South King County school lunches get farm-fresh

July 23, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

A lunch with cherries, apricots, and green beans from Magana Farms at Kent Elementary. Making school lunches with Washington-grown, farm-fresh food seems like a simple enough idea. But while school nutrition directors may want to provide students with fresh fruit and vegetables from nearby farms, they may end up asking themselves questions like: How do […]

Public Health celebrates 28 years of Pride

June 26, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

Our department, led by what is now the HIV/STD Program, has participated in Pride festivities every year since 1987. Until now, each department, including Public Health, marched separately, but this year King County employees from every department are marching together. We are excited that everyone is joining forces to assemble our largest contingent yet, and […]

Start of summer farmers market season brings healthy food access to Auburn community

June 26, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

June 7 marks the opening of the Auburn Farmers Market. This year, building on last summer’s success, the market will continue to bring more affordable healthy food to residents. Last summer, with the help of Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN!), community leaders in Auburn piloted an innovative program at the farmers market—the Good Food Bag […]

Nudging students to make healthier choices: How the Kent School District is bringing behavioral economics principles to their lunchrooms

May 26, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

It turns out that encouraging students to make healthier choices in the lunchroom can be accomplished affordably and without a major overhaul of the cafeteria. Research shows that small changes like making the salad bar the highlight of the lunchroom, displaying fruit in attractive baskets, or placing healthy foods by the cash register can influence […]

Take-aways from the Surgeon General: Our work in the national picture

March 13, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Janna Wilson, Director of Health Policy and Planning The new U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy came to Seattle earlier this month as part of a national “listening tour,” hosted by the Region 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office. I confess that I hadn’t given much thought to the role of the […]

Beyond gym class: How cities can help kids increase their physical activity

February 11, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

Who plays a role in making sure kids get enough exercise each day? Parents certainly. Schools, yes—that’s why we have gym class and recess. But what about city governments? Well, it turns out that they can play a role, too. Des Moines is one city that has taken the charge head on and is seeing […]