Announcements

The Summer Food Service Program provides meals for children during the summer months.

The annual Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides children with nutritious meals during the summer. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a nationwide waiver extension which allows sponsors to offer summer meals no matter the economic conditions in the area.

Summer meal programs help children aged 18 and under get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow during the summer. This federally funded program is sponsored by many organizations throughout our state, including schools, nonprofit organizations, local governments, tribes, and more.

To find a Summer Meals site near you:

• Summer Meals Locator Map
• Spanish Summer Meals Locator Map
• Text “Summer Meals” to 97779
• Call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479).
• For Spanish, families can call 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)

For more information, please contact the Child Nutrition Services department within the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction at 360–725–6200.

The Washington State Department of Health, Essentials for Childhood Program is offering free “starter sets” of Vroom_TM print materials and technical assistance on how to use Vroom. This is suitable for any organization that serves or reaches families of young children (from prenatal through age five) in Washington State, even if early learning isn’t your primary focus.

Vroom Materials are intended to raise awareness about the importance of brain building and the simplicity and fun of Vroom. These starter set of Vroom materials are intended to help organizations become familiar with Vroom brain building tools and messages and comfortable sharing them with families you serve or reach.

Materials include, but are not limited to posters, flyers, tip cards, and handouts. All materials are available in English and Spanish. Many materials are available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian, Creole, Korean, Polish, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese and Yiddish.

DOH expect to be able to offer materials to about 20 qualifying applicants, and there is a short application due June 11. 

To learn about this opportunity and apply:

1. Review the "Vroom Brain Materials and Technical Assistance Opportunity" description for important information and how to apply.
2. Apply online OR download this Application Form and send the completed application to Marilyn.Gisser@doh.wa.gov by June 11, 2021, 11:59 pm.

The Prevention Awards of Excellence are an opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations for their dedication and contributions to the Prevention field.

Please take the time to nominate a colleague, young person, program or organization in the following award categories:

• Tribal Prevention
• Youth Leadership
• Young Adult Leadership
• Professional and/or Exemplary Community Prevention Leader
• Community Coalition and/or Community Prevention Group
• Contributions to Prevention by an Organization, Business, or Agency
• Outreach or Implementation of a Prevention Program

We will celebrate awardees and their successes at the award ceremony during the Prevention Summit in November.

Nominations are due Monday, August 9, 2021, by 5:00 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted.  Please review the nomination packet overview and form thoroughly; if you have any questions contact Martha Williams at Martha.Williams@hca.wa.gov or at (360) 628-3671.

Despite enormous progress in reducing smoking, tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and imposes a terrible toll on families, businesses and government. Anti-smoking efforts have not been directed toward people with behavioral health conditions as they have toward the general population resulting in tobacco-related disparities.

The Washington State Health Care Authority and Washington State Department of Health are excited to host summer webinars on integrating tobacco treatment in behavioral health. Expert speakers will share their experience, knowledge, and best practices on the topics of tobacco cessation, pharmacotherapy, intervention, youth and adult treatment including criminal justice populations, policy guidance, and integrating tobacco treatment into organizations.

This webinar series is ideal for behavioral health professionals, tobacco use dependence treatment (TUDT) professionals, tobacco intervention specialists, or any public health professional who is interested in strengthening their knowledge and skills.

Webinar topics:

• The Need for Addressing Tobacco in Behavioral Health Settings
• Changing the Treatment System Environment to Better Address Tobacco
• Quitline Services & Referrals
• Evidence-based Tobacco Treatment Pharmacotherapy for Use in Behavioral Health Settings
• Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Tobacco Use Disorder
• Treating Youth Tobacco Use
• Treating Tobacco Dependence in Corrections Settings