SNAP-Ed cuts result in loss of valued nutrition education partners

By Dennis Archambault

While many of us were focused on budget deliberations in Lansing and Washington, impact of the elimination of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program educational component (SNAP-Ed) hit home and personal. Two friends of Authority Health, Barbara Blum-Alexander and Charles Jackson, Jr., have lost their positions with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Extension, respectively.

Barbara and Charles have been strong supporters of Authority Health’s community nutrition programs. Barbara, who was director of Community Health Opportunities & Prevention Strategies at Henry Ford Health, served as chair of the MOTION Coalition on childhood obesity and Charles has provided healthy cooking education for the MSU Extension for several years, most recently at the Ruby Cole Community Kitchen.

Dr. Prashanti Boinapally, Director of Quality for Authority Health; Barbara Blum-Alexander, Co-Chair for MOTION Coalition and Community Health Leader

The SNAP-Ed program formally ended last summer with the enactment of the federal budget bill. Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, senior vice president of Community Health and Education, and Chief Wellness Officer at Henry Ford Health, noted that SNAP-Ed funding allowed the health system to provide education for all ages through programs such as Learning About Nutrition through Activity (LANA), Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, Linking Lessons, Taste Move Learn, Eat Smart Live Strong, Fork and the Road, Farmers Market Food Navigator, and Cooking Matters. “It also gave us resources to work on coalitions and partnerships to make changes to the community that support nutrition access and active living to prevent chronic disease,” she said. “We have reached over 10,000 youth and adults every year through schools, community and faith-based sites, farmers markets, health centers, and senior housing. Our Youth Wellness Ambassador program has produced students who have gone on to medical school, schools of public health, pharmacy, nutrition, and culinary arts. One former student was a State Representative, and another is the clinical manager of the Trauma Recovery Center at Henry Ford Health.”

The SNAP-Ed program has been an enduring part of community health programming for so long, it was shocking for many that the federal government would even consider its elimination. A study published last summer on the impact of the program in the Journal of Nutrition and Education actually proposed that it be expanded. The researchers concluded that the program, which reached millions of low-income people annually, had become respected as a “pillar of public health.” “This audience experiences ongoing health disparities and is disproportionately affected by public health crises. The SNAP-Ed program works to reduce nutrition-related health disparities at all levels of the Social-Ecological Model, follows a robust evaluation framework, and leverages strong partnerships between state-based practitioners, state agencies, and the US Department of Agriculture,” the researchers reported.

While Authority Health will continue to promote nutrition through the Ruby Cole Community Kitchen, its Healthy and Resilient Communities initiative, and the Fresh Rx program, we will miss working with these two outstanding professionals, not to mention the contributions of SNAP-Ed to our community through the years.

Nutritionist and Chef Charles Jackson Jr.; Robert Thornton, Board Treasurer for Authority Health.

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health