Tomorrow, Thursday April 14, from 2 – 3 pm, Healthy Archuleta (dba FS/FE Food Coalition) will host a community conversation that will explore the role of the built environment as an element of “PSE” in nutrition security and will provide case studies to illustrate this approach to community health.
For many years, health programs have focused on educating individuals on the role of behavior change in achieving health outcomes. Although this is an important factor in promoting health, other factors also play a role in our overall health. Being healthy is not just about individual knowledge and attitude. Perhaps, it’s more than knowing how to be healthy – we also need practical, readily available healthy options accessible to us.
That’s where the focus on policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change comes in. Where we live can affect how we live — we are more likely to make healthy choices when healthy options are within our reach. In the case of food, it is about having access to nutritious, safe, and health promoting foods that are accessible and affordable for all our community members. Policy, systems and environmental (PSE) factors have the potential to support relevant, responsive, and feasible options that are health promoting for every community member. Such factors consider the laws, rules, regulations, and environments that may have an impact on our behavioral choices and the overall health of our community.
Liz Young-Winne and Ynke de Koe of the Prevention Services Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will join us and share about these concepts as our community works and learns to advance nutrition security and health equity for everyone in Archuleta County.
Join us on Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83978862954 for the virtual meeting.
For questions please contact us at fsfearchuleta@gmail.org or 401-371-3227.
To donate to support the work of Healthy Archuleta dba FSFE-Food Coalition please visit our website.
Rose Chavez is Executive Director for Archuleta Seniors, Inc. and Public Health Consultant at Archuleta Food System/Food Equity Coalition.