Community Health Programs
Choosing Healthy & Active Lifestyles for Kids (CHALK) EMMA HULSE • Program Manager • emh9022@nyp.org DODI MEYER, MD • Medical Director • ddm11@cumc.columbia.edu Mission and Goals
NewYork-Presbyterian’s obesity prevention program, CHALK, is a collaboration with NewYorkPresbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the Northern Manhattan community. CHALK’S aim is to lower the prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity in Northern Manhattan by establishing an environment where healthy lifestyles are vital components of the lives of all families. CHALK’s programming is founded in 10 healthy habits adapted from Healthy Directions and its Healthy Children Healthy Futures program and further developed by community stakeholders to ensure that the habits are health literate and culturally sensitive and avoid stigmatization. CHALK’s areas of focus include community organizations and programs, early childhood centers, public elementary and high schools, faith-based organizations, and NewYork-Presbyterian’s outpatient pediatric practices. CHALK school partners are connected with a full-time staff member to help them assess and create wellness goals in collaboration with the organization’s leadership and wellness champions. Organizations choose from a “menu” of options, ranging from grant writing and partnership building to promoting healthy food and active design. This approach enables an organization to create, implement, and feel ownership over its wellness goals and projects.
20
This nonprescriptive approach and the fluidity of CHALK make the program model easily adaptable to a variety of settings. In 2020, CHALK continues to focus on food insecurity and capacity building with community-based organizations. Number of People Reached
CHALK partners include: 4
Early childhood centers
11
Elementary schools
5
High schools
12
Faith-based organizations
35
Community-based organizations
5
Farmers markets
5
ACN Primary Care Practices
