Get Healthy Utah News and Blog

What is a wellness policy?

A wellness policy creates a safe and healthy environment for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits. The school community (which includes parents, students, food service professionals, physical education teachers, school health professionals, community health partners, school nurses, the LEA board, and administrators) is encouraged to participate in the development and assessment of wellness policies.

Why should my school or district have a wellness policy?

Research shows that students who are physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy during and after the school day have positive outcomes. For example, student participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) School Breakfast Program is associated with higher grades and test scores, lower absenteeism, and better performance on cognitive tasks. In addition, students who are physically active by participating in walking and biking to and from school, recess, physical activity breaks, high quality physical education, and extracurricular activities perform better academically.

What is in a wellness policy?

A comprehensive wellness policy will address students and staff physical, mental, and social health. This includes nutrition, physical activity (PE and recess), air quality, injury prevention, disease management, substance misuse prevention, and mental health.

How do I know if my school or district has a policy?

Most districts and some charter school already have wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity. This can usually be found on the district or charter website.

What if my school or district does not have one?

You can support your school in creating a wellness policy. The Utah State Board of Education has a model policy that schools and districts can use to create or improve their wellness policy. You can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Resources

Utah State Board of Education

Utah State Board of Education Model Policy

Alliance for a Healthier Generation Model Policy

USDA Wellness Policy Resources

CDC Wellness Policy Resources

The Annual Get Healthy Utah Stakeholder Retreat was held virtually on May 5, 2021. The event focused on the One Utah Roadmap.  Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson provided the keynote address. The closing session focused on the Healthy Utah Community designation program. 

During the Stakeholder Retreat, presenters and participants met in breakout sessions to discuss sections of the One Utah Roadmap and strategies to improve health in Utah. Summaries of the breakout sessions can be found below. You can watch the Annual Stakeholder Retreat HERE.

Improving Access to Mental Health and Wellness in Schools

Eric Tadehara, Assistant Director of Children’s Behavior Health, Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Abuse

Christy Walker, Safe and Healthy Team Coordinator, Utah State Board of Education

Great strides have been made to increase access to mental health services at schools. Legislation has increased funding for schools to hire mental health professionals and offer screenings for anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations. The presenters discussed the importance of recognizing warning signs in children and teenagers, including sudden changes in behavior or mood. Participants were provided with a list of evidence-based programs, practices, and crisis services for schools. A variety of trainings are available for professionals who wish to implement such programs. Work is being done to promote telehealth services, which will play an increasingly important role in providing mental health services statewide.

Resources: Attending to School Based Mental Health

Social Determinants of Health

Anna Fondario, Director, Bureau of Health Promotion, Utah Department of Health

Caitlin Schneider, Senior Network Director, United Way of Salt Lake

Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people live, work, and play that can affect overall wellbeing. The One Utah Roadmap seeks to improve health throughout the state by addressing the social determinants of health. To do this, the One Utah Roadmap outlines three steps: improve services and infrastructure, develop a statewide equity plan, and develop reports and action plans on racial and ethnic disparities. The group discussed these three steps, and emphasized the importance of using data to both identify areas that need improvement and to measure the impact of interventions. The importance of inviting a variety of voices to the decision-making table and building strong partnerships was highlighted.

Resources: One Utah Roadmap

Health Equity Framework for Utah

Brittney Okada, Senior Health Equity Specialist, Utah Department of Health

Health disparities are unfair and avoidable health differences between groups of people. An example of a health disparity is the higher rates of COVID-19 transmission that occurred among ethnic minority groups, as compared to the general population. Health equity is the absence of such unfair differences. The group discussed how promoting health equity requires removing the obstacles to health that are often faced by vulnerable populations. Obstacles include an uneven distribution of power and unequal access to resources, such as education and healthcare. Addressing large-scale inequities requires every professional to lift where they stand, show compassion, and be willing to try new approaches.

Resources: Utah Health Equity Framework

Expanding the Role of Community Health Workers

Oreta Tupola, Community Health Worker, Utah Public Health Association

Tessa Acker, Community Health Worker Liaison, Utah Department of Health Community 

Health Workers played a pivotal role in addressing community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are of increasing importance to the field of public health. The presenters explored the emerging opportunities and settings for Community Health Workers to make a difference, and highlighted steps that can be taken to grow and utilize this workforce. Ideal settings for Community Health Workers include schools, universities, health departments, healthcare settings, law enforcement community teams, and more.

Note: Due to a technical problem, this breakout  session was not recorded.

Resources: Emerging Role of CHWs

On June 30, 2021, Get Healthy Utah held a virtual information session on type 2 diabetes, the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), and the importance of Medicaid coverage. During the information session, Representative Suzanne Harrison introduced upcoming legislation that would allow Medicaid coverage of the National Diabetes Prevention Program in Utah. A recording of the information session can be viewed HERE.

Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes, and the National DPP

Ellen Maxfield, University of Utah

Prediabetes is when blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, prediabetes can turn into type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes have 2.3 times greater healthcare costs than people without diabetes. Therefore, it is most cost effective to prevent type 2 diabetes before it begins. The National DPP is a year-long class that can help people with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The class is taught by a trained lifestyle coach and focuses on promoting long-term improvements in healthy eating and physical activity. For those with prediabetes, the National DPP cuts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%. Among adults over 60 years of age, it cuts the risk by 71%.

Medicaid 101

Laura Summers, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute

Approximately one in five Americans are covered by Medicaid. Medicaid has 15 mandatory benefits that must be covered by all Medicaid programs. However, individual states can seek federal permission to cover additional services, such as chronic disease prevention programs. The National DPP is one such chronic disease prevention program. Thus far, 17 states have added Medicaid coverage of the National DPP as an optional benefit. For more information about national coverage, visit https://coveragetoolkit.org/participating-payers.

Bill Overview

Representative Suzanne Harrison, Utah Legislature

Representative Suzanne Harrison, a practicing physician, has filed a bill that would allow Medicaid coverage of the National DPP in Utah. Disease prevention is key to improving medical outcomes and healthcare costs. The bill includes an ongoing fiscal request, but also comes with federal matching funds.

Tell Your Story

Laura Keller, American Diabetes Association

The first step to engage with legislators effectively is to lead with a personal story. Tell a legislator why addressing diabetes is important and how it has affected you or a loved one. The second step is to share relevant and accurate facts. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say that you don’t know and get back to them later. The last step is to end with an ask. Ask the legislator to take action and support the bill.

Legislative Next Steps

Carrie Butler, Upstream Consulting

Citizens are permitted to lobby as a private citizen, separate from any organization they work for. The legislative website for Utah is le.utah.gov. This website is an effective tool for tracking bills. It offers information about whether or not a bill passed and which legislators voted for or against it. The website also provides information about legislative committees, including which legislators are members and how to contact them.

The Fall 2021 Get Healthy Utah Stakeholder Retreat was held in-person on October 7th in Salt Lake City. Attendees represented various sectors that have an upstream impact on community health, such as healthcare, public health, city leadership, businesses, transportation, and education. The retreat focused on the importance of leveraging cross-sector collaboration to improve the conditions in which Utahns live, work, and play. Leaders across Utah, from all fields and specialties, have a role in promoting access to physical activity and healthy food.

GET HEALTHY UTAH HIGHLIGHTS

During the retreat, Alysia Ducuara, Executive Director, presented on Get Healthy Utah’s successes during the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Get Healthy Utah successfully designated 22 cities and towns a Healthy Utah Community, provided over 7,000 servings of fruits and vegetables to 22 school pantries across 4 school districts, and supported awareness of and coverage for the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

To view the presentation slide deck, click HERE.

SPEAKERS

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Elizabeth Joy, MD, MPH

Senior Medical Director for Wellness and Nutrition at Intermountain Healthcare

The 4 P’s: Leveraging Public Health Policy and Partnerships to Improve the Health of People 

Dr. Joy presented research on the health benefits of regular physical activity. Regular exercise can increase lifespan, safeguard against cognitive decline, improve mental health, and prevent chronic disease. Regardless, most Americans are not meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity. Through health-promoting policies and effective partnerships, much can be done to change this trend. Dr. Joy reviewed the existing public health programs that support physical activity in Utah, and recommended future directions.

To view the presentation slide deck, click HERE.

Speaker

Ted Knowlton

Deputy Director for Wasatch Regional Front

Transforming Community-Driven Walking and Biking in Utah

An important aspect of promoting physical activity is ensuring access to safe infrastructure. Ted Knowlton discussed the importance of building communities with safe routes to walk and bike. Research has shown that when safe biking routes are built, the rates of biking increase and citizens benefit. Biking is associated with numerous improvements in physical health, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and an improved immune system. The key to developing highly utilized infrastructure is moving forward on short-term improvements and partnering for lasting changes.

Speaker

Kate Wheeler

Child Nutrition Specialist at Utah State Board of Education

Finding Common Ground: Healthy Food Access

Hunger is a persistent state of poor nutrition, exacerbated by a lack of healthy food. Addressing hunger requires a two-fold approach: feeding the immediate need and addressing the causes of poor access. In her presentation, Kate Wheeler identified opportunities for long-term solutions. Such opportunities include improving transportation options, supporting local agriculture, improving access to food at schools, and incentivizing businesses to provide nutritious options.

To view the presentation slide deck, click HERE.

CITY PANEL

In addition to the three speakers, a panel of four city leaders discussed the role that community leaders play in improving population health. Nick Jarvis, Chief Operating Officer for the Utah League of Cities and Towns, moderated the discussion. The panel consisted of:

• Kelleen Potter, Mayor, Heber City
• Damon Cann, Mayor, North Logan City
• Julie Fullmer, Mayor, Vineyard City
• Bev Uipi, Councilmember, Millcreek City

Each city represented was a recipient of the Healthy Utah Community designation. The panel discussed what motivated them to pursue the designation and address community health. City leaders want their communities to be places where people desire to live, which requires providing a good quality of life. Residents appreciate opportunities to be connected, engaged, and healthy. Addressing mental health was also a high priority for panel members, as well as the importance of partnering and coordinating efforts to ensure that all health improvements made are sustainable.