City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2015
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Renewal Application for a Reimbursable Grant to the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth to Continue Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiatives.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a renewal grant application to the Virginia Foundation for Healthy
Youth to continue obesity prevention program work.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Authorize the submission of a grant application to the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) in the amount of $30,000 each year for two years (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018) for a total of $60,000;
(2) Approve the addition of a Community Coordinator position (up to a 0.45 FTE) fully supported by grant revenues; and
(3) Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) was created in 1999 by the General Assembly, and has since come under the umbrella of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), which focuses on tobacco use prevention and childhood obesity. The VFHY is responsible for distribution of funds from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Fund for the purpose of reducing childhood obesity in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VFHY funds Healthy Community Action Teams to address obesity through nutrition and physical activity interventions.
ACOAN has been funded twice (in 2012 and 2014) to support its health initiatives related to childhood obesity. As a result of the continued support, this group has played an integral part in accomplishing a number of major milestones that have had a significant impact within the city. These efforts touch on initiatives focused on access to healthy food, increasing play spaces and opportunities for physical activity, breastfeeding promotion, and healthy vending.
Notably, this work helped contribute to: City Council passing the Healthy Green Foods Resolution in March 2009; establishment of a SNAP Program at Four Mile Run Farmers’ Market; establishment of incentives and the framework to help implement 28 lactation rooms in city departments; and developing nutrition standards for City vending machines. This grant funding has also enhanced partnerships and collaboration among various entities in the city and region, fostering relationships with the FitArlington Healthy Community Action Team, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Alexandria City Public Schools.
This grant will be particularly focused on capacity building, sustainability and evaluation efforts. Specifically, this funding will be used by the Alexandria Childhood Obesity Action Network (A-COAN), a workgroup of the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria (PHA) to identify dissemination strategies of obesity data for incoming students; conduct a 360 evaluation to identify areas of opportunity and strength for collaboration; utilize social media tools to engage and inform community members in obesity prevention efforts and expand an after-school running program into additional schools within the Alexandria City Public School system.
DISCUSSION: The Health Department will provide supervision to achieve grant deliverables, which include but are not limited to: expansion of an ACPS afterschool intramural middle school running program and increase community engagement and collaboration on issues related to physical activity among youth. The program is in alignment with the City of Alexandria’s Strategic Plan, the City of Alexandria’s Community Health Improvement Plan and the Let’s Move! Cities and Towns initiative, for which Alexandria City has been nationally recognized.
FISCAL IMPACT: The contract will be for $30,000 annually for a total of $60,000 over a two-year period. The funding is to be used by June 30, 2018. The grant application is due by October 19, 2015. No City match is required. The Health Department will provide a match of $7,207 in staff time and support.
Grant funding is expected for two years. The individual who fills this grant-funded position will be notified that the position may terminate if grant funds become unavailable in the future. They will also be required to sign an agreement of understanding about this as a condition of employment at the time they are hired. If grant funding becomes unavailable in the future, outcome data will be analyzed to determine the project’s effectiveness, and may be used to search for alternative funding and/or to reprioritize current AHD funding to support the program's continuation. If, however, grant funding becomes unavailable and alternative ongoing funding cannot be secured, the position will be eliminated.
STAFF:
Stephen A. Haering, MD, MPH, FACPM, AHD Health Director
Tarleen K. Singh, MD, MPH, AHD Deputy Director
Katie Leonard, MAURP, MPH, AHD Public Health Planner