The initiative, which is being funded by the Monsanto Fund, will provide training and resources to support healthy lifestyles in early care and education environments.
Nemours Children's Health System and the American Heart Association have teamed up to launch the Healthy Food Alliance for Early Education—a community program that aims to provide assistance for early child care and education settings in St. Louis in order to improve healthy eating and food access for children up to age five.
The initiative, which is being funded by the Monsanto Fund, will provide training and resources to support healthy lifestyles in early care and education environments.
"Nemours is thrilled to bring Healthy Food Alliance for Early Education to St. Louis, where strong work to address childhood obesity and food insecurity is already underway," Debbie Chang, senior vice president of policy and prevention for Nemours, said in a media release.
"Through Healthy Food Alliance for Early Education, Nemours and the American Heart Association will collaborate with others working locally and at the state level to increase the number of early care and education providers who receive customized support and resources on how to make best practices in healthy eating and physical activity a part of everyday life for the children and parents they serve. We are eager to launch the program, expanding the number of children in St. Louis living, learning, and playing in healthier environments."
The initiative is on-brand for Nemours, as the hospital's communication strategy has long focused on involving family members and other caregivers in children's healthcare.
"Family-centered [care] is a large part of how we define ourselves and our work as well as how we seek to communicate with patients and consumers," Gina Altieri, Nemours' vice president of corporate services, told HealthLeaders back in 2014, speaking about an advertising campaign. "We believe that people have to relate to you and like you before they will listen to what you have to say about yourself."
One of the resources that Healthy Food Alliance for Early Education participants will have access to is the Healthy Way to Grow microsite, which prompts users to learn about the program, check out a number of tools and resources. The site prominently features both Nemours and the AHA's branding on the masthead.