New initiative launched:

Over the next year, the Office staff will be focusing on combining program efforts where it makes sense, identifying some program efforts to discontinue, and developing external strategies to work with new and continuing partners throughout the state. As this work evolves, progress may be found online: www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/cwp.   Please go there to check out our new chronic disease awareness document and call to action insert.

The WIC nutrition program exists for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, and children up to age five, living below 185 percent of the poverty level. The prevention program improves lifetime nutrition and health behaviors. 

Starting October 1, the 280,000 women and young children in WIC have access for the first time to new healthier food choices.  These include fresh fruits and vegetables, and more whole grains such as whole wheat breads, brown rice and whole corn tortillas. Tofu and soy beverages are available for those who can’t tolerate milk.  Infants get baby food fruits and vegetables instead of juice. WIC still provides low-fat milk, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, dried beans, peas and lentils, nutritious breakfast cereals, and infant formula for babies not being exclusively breastfed.

State WIC office staff provided seven “train-the trainer” sessions on the new foods to almost 1,000 local WIC agency staff.  The training also offered new ways to improve nutrition and breastfeeding counseling techniques and to encourage including physical activity in their healthy lifestyle messages.  Feedback from the participants included:

·         We appreciate the HUGE amount of hard work the state staff put into this.  It helped us at the local level to make this transition the best we can!    

·         Great training! 

·         Excited about the changes!

More than 700 grocery stores in the state partner with WIC to make sure families have access to WIC foods.  Retailers support the new food options for WIC customers - a major change for each checker in each WIC authorized store.  State WIC staff provided 32 retailer trainings across the state.  Jan Gee, President and CEO of Washington Food Industries, described it as “excellent and very accessible.” 

“These changes represent a continuing investment in our children’s health,” said State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes, a pediatrician. “The new WIC food choices, based on the latest science on healthy diets, reflect WIC’s commitment to promote exclusive breastfeeding, and help address the public health challenge of obesity. WIC has always been an invaluable program for improving the health of Washington’s most vulnerable citizens. Now it will be even better.”

Every major health group considers breastfeeding the best way to feed infants.  New U.S. Department of Agriculture rules include incentives to WIC moms for exclusive breastfeeding. These mothers and their infants get the most foods and the largest variety of foods from WIC.  Staff will continue to give mothers education and help to exclusively breastfeed their babies until six months of age.

For the most part, the updated food choices WIC offers have received rave reviews.   Organic milk has been taken off the program because of its cost compared to non-organic. We included other organic foods with more comparable costs. We dealt with some concerns about the small reduction in infant formula for older infants who are not breastfed, by reminding clients that the WIC supplemental nutrition program isn’t designed to meet all nutrition needs of participants.  The next time you visit the store watch for the new, blue colored tags on the healthy WIC food options.

Contact Janet Jackson Charles at janet.charles@doh.wa.gov. If you wish to be added to the e-mail list for the program’s “Q-WIC Notes” newsletter,

The Washington State Cancer Registry works on revisions to Chapter 102-46 of the Washington Administrative Code.  It covers cancer surveillance rules not updated since 2000.  Much has happened since then.  For example, the nature of cancer diagnosis and treatment has changed.  Instead of primarily at hospitals, patients now receive services at a variety of outpatient locations.  In 2007, national standards for cancer registry programs changed, and our rules need to reflect those new standards.

In September and October, we held workshops in Tumwater, Spokane, Wenatchee and Shoreline to:

• Explain to stakeholders the reasons for our effort to revise the rules.
• Solicit comments on what changes should be included.

Next step is drafting a rule for discussion among stakeholders.  By early 2010, we should have a formal draft available for review and comment.  We plan to have the revised rules in place by summer 2010. 

To comment or for more information, please contact the Cancer Registry via email at:  CancerRegistry.Rule@doh.wa.gov  or contact: Katie Golub 360-236-3624.

The Washington CARES About Cancer Partnership has released a new four-year Washington Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.  The Partnership, formed in 2001 as the Comprehensive Cancer Control Partnership, consists of groups and individuals representing stakeholders in cancer prevention and control in Washington.   

The 2009-2013 plan includes goals, objectives, and strategies for addressing many cancer issues.  These include primary prevention, early detection, and access to quality care, survivorship, and end-of-life issues.  

Washington CARES About Cancer sets priorities from the plan and leads efforts to achieve strategies.  Current priorities include:

• Increasing colorectal cancer screening rates.
• Promoting informed decision making among men and their providers regarding prostate cancer screening.
• Improving resources for cancer survivors. 

While the name changed, the Partnership continues to work towards its mission of reducing the burden of cancer. For a copy of the new Washington Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan or to learn more about the partnership, contact Kimberly Libby at 360-236-3786 or kimberly.libby@doh.wa.gov.

A number of Washington clinics hope to reach the leading edge of health care reform and improve care for patients. These 33 clinics belong to the Washington Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative, a joint project of the Department of Health and the Washington Academy of Family Physicians. 

This group attracted attention across the nation, even mentioned in President Obama’s call for health care reform. In September we held the first of five learning sessions.  Faculty members Ed Wagner, MD, and L. Gordon Moore, MD, addressed 250 team members who learned about quality improvement processes.

The Medical Home coordinates all care for a patient and focuses on planned care, using an electronic registry to track patients, improving access and disease prevention. Since 1999 we have successfully used the collaborative method in six earlier projects for primary care. It consists of a learning and quality improvement process.  Up to 40 medical teams work to measure and improve the quality of care delivered by their practices during a project period.

We first developed Medical Home to serve the Title V population of children with special health care needs, and later to all primary care patients. Five national physician associations adopted principles focusing on coordinated and comprehensive, patient/family centered, compassionate, and culturally effective care.

For more information, visit Medical Home Collaborative.

At the Joint Conference on Health in Yakima in October, we awarded representatives of two pioneering healthy community projects with colorful roadway signs designating each as Healthy Communities.

The City of Moses Lake has shown that a small amount of money and a lot of community work can make a difference in the health of the people.  A survey of more than 600 people in the community of 25,592 found that obesity rates leveled off in 2007. Overall state rates increased during the same time period of 2003 to 2007. The 2008 Moses Lake survey also found that people now eat more fruits and vegetables, an important factor in turning around the obesity epidemic.

Mount Vernon and surrounding Skagit County also made remarkable progress, including completing a countywide network of trails and bicycle paths. They formed partnerships among local farmers, the hospital, and schools to make locally grown and produced foods more available. 

The first Healthy Communities projects in these two areas were funded at $50,000 each year from 2003 through 2008. The Department of Health currently funds 17 Healthy Communities Washington projects.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed ), a program for low-income families, collects stories from nutrition educators around the state.  It then publishes them on the Web.  For example:

After the Purple Cow class (a smoothie with blueberries), one little boy asked his teacher “where can I buy some of that purple cow?”

Another reported that, during a parent conference, the mother stated in jest “do you have any idea how many times I have had to make that purple cow drink?”

You can find other success stories at: http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/SNAP-ed/Success. SNAP-Ed targets people who receive, or can receive, Basic Food Program benefits such as food stamps.

Her daughter, Kelsey, tried for a long time to get her mom to stop smoking, and she encouraged her to be a part of the “Dear Me” campaign. A smiling Kelsey later sent us a postcard from the viewing deck at Mt. St. Helens. It read:

“My mom and me at Mt. St. Helens. We had a great time! Thank you everybody!”

Later we received a note from Shanin:

I'm so glad you all enjoyed the photo postcard. We thought you might - we had a great day at the mountain. By the way I’ve had only two slips and one relapse but did not give up on stopping smoking - been doing well – try, try again - it seems to be working. Thanks again so much.  - Shanin

You can view all of the “Dear Me” ads at www.quitline.com.

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Effective Dates of FDA Tobacco Law

The Federal Drug Administration’s new tobacco law became effective September 22, 2009.  First up: “All artificial or natural characterizing flavors – other than tobacco or menthol – are banned from all cigarettes and their component part.”  To review the letter to the tobacco industry on cigarettes containing certain flavors, go to:  http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm182186.htm

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Clearing the Air - Tobacco Prevention and Control Program newsletter

Washington Partners in Action - Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity Program newsletter

Washington State WIC Nutrition Program - WIC clinic staff information

Washington FOCUS - newsletter - Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse - Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

Washington State Diabetes Network E-News