 media impressions during the Year 3 Project period. GHLW has worked through four area food pantries (Manna House, Community Christian Council (CCC), Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries and Open Hands-who collectively serve over 1,500 families per month) to increase the nutritional quality of the food donated and served, and provide education to clients in how to use their limited funds to purchase and prepare healthier foods. Leadership of these food pantries have convened multiple times during the project period and developed guidelines to increase the nutritional quality of their food donations. In June 2019, the CCC formally implemented a food policy related to increasing the healthy food donations disseminated to food patrons, continuing to stay in compliance with this policy during the Year 3 CFP project period. Through a partnership between the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) and their mobile food market, during the Year 3 CFP grant period, 12,690 residents have been served from fresh produce boxes, totaling 182,800 pounds of fresh produce distributed on 16 giveaway days, engaging approximately 40 volunteers per giveaway day to help with the distribution. During Year 3 of the CFP project period, two six-week Cooking Matters class series were held, reaching 26 low-income residents. Classes were held at the Heard County Senior Center and Tallatoona Head Start in Haralson County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional Cooking Matters programming for late Spring and Summer had to be canceled due to stay at home orders and social distancing guidance. The Cooking Matters program has had a significant impact on participant's nutrition knowledge and behaviors. Several low-income adults reported how the course has helped them buy healthier meals with their SNAP benefits, further supporting the health and food security of their families. GHLW continued implementation of Kids N' the Kitchen, an interactive teaching kitchen program for grades K-8 that is designed to help teach students healthy cooking skills and improve their nutrition. During the Year 3 CFP period, Kids N' the Kitchen implemented 77 programs (lessons), reaching 3,322 children in 5 different schools. This program was impacted greatly by COVID-19, as local schools were closed on March 13th and remained closed during the close of the school year in May 2020. A notable outcome includes the ongoing reporting by teachers and parents about the positive impact the programming has had in influencing healthy eating behaviors among children/families and increasing their knowledge about the connection between diet and health. During the Year 3 project period,1,157,113 media impressions were implemented through digital/social and print media channels to increase awareness of nutrition education opportunities and programming in the community. GHLW recognizes the key need for new farmers in our region to help us supply the fresh fruits and vegetables needed for healthy communities. Although we need new farmers, the barriers would-be farmers face when trying to grow new agricultural businesses from the ground up can be formidable. In partnership with the UGA Extension, the Collaborative aims to mitigate these barriers through enhanced farmer education programming and opportunities in the region. Completers of the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program have the opportunity to participate in a 20-hour Journeyman Farmer mentorship with local farmers to help improve them build and/or improve their farm operations. At the completion of the Mentorship program, participants have the opportunity to apply for an 80-hour working internship on a local farm. During the first year of the program in 2018, 44 new or beginning farmers completed the Journeyman program, including three (3) individuals who completed the mentorship program. In February 2019, 10 individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program, with a focus on small ruminant production. From post-surveys, the majority of participants reported overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program format and material covered. Two individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program in June 2019, reporting positive feedback on the program and significant gains in hands-on knowledge of small ruminant farming. One participant stated in an evaluation form: "This is a valuable program for novice farmers. I did not find one or two aspects beneficial; I found the entire program beneficial!" In February 2020, twenty-two (22) individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program, with a focus on fruit and vegetable production. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted participants' ability to participate in the farmer mentorship program during Summer 2020. In addition, a West Georgia Small Farm Conference was held on February 26th and 27th in Haralson County, in which over 100 individuals attended. Session topics included: honeybees and pollinators; small ruminant production; vegetable crop scheduling; marketing; vegetable pests; nuisance animals; irrigation; fruit tree and vegetable farm; wine grapes; pasture/grazing. Participants also had the opportunity for local farm tours during the conference.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tanner has focused its CFPCGP project efforts include the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53 percent rural), with a total population of 151,141 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. Nutrition education efforts have been focused at reaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority, children) to increase food knowledge and skills and food security, through programming such as Cooking Matters, Power of Produce Club for Kids at the farmers' markets, and cooking demonstrations/nutrition education at farmers' markets. Another target audience has been new and beginning local farmers, in which interventions have focused on increasing these individual's knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance their sustainability. Changes/Problems:A significant challenge during the Year 2 CFP project period was the delay in construction of the teaching kitchen project of the Work Plan. Despite this delay, this did not impact the achievement of Year 2 CFP goals and objectives, as Tanner continued to move forward with a variety of nutrition education initiatives. Delays in this project are due to a significant prioritized building project currently underway at Tanner that includes a large medical office building. No major changes occurred to any other originally stated project goals and objectives, and no deficits in annual goals achievements were noted during the Year 2 CFP project period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity provide to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an 8-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. So far, 51 individuals throughout west Georgia completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offered in 2018 and 2019. Five individuals that completed the certificate program participated in the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program, a 20-hour hands-on mentorship with a local established farmer. One individual in 2018 completed the 80-hour paid internship on a local farm. Tanner's CFP Project Director, Tiffany Landry, participated in the annual Community Food Project Project Director meeting in Washington, DC in May 2019, providing substantial resources and tools in relation to CFP project activities. Throughout Year 2 of the CFP project period, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential sectors of the community as active voices and contributors toward the successful implementation of CFP project activities. During Year 2 of the CFP grant period, this community-lead change resulted in approximately 700 hours of volunteer time, with a total value of $17,800. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary means of disseminated results of CFP project activities to the community has occurred through Get Healthy, Live Well task force meetings. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative has met on a quarterly basis throughout the year to guide implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held on an ongoing basis (bi-monthly) to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and to maximize project impact. Project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center, Inc.'s Community Benefit committee of the Board of Directors, in addition to Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team. Presentations to local community groups have also been held to increase awareness about CFP project activities and to gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Tanner will continue implementation of its 4-year CFP Work Plan, with project activities and outcomes that aim to: meet low-income food needs through food distribution, community outreach to assist in participation in Federally assisted nutrition programs, and improving access to food as part of a comprehensive service; increase self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the community (farmers' markets; providing nutrition education programs for at-risk populations to enhance food-purchasing and food-preparation skills and to heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health; farmer training/apprenticeships); and promote comprehensive responses to local food access, farm and nutrition issues (bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system through the West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative to address community food insecurity). During the Year 2 Project Period, Tanner will work to construct a permanent site for a teaching kitchen, to be launched in conjunction with a Fresh Food Farmacy program to help food insecure individuals with diabetes control their health and be supplied with fresh healthy food. Partnering food banks will work to adopt and enforce healthy food donation guidelines within their institutions, impacting over 1,500 households on a monthly basis, expanding use of the Atlanta Community Food Bank's mobile fresh food market. Nutrition education programming such as Kids N the Kitchen, POP Club for Kids, Cooking Matters, cooking demonstrations at food bank giveaway days, etc. will continue to be implemented. The Journeyman Farmer program will continue with its mentorship and internship programs to further cultivate and help new and beginning farmers in the region establish, improve and sustain their operations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During Year 2 (September 1, 2018-August 31, 2019) of the CFP project period, the following progress was made on the overall goals/outcomes as noted in Tanner's approved 4-year CFP Work Plan: The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market continued to operate at a new location adjacent to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, which is centrally located within a high density food desert area. The new location continues to be positively received, with noted increases in weekly attendance at the market. This includes convenient access to parking; nearby connections to the Carrollton Greenbelt, an 18-mile bike and pedestrian path; the Tanner Walking Trail, and a short distance from a local housing authority. During the 2019 growing season, the number of vendors at the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has increased from 14 vendors in October 2018, to 21 vendors in August 2019. Average attendance at Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has been approximately 100 patrons per week, for an average of 400 patrons per month. The Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries' "First Friday" Pop-up Market, held once a month from April to October, was held in conjunction with food pantry giveaway days, with the market slogan "Take What You Want, Pay What You Can, Eat What You Take." The Bowdon Pop Up Market has served approximately 60 individuals per month. Tanner has employed strategic communication activities to help advance program efforts to key audiences, utilizing various diffusion strategies to gain support and increase awareness of the farmers' market's services and federal nutrition assistance and incentive programs, with a total reach of565,396 media impressions. GHLW has worked through four area food pantries (Manna House, Community Christian Council (CCC), Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries and Open Hands-who collectively serve over 1,500 families per month) to increase the nutritional quality of the food donated and served, and provide education to clients in how to use their limited funds to purchase and prepare healthier foods. Leadership of these food pantries have convened multiple times during the project period and developed guidelines to increase the nutritional quality of their food donations. In addition, recipe cards of healthy fresh food items were developed and disseminated to farmers' market and food bank patrons. In June 2019, the CCC formally implemented a food policy related to increasing the healthy food donations disseminated to food patrons. Through a partnership between the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) and their mobile food market, 12,000lb of fresh produce were distributed to CCC food bank patrons (195 food boxes distributed, impacting 418 adults and 99 children). In August 2019, the ACFB delivered 10,000lb of fresh produce (129 food boxes distributed, impacting 291 adults and 77 children). In addition, left over produce from the August mobile market was delivered to smaller food pantries and to two senior centers, reaching 120 people. During Year 2 of the CFP project period, 7 six-week Cooking Matters class series were held, reaching 91 low-income residents. Classes were held at the University of West Georgia, Tallapoosa Senior Center, Villa Rica Library, Haralson County Senior Center, Rapha Clinic, Heard County 4-H, and the Whitesburg Library. The Cooking Matters program has had a significant impact on participant's nutrition knowledge and behaviors. Several low-income adults reported how the course has helped them buy healthier meals with their SNAP benefits, further supporting the health and food security of their families. GHLW implemented the Power of Produce (POP) club program at the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market during growing season (April through October) in 2019 to empower kids to make healthier choices. Every time kids ages 4 to 12 come to the farmers' market and participate in a fun activity, they receive $2 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. The program also includes a variety of educational activities around food, nutrition and food growing. Over 100 kids participated in the POP Club during the 2019 growing season. The program has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from local parents (through surveys), who appreciate that the program encourages healthy eating behavior in a fun, new way and get kids excited about trying fruits and vegetables. GHLW continued implementation of Kids N' the Kitchen, an interactive teaching kitchen program for grades K-8 that is designed to help teach students healthy cooking skills and improve their nutrition. During the Year 2 CFP period, Kids N' the Kitchen implemented 304 programs (lessons), reaching 8,285 children (exceeding the 5,000 children annual reach goal) in six different schools. A notable outcome includes the ongoing reporting by teachers and parents about the positive impact the programming has had in influencing healthy eating behaviors among children/families and increasing their knowledge about the connection between diet and health. During the Year 2 project period,565,396 media impressions were implemented through digital/social and print media channels to increase awareness of nutrition education opportunities and programming in the community. GHLW recognizes the key need for new farmers in our region to help us supply the fresh fruits and vegetables needed for healthy communities. Although we need new farmers, the barriers would-be farmers face when trying to grow new agricultural businesses from the ground up can be formidable. In partnership with the UGA Extension, the Collaborative aims to mitigate these barriers through enhanced farmer education programming and opportunities in the region. Completers of the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program have the opportunity to participate in a 20-hour Journeyman Farmer mentorship with local farmers to help improve them build and/or improve their farm operations. At the completion of the Mentorship program, participants have the opportunity to apply for an 80-hour working internship on a local farm. During the first year of the program, 44 new or beginning farmers completed the Journeyman program, including three (3) individuals who completed the mentorship program. In February 2019, 10 individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program, with a focus on small ruminant production. From post-surveys, the majority of participants reported overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program format and material covered. Two individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program in June 2019, reporting positive feedback on the program and significant gains in hands-on knowledge of small ruminant farming. One participant stated in an evaluation form: "This is a valuable program for novice farmers. I did not find one or two aspects beneficial, I found the entire program beneficial!"
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The geographic area for which Tannerhas focused its CFPCGP project efforts include the west Georgia counties of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, covering 1,077 square miles of predominantly rural area (53 percent rural), with a total population of 151,141 residents and disparate populations of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. Nutrition education efforts havebeen focused atreaching at-risk, vulnerable populations (i.e., low-income, minority, children) to increase food knowledge and skills and food security, through programming such as Cooking Matters, Power of Produce Club for Kids at the farmers' markets, and cooking demonstrations/nutrition education at farmers' markets. Another target audiencehas beennew and beginning local farmers (totaling 41 that completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program during Year 1 of the grant period), in which interventionshave focusedon increasing these individual's knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their farm operations and enhance their sustainability. Changes/Problems:A significant challenge during the Year 1 CFP project period was the delay in construction of the farmers' market pavilion/teaching kitchen project of the Work Plan. Despite this delay, this did not impact the achievement of Year 1 CFP goals and objectives, as Tanner continued to move forward with a variety of nutrition education and farmers' market initiatives. The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market was moved to a new location adjacent to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, which has significantly increased market attendance and sales as a result of this location change. Tanner continues to work toward finalizing a location and construction plan for a teaching kitchen/pavilion, to be undertaken during the Year 2 CFP project period. Delays in this project are due to a significant prioritized building project currently underway at Tanner that includes a large medical office building. No major changes occurred to any other originally stated project goals and objectives, and no deficits in annual goals achievements were noted during the Year 1 CFP project period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program was a training opportunity provide to local new and beginning farmers, consisting of an 8-week weekly workshop that covered topics on small farm business planning and small fruit and vegetable production. Forty-one individuals throughout west Georgia completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program during the spring of 2018. Three individuals that completed the certificate program participated in the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program, a 20-hour hands-on mentorship with a local established farmer. An additional training opportunity was provided in February 2018, in which 11 individuals in the community were trained as Cooking Matters program facilitators. This will assist in the expansion and sustainability of this 6-week program that helps low-income residents learn how to cook and eat healthy on a limited budget. Tanner's CFP Project Director, Tiffany Landry, participated in the annual Community Food Project Project Director meeting in Washington, DC in August 2018, providing substantial resources and tools in relation to CFP project activities. Throughout Year 1 of the CFP project period, multiple opportunities have been provided to engage community members from essential sectors of the community as active voices and contributors toward the successful implementation of CFP project activities. During Year 1 of the CFP grant period, this community-lead change resulted in approximately 600 hours of volunteer time, with a total value of $14,484. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary means of disseminated results of CFP project activities to the community has occurred through Get Healthy, Live Well task force meetings. The West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative has met on a quarterly basis throughout the year to guide implementation of the CFP 4-year work plan. Specific task force meetings on farmer training, food bank work and nutrition education have been held on an ongoing basis (bi-monthly) to ensure CFP goals and objectives were achieved and to maximize project impact. Preliminary project results have also been shared with Tanner Medical Center, Inc.'s Community Benefit committee of the Board of Directors, in addition to Get Healthy, Live Well's leadership team. Presentations to local community groups have also been held to increase awareness about CFP project activities and to gain volunteer involvement and interest in CFP goals and objectives. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Tanner will continue implementation of its 4-year CFP Work Plan, with project activities and outcomes that aim to: meet low-income food needs through food distribution, community outreach to assist in participation in Federally assisted nutrition programs, and improving access to food as part of a comprehensive service; increase self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the community (farmers' markets; providing nutrition education programs for at-risk populations to enhance food-purchasing and food-preparation skills and to heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health; farmer training/apprenticeships); and promote comprehensive responses to local food access, farm and nutrition issues (bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system through the West Georgia Regional Food System Collaborative to address community food insecurity). During the Year 2 Project Period, Tanner will work to identify and complete construction of a permanent location for a built-in teaching kitchen and farmers' market accessibility to enhance the nutrition education component of project activities. The partnering food banks will work to adopt and enforce healthy food donation guidelines within their institutions, impacting over 1,500 households on a monthly basis. Nutrition education programming such as Kids N the Kitchen, POP Club for Kids, Cooking Matters, cooking demonstrations at food bank giveaway days, etc. will continue to be implemented. The Journeyman Farmer program will continue with its mentorship and internship programs to further cultivate and help new and beginning farmers in the region establish, improve and sustain their operations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market was moved to a more accessible outdoor location adjacent to Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, which is centrally located within a high density food desert area. The new location has been positively received, with noted increases in weekly attendance at the market. This includes convenient access to parking; nearby connections to the Carrollton Greenbelt, an 18-mile bike and pedestrian path; the Tanner Walking Trail, and a short distance from a local housing authority. During the 2018 growing season, the number of vendors at the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has increased from 9 vendors in April 2018, to 14 vendors in August 2018. Average attendance at Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has been approximately 105 patrons per week, for an average of 420 patrons per month. The Cotton Mill Farmers' Market has reported increased sales of the highlighted in-season food product utilized on the days in which a cooking demonstration was held. Get Healthy, Live Well's (GHLW) active collaboration with local food pantries and promotion of EBT benefits, the market EBT participation increased from $76.00 of EBT Swipes and EBT double-up tokens of $1,593 in April 2018, to $736 in EBT swipes and $2,061 EBT tokens in August 2018. The Bowdon United Christian Ministries' "First Friday" Pop-up Market began in April 2018, held once a month through the month of October 2018 and is held in conjunction with food pantry giveaway days, with the market slogan "Take What You Want, Pay What You Can, Eat What You Take." The Bowdon Pop Up Market has served approximately 60 individuals per month. Tanner has employed strategic communication activities to help advance program efforts to key audiences, utilizing various diffusion strategies to gain support and increase awareness of the farmers' market's services and federal nutrition assistance and incentive programs, with a total reach of 330,417 media impressions. GHLW has worked through four area food pantries (Manna House, Community Christian Council, Bowdon Area United Christian Ministries and Open Hands-who collectively serve over 1,500 families per month) to increase the nutritional quality of the food donated and served, and provide education to clients in how to use their limited funds to purchase and prepare healthier foods. Leadership of these food pantries have convened multiple times during the project period to discuss the establishment of guidelines to increase the nutritional quality of their food donations. GHLW has also implemented healthy cooking demonstrations on food giveaway days with in-season produce at Bowdon Area Christian Ministries and Manna House, reaching approximately 500 individuals. The promotion of SNAP and other EBT benefits at food giveaway days resulted in an increase in the utilization of these services at the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market each month. GHLW is currently working on the development of "how to" healthy recipes to be utilized within the food banks and disseminated to food bank patrons each month. Over the past year, Tanner has actively sought partnerships from a variety of organizations to partner with Cooking Matters programming, employing outreach toward over 40 organizations in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties, including area churches, food banks, housing authorities, indigent clinics, non-profits, schools, health departments, social service agencies and child care centers. Of this outreach conducted, 12 formal partnerships were established to implement Cooking Matters programming. Tanner engaged six pediatric and obstetrics and gynecology offices to implement a community-clinical linkages referral process for Cooking Matters programming. A Cooking Matters training was held in February 2018, training 11 community members to implement Cooking Matters programming in their communities. During Year 1 of the CFP project period, 14 six-week Cooking Matters class series were held, reaching 162 low-income residents. The Cooking Matters program has had a significant impact on participant's nutrition knowledge and behaviors. Several low-income adults reported how the course has helped them buy healthier meals with their SNAP benefits, further supporting the health and food security of their families. GHLW implemented the Power of Produce (POP) club program at the Cotton Mill Farmers' Market during growing season (April through October) in 2017 and 2018, to empower kids to make healthier choices. Every time kids ages 4 to 12 come to the farmers' market and participate in a fun activity, they receive $2 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. The program also includes a variety of educational activities around food, nutrition and food growing. Over the past two market seasons, there have been an average of 200 POP club members per year (exceeding the 100 POP members/year annual CFP goal). The program has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from local parents (through surveys), who appreciate that the program encourages healthy eating behavior in a fun, new ways and get kids excited about trying fruits and vegetables. In November 2016, GHLW launched Kids N' the Kitchen, an interactive teaching kitchen program for grades K-8 that is designed to help teach students healthy cooking skills and improve their nutrition. A total of 7 carts are utilized for the Kids N' the Kitchen programming, in which schools apply each semester (fall or spring) to bring the programming to their school. Since its launch, Kids N' the Kitchen has implemented 189 programs (lessons), reaching 11,368 children. The nutrition carts have visited a total of 12 different schools throughout Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. During the Year 1 CFP period, Kids N' the Kitchen implemented 145 programs (lessons), reaching 9,380 children (exceeding the 5,000 children annual reach goal). A few notable outcomes include: An increased willingness of children to try fruits and vegetables: Out of a sample of 176 students at Whitesburg Elementary that went through the programming, 100% of students tried the food prepared for the lesson, with 42% noting that they "loved it". Ongoing reporting by teachers and parents about the positive impact the programming has had in influencing healthy eating behaviors among children/families and increasing their knowledge about the connection between diet and health. During the Year 1 project period, 200,222 media impressions were implemented through digital/social and print media channels to increase awareness of nutrition education opportunities and programming in the community. GHLW recognizes the key need for new farmers in our region to help us supply the fresh fruits and vegetables needed for healthy communities. Although we need new farmers, the barriers would-be farmers face when trying to grow new agricultural businesses from the ground up can be formidable. In partnership with the UGA Extension, the Collaborative aims to mitigate these barriers through enhanced farmer education programming and opportunities in the region. Completers of the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program have the opportunity to participate in a 20-hour Journeyman Farmer mentorship with local farmers to help improve them build and/or improve their farm operations. At the completion of the Mentorship program, participants have the opportunity to apply for an 80-hour working internship on a local farm. Year 1 (March 31, 2018-May 22, 2018): 41 individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program. From post-surveys, the majority of participants reported overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program format and material covered , with the primary takeaways being the knowledge gained in areas of budgeting, resources, planning, SWOT analysis, marketing and record keeping related to improving farming business operations. Three (3) individuals completed the Journeyman Farmer Mentorship program in August 2018.
Publications
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