June 21 – Since the launch of Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) Healthy Houston Initiative (HHI) last May, the initiative has served Houston’s limited resource communities by providing educational workshops, programs, and events that focus on health, wellness, finance, nutrition, and agriculture. All of which promote long-term healthy lifestyle changes and behaviors.
Newfound partnerships with local organizations in the Houston area have made connecting with HHI’s target audience easy. As a result, HHI has engaged with more than 12,000 people of various ages and backgrounds and formed 50 new partnerships within the last year.
Through various 4-H Youth and Development programs, students learned the importance of eating healthy and exercising, discovered their purpose by tapping into their passions, and learning about food production and sustainability through farming and gardening.
Staff members of the Healthy Houston Initiative pictured in their mobile kitchen giving out an okra and tomatoes dish during the Juneteenth celebration at Ivy Leaf Farms. Picture courtesy of instgram.com/healthyhoupv/
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Family Community Health Unit (FCH), provided nutrition workshops to educate participants on preparing and cooking healthy meals. Experiential learning sessions stress, healthy eating, and active play as crucial for preventing childhood obesity chronic disease. HHI educates about accessible and affordable healthy options such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, HHI has partnered with county schools and community centers to construct and revitalize a total of five community gardens. The initiative’s goal is to triple this number over the next two years.
Having a mission to promote health and well-being, the HHI teamed up with PVAMU’s College of Nursing and Custom Care Pharmacy to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations to our limited-resource communities. As a result, we administered more than 1,500 Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations following the rollout in January 2021. In addition, the initiative advocates for immunization education that decreases vaccination hesitancy and increases vaccination confidence among community residents.
Through our collaboration with PVAMU’s College of Business and the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center, the HHI can focus on the nutritional and health characteristics of well-being and the importance of financial health, mental health, and family support. Each of these characteristics contributes the one’s overall health and wellness. The College of Business and HHI delivers a Financial Literacy workshop in our limited-resource communities to educate about available resources. The Financially Fit series provides an overview of common financial topics such as budgeting, saving, insurance, and credit.
Furthermore, our collaboration with the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center aims to end the school-to-prison pipeline. This initiative reduces and prevents school truancy, drug abuse, and other habits that lead to youth delinquency or incarceration. Our collaboration also provides Mental Health First Aid, a skills-based training course that teaches adults who work with and serve youth about mental health and substance-use issues.
Within just a year, the Healthy Houston Initiative has made a way to support and serve the community in Harris County, keeping the importance of health and well-being at the forefront.
For more information on the Healthy Houston Initiative, visit our website at https://www.pvamu.edu/cafnr/healthy-houston/
Also, make sure to follow us on all social media platforms!
Nkem Anyasinti
Houston Healthy Initiative, Program Coordinator
ncyanyasinti@pvamu.edu
(713) 797-7034