UNIVERSITY OUTREACH WORKING TOGETHER TOWARDS THE LEGACY OF HEALTHY COMMUNITY When we come together, we can accelerate progress and nurture healthy legacies. This Spring, over 120 TAMIU students, faculty, and community members came together as part of an innovative community listening session focused on food and health hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Texas A&M AgriLife’s Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) at TAMIU. This national listening session, “Building a Healthy Community Together,” provided input from the Hispanic community to help ensure USDA’s science-based solutions on nutrition and diet-related chronic diseases are impactful and relevant to the communities it serves. USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and Chief Scientist Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young said she was impressed with the Laredo response and engagement. “The overwhelming response from the Laredo community demonstrates the importance of community-based conversations linking healthy eating and disease prevention. We appreciated the eagerness and engagement of participants who shared important perspectives about their communities’ lived experiences in accessing healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods,” Dr. Jacobs-Young said. College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing students helped facilitate conversations and collect responses. A “share fair” provided information and community resources while a food demonstration showcased a healthy watermelon salad. TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said the University was honored to partner with USDA and IHA. “We are keenly aware of the diet-related health disparities in our community and how certain food choices can, unfortunately, lead to health outcomes including diet-related chronic diseases and cancer. This initiative offered a positive opportunity to gain and share knowledge and impact solutions,” Dr. Arenaz noted. Information gathered will be used by TAMIU and IHA to enhance Laredo programs and activities supporting health and well-being. It will inform USDA’s future research, education, extension, and program efforts, while others can use the findings to develop more effective programs, services, and initiatives promoting community health and wellness. “By partnering together, we can accelerate progress towards a shared goal of improving health through food and nutrition and reducing the burden of dietrelated chronic diseases for all individuals, families, and communities in this country,” the USDA Summary Report on the imitative concludes. Read the report and see video story sessions here: https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/ascend-betterhealth/engagement/laredo 27
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