Over 30 health educators attended a Community Leadership Forum on Health Education, co-sponsored by the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts and Partners for a Healthier Community at the Tradewinds Restaurant of B.M.C. Durfee High School on January 31, 2007. Presenters from the U-Mass Nutrition Program, the Diabetes Association, the YMCA. and Partners for Clean Air summarized current efforts to address nutrition, diabetes, fitness and tobacco education in Fall River. Invited participants were then asked to identify both assets and challenges as well as suggesting the most important priorities in this area. A summary of this and four similar forums will be published in the Spring of 2007. Similar forums have been held on Safety and Substance Abuse and Environment and Recreation issues. For further information about this series, contact Dr. David Weed, Coordinator of the Healthy City initiative at 508-324-2411.
 

(Top row) Southeastern Massachusetts Community Foundation Communications Coordinator Nancy Harding opened the noontime session with a description of the Foundation's current and upcoming activity. (Top row, center and right) Mayor Edward M. Lambert, Jr. greeted the group and underscored the central importance of health education to the well-being of the city. (Middle and bottom rows, left) Judith Coykendall of Partners for Clean Air - Seven Hills detailed recent efforts to provide education to city residents on the effects of smoking and second-hand smoke as YMCA Director Frank Duffy, Diabetes Association Director Julianne Kelly and U-Mass Nutrition Program Director Pat Bebo listen. (Middle row, center) Lisa Alves of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program records some of the challenges to the health education process. (Middle and bottom rows, right) YMCA Executive Director Frank Duffy describes the regulatory impediments to good physical fitness education in the city's school among other issues. (Bottom row, center) Susan Sterrett, Karen Long, Bob Dempsey and Pam Romano of the Fall River Schools describe both the assets of the school system and some of the challenges as Bristol Community College Health Sciences Department Chair Gail McDonald listens.