Hip to be fit, Nutrition Program

FALL

The Children's Trust Both Kids Hip to be Fit and the Children's Oral Health Initiative receive core funding from The Children’s Trust.

The Children's Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.

K I D S

2008

K I D S

Health and Wellbeing FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: DR. ELLIOT SKLAR

Tel: 305.867.0051 esklar@unidadmb.org

Health

UNIDAD of Miami Beach - Health Programs for Children

$100,000 from The Blue Foundation The Children’s Oral Health Initiative awarded One Hundred Thousand Dollars by The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida It is a fact that low-income children have twotimes as much untreated tooth decay as children who live in families with higher incomes.

Thankfully, more in-need elementary school children from Miami Beach, Overtown and Little Haiti now receive important dental screenings, education and treatment to help decrease this health disparity.

On September 10th, 2008, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) presented UNIDAD of Miami Beach with a $100,000 check to support their Children’s Oral Health Initiative.

Since its inception in 2004, the Children’s Oral Health Initiative has provided universal oral health screenings and dental education to approximately 3,500 in-need children and preventive and curative treatment services to more than 800 children from uninsured and low-income families from Miami-Dade County. According to Margarita CepedaLeonardo, Executive Director of

LOOK INSIDE:

Offering a wide range of services for youth, seniors, recent immigrants and other at-risk groups, UNIDAD of Miami Beach, Inc. is committed to the progress of the Hispanic community of Miami Beach with a vision of serving as a comprehensive community service organization for all.

KIDS HIP TO BE FIT The Child Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program, also known as "Kids Hip to Be Fit", dynamically promotes better health through changes in diet and fitness. page 2

CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH INITATIVE This program provides universal oral health care screenings and education to elementary school children and free dental treatment for low-income, uninsured children. page 3

UNIDAD, the fact that a homeless child died last year from a brain infections stemming from an untreated tooth abscess clearly illustrates the importance of oral health care.

“Many times, our screenings reveal children are experiencing severe dental pain because their parents couldn’t afford treatment,” said CepedaLeonardo. “The Blue Foundation’s grant enables us to help children who may otherwise go without preventive and treatment services vital to their overall health.”

In addition to this grant, The Blue Foundation awarded UNIDAD $80,000 in 2005 to support this initiative,” said Cepeda-Leonardo. “We’re thankful to have their continued support.”

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HEALTH FAIR 2008

THE CHILDREN’S TRUST

Photographs from our most recent annual health fair showing some of the ways of promoting healthy weight in children via physical activity.

The Children's Trust has been a critical partner in our promotion of healthy lifestyles for children.

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NEEDS

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FACTS

Over 50% of children in the schools we provide the program in are overweight or atrisk for overweight. Kids Hip to be Fit has resulted in healthier weights for some 20% of children each year.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY

Kids Hip to be Fit Nutrition Program Funded by The Children’s Trust, Health Foundation of South Florida and the Aetna Foundation and operated by UNIDAD of Miami Beach, the program teaches young children and their parents how to make healthy choices about what and how they eat.

The purpose of the program is to improve basic nutrition knowledge of children during their formative years, so that they are able to form lifelong healthy eating habits, thus reducing the occurrence of obesity related illnesses and giving them the change to live longer, fuller lives.

There are three main components of The Child Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Initiative, or “Kids Hip to be Fit” as it is also known. Initially, every child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is measured.

BMI is calculated using the child’s height, weight, and age and is used to determine whether youth are underweight, normal, atrisk for overweight, or overweight (obese). The measures are taken at the beginning and end of school to evaluate the child’s progress over the year and the effectiveness of the “Kids Hip to be Fit” program. The program features nutrition education

classes, taught 30 minutes weekly to children grades K6. The curriculum, “Food is Elementary,” has been identified as a best practice program which has been utilized all over the country. In addition, USDA’s Team Nutrition program, the State of Florida’s Sunshine State Standards for Health and Nutrition Education other exemplary curricula are also incorporated into the lesson plans.

MEET OUR NUTRITIONISTS

Melissa R. Somers, RD, LD/N Biscayne Elementary School

Lastly, cooking seminars are held regularly to supplement the classroom education with a more hands-on experience.

Parents and children are invited to attend monthly cooking seminars. Educational materials are also distributed so the families are able to use the information to continue practicing healthy eating at home.

Feinberg- Fisher Elementary School

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is dedicated to making a constructive contribution to the health and well-being of all Floridians – especially the uninsured and underserved.

This grant is one of 14, totaling more than $1 million, that The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida will present this summer to nonprofit health clinics and community outreach programs across Florida. “Pain, dysfunction and low self-esteem associated with tooth decay can

be prevented with proper dental care,” said Susan Towler, Executive Director, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. “We’re proud to support UNIDAD of Miami Beach’s efforts to improve the oral health of in-need children in their community.”

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida awards grants during two grant cycles per year. With the completion of the 2008 summer grant cycle, The Blue Foundation will have presented 158 grants

and 20 awards totaling more than $10.5 million since its founding in 2001.

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of BCBSF incorporated in the state of Florida. The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, and its parent, BCBSF, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information on The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, please visit its web site at www.bluefoundationfl.com.

Natalie Milias, Nutrition Educator Touissaint L’ouverture Elementary School Phillis Wheatley Elementary School

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Over 90% of children in the elementary schools we screen have unmet oral health care needs. Since 2004, the Children's Oral Health Initiative has screened over 3,500 children and provided dental treatment to almost 800.

The Children's Trust reports that more than half of all Miami-Dade County high school students spent more than 3 hours per day watching television and only 27% exercised at the current recommended levels. We need to encourage more physical activity in our children.

The Children’s Oral Health Initiative The Children’s Oral Health Initiative is a collaborative program whose purpose is to improve the oral health of Miami’s elementary school children by: 1) organizing and coordinating annual oral health screenings at Miami-Dade elementary schools; 2) providing oral hygiene instruction and dental education during screenings; 3) providing culturally appropriate oral health education materials to parents with screening results; 4) referring parents to appropriate dental health providers and conducting follow-ups to ensure children are receiving needed treatment; 5) providing transportation and treatment subsidies for preventive and restorative care for children whose parents have financial need; and 6) tracking screening and treatment results for community research purposes. The treatment and screening is carried out by partner

Shalimar Ruggiero RD, LD/N CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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providers and volunteers such as the Miami -Dade College Dental Hygiene Program, Miami Beach Community Health Center, Borinquen Health Care Center, Community Smiles, and the Colgate Palmolive Dental Screening Van. The program is graciously funded by our allies at The Children’s Trust, Health Foundation of South Florida, and the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida.

4 Some 42% of children receiving oral health screenings have untreated dental caries and over 60% are in need of dental prophylaxis (cleaning).

Annual Health Fair