From Legislation to Reality: Food Stamp Nutrition Education

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From Legislation to Reality Food Stamp
Nutrition Education

• Joyce M Counihan
• North Carolina Nutrition Network
• SNE - Orlando - July 24, 2005

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Food Stamp Nutrition Education Network
perspective

• How FSNE began
• How FSNE has fared
• What the future holds
• What you can do

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How FSNE began

• 1995 and 1996 22 cooperative agreements
• Test a model of collaboration Networks to
  provide nutrition education to food stamp
  participants and applicants
• 13 in cooperative extension
• 6 in public health
• 2 in universities
• 1 in public health
• Test innovative nutrition education delivery,
  including social marketing

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Good Years

• More and more states submitted nutrition
  education plans
• The funding grew and grew
• 660,000 in 1992 - Wisconsin
• 228 M in 2004
• More and more food stamp participants and
  eligibles participated in nutrition education

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Now

• 19 states identify themselves as Networks
• Networks identify these central roles
• Public / private partnerships
• Collaboration among food assistance programs
• Development and delivery of consistent nutrition
  messages across network partnerships to food
  stamp audiences
• Use of social marketing approaches

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Network status

• Healthy
• Inactive / regional woes
• Struggling for staff, funding, identity

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Change

• Funding
• 660,000 in 1992
• 228 M in 2004
• Guidance for FSNE 6 pg to 87 pg
• Innovation to constraint

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• 2004

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How FSNE Has Fared

• FY 04 was tough for most states
• Some regions were harder than others
• Life got very interesting in North Carolina!

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04 in NC and whats next?

• FY 04
• Decrease from 14 to 7 M
• FY 05
• Decrease from 7 M to 1.5 M
• Good Management Evaluation Review from region
• Good Systems Review interviews
• FY 06
• Increase from 1.5 M to 1.75 M
• FY 07 ?

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FSNE Framework

• Comments to FNS by July 27, 2004
• SNE letter
• Response from states and participants

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State Food Stamp Programs

• Lets watch and see what happens in FY 06 with
  the Guidance
• FNS delays Framework for 06
• States or implementing agencies may be on
  hold for 07

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Good News

• ERS evaluation project roots in SNE
• Systems Review
• EARs
• Networks meeting with FNS, April 05
• Post conference for FSNE at the FNS conference,
  September 2005

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Better News

• Framework response
• Letter from SNE to FNS
• Letters/response from all Network states
• Lots of letters from CA all levels
• Response from most FSNE states
• April 2005 meeting with FNS representative from
  each region
• Guiding Principles stakeholders
• SNE should be in stakeholder group

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Best News April 2005

• Issues on the table
• Inconsistency between the stated mission and
  nutrition objectives of the Guidance and what
  states re allowed to do, based on allowable
  activities and costs
• Increasing administrative burden
• Regional offices

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Recommendations

• Diverse advisory group to support FNSE policy
  promotion.
• Develop an evaluation plan for FSNE that will
  meet local and state needs as well as regional
  and national FNS needs.
• Create a mechanism to resolve state concerns on
  Guidance, allowable activities/costs,
  administrative burden, and regional office
  process.
• The Networks would welcome the opportunity to
  partner with Produce for Better Health (PBH) and
  provide Guidance on effective approaches to
  increase fruit and vegetable consumption in FSNE.

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Guiding Principles

• Networks prepared a response on behalf of all
  Networks in all regions
• Networks worked with CSREES and the Association
  of Food Stamp Directors
• Networks consider affiliation with Food Stamp
  Directors

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Response

• Understand that Principles would stabilize FSNE
  policy and result in less frequent issuance of
  the FSNE Guidance
• Recommended language for the proposed Guiding
  Principles
• Strike a balance between addressing USDAs
  concerns and providing states with the
  flexibility they need to delivery results
• Receive 07 Guidance no later than December 2006
• See Guiding Principles in context expanded
  beyond simple statements

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Suggestions

• Delay the introduction of new Guidance or Guiding
  Principles until Systems Review is completed
• Partner with other federal programs, especially
  CDC, to provide consistent technical assistance,
  training and evaluation guidance
• Contract with the Institute of Medicine to
  evaluate progress and make recommendations for
  future direction of FSNE.
• Work with Congress to modernize statues to better
  meet the public health challenges faced by
  todays Food Stamp Program.

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What You Can Do

• Read the newspaper
• Listen to news radio
• Get to know the right people
• Administration within your agency
• Food Stamp Program administrators at state and
  local level
• The people who process the proposals and contracts

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Right People

• First tier
• All federal food assistance programs
• Other providers in the states Nutrition
  Education Plan
• Second tier
• Cooperative Extension
• Schools
• Food Banks and their member agencies
• Faith-based organizations

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More Right People

• County Commissioners for local level FSNE
• State legislators
• US representatives
• Follow your agency guidelines for contact with
  elected officials
• Know the difference between advocacy and lobbying

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What You Can Do On-going

• Create a credible platform for a state vision for
  FSNE
• Talk, listen, and listen some more
• Propose a solution for a problem
• Make recommendations that are winwin
• Eat an ant not an elephant
• Incremental steps toward a desired change
• Remember, these folks are doing their jobs.

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Everyday

• Do your work with integrity
• Be sure you can sleep at night