Samuels & Associates is providing strategic planning consultation to the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) on the development of the TSET Nutrition and Fitness Initiative. Our consultation activities include key informant and Board interviews, logic model development, development of a five year Road Map for the initiative, and technical assistance on the development of a community grants program and evaluation design.
Advisors on Grantmaking in Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation has commissioned Samuels & Associates to develop a grantmaking strategy in the areas of diabetes and Alzheimer's. Activities include formative research, convening of key stakeholders, and solicitation and review of proposals.
Kellogg Foundation Food and Physical Activity Policy Scan Project The Kellogg Foundation As part of a multi-state nutrition and physical activity policy advocacy project funded by the Kellogg Foundation, Samuels & Associates developed an annotated bibliography of state level nonprofits in California involved in policy change in the following areas: food systems, transportation planning linked to community design, physical activity & nutrition standards & resources, environment, health & justice, healthy and obesity prevention, community and economic development, urban and rural planning. This research also included a description of the priority policy issues for each organization, what agendas have moved forward & who spear headed them, & legislative support on these topics. The information from this project will be used by the Kellogg Foundation to serve as a resource for its grantees involved in policy and advocacy change related to obesity prevention, nutrition and physical activity.
Santa Clara County Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Strategic Plan First 5 Santa Clara County First 5 in Santa Clara County, CA commissioned Samuels & Associates to assist in the development of their Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Strategic Plan. Our activities included facilitating meetings of the Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative, as well as meetings with community members and policymakers, creating a logic model based on feedback from all groups, and drafting the final Plan. The Plan contains the strategic steps that will be taken by First 5 to combat childhood obesity in the coming years, and a comprehensive list of resources relating to nutrition and physical activity for children ages 0-5.
School Nutrition Workshops Commission on Dietetic Registration, American Dietetic Association Samuels & Associates serves as faculty for the American Dietetic Association Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management. Our session, entitled “School Nutrition Standards: Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation for Success” orients registered dieticians to the environmental approach to obesity prevention and methods for evaluating changes to nutrition and physical activity environments in the school setting.
Environmental Assessment Training Workshop Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Samuels & Associates has been commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct training workshops across the country on tracking and monitoring changes in school food and beverage environments. The workshop is designed for school administrators, food service directors, school board associations, parent-teacher associations and other stakeholders involved in making decisions that affect the school nutrition environment. Participants will be able to use the resulting data to inform policies and environmental change in their schools.
Coast-to-Coast Initiative to Prevent and Control Child Obesity, Planning Phase Iacocca Foundation, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Samuels and Associates is part of a multidisciplinary team of experts from the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of California at Berkeley Center for Weight and Health, Mathematica Policy Research, and WGBH, Boston's Public Broadcasting Service station to develop a coast-to-coast initiative to prevent and control child obesity. The initiative will implement, evaluate, and disseminate a cost-effective, integrated and sustainable approach to prevent and control obesity in elementary and middle school children nationwide built on surrounding children with coordinated programs and policies to promote active, healthy lifestyles. The Iacocca Foundation and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation have provided initial funding for the planning phase.
Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Technical Assistance Kaiser Permanente In 2005 Kaiser Permanente commissioned Samuels & Associates to provide technical assistance and training to Kaiser's Healthy Eating Active Living Southern California grantees. Samuels & Associates presented a workshop focused on trends in changing nutrition and physical activity environments and behaviors, the role of evaluation, as well as a logic modeling training session. Throughout 2005, Samuels & Associates followed up with technical assistance to the HEAL grantees through a series of conference calls that addressed the evaluation needs of the individual grantee communities.
Healthy Santa Clara Collaborative Santa Clara Health Trust In 2003 The Santa Clara Health Trust brought together community-based organizations, public health practitioners, health professionals, school officials, and researchers in the county in the Healthy Santa Clara Collaborative to identify and collaborate on obesity-prevention strategies. To aid the Health Trust in the management of the Collaborative's objectives and plans, Samuels & Associates led all stakeholders through a logic modeling process that identified and charted the activities members could engage in to combat overweight and diabetes in Santa Clara County, which then served as a guide for their work. Samuels & Associates continued to consult with the Collaborative throughout the implementation of the logic model.
Diabetes Prevention and Control Program Logic Modeling California Diabetes Prevention and Control Program In 2000 Samuels & Associates collaborated with the California Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) - a public health program in the Department of Health Services - in developing a logic model to chart the activities organizations can engage in to combat diabetes in California. The logic model outlines interventions the DPCP recommends agencies implement, appropriate target audiences, expected changes, and outcome measurements. Samuels & Associates also led a logic modeling exercise related to DPCP's grant request to the CDC for support of their long- and short-term programs in diabetes prevention and management.
A Review of Nutrition Education Models, Approaches and Theories California WIC Association The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded program that provides supplemental food, nutrition education and linkages to healthcare services for low-income, pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children under five who are nutritionally at risk. Samuels & Associates was commissioned by the California WIC Association to review and assess nutrition education models and approaches. Both published and unpublished sources were reviewed and WIC professionals with experience in a particular approach were interviewed. Recommendations present a number of future directions for WIC to consider.
Grant Review Process Oakland Fund for Children and Youth Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) is an initiative of the City of Oakland to promote youth development through youth-centered after-school programming. Samuels and Associates designed a proposal review process for the OFCY's 1999 grant cycle, developing youth-friendly reviewer materials and trainings for youth and adult grant reviewers.
