Today, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) announces that it has received grant funding of $144,275 from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) as part of its newly established State Partnerships Improving Nutrition Equity (SPINE) program. SPINE is a federal program that addresses food and nutrition security through sustainable and equitable actions that tackle economic and social conditions limiting food and nutrition security across the lifespan. Today, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) announces that it has received grant funding of $144,275 from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) as part of its newly established State Partnerships Improving Nutrition Equity (SPINE) program. SPINE is a federal program that addresses food and nutrition security through sustainable and equitable actions that tackle economic and social conditions limiting food and nutrition security across the lifespan. 

The IDPH Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity SNAP-Ed team will work with stakeholders to address food insecurity with policy, system, and environmental (PSE) change projects as part of the Iowa Food System Coalition that aligns with the goals of the Iowa food plan.

“We’re proud to be a member of the SPINE program and the funding from NACDD allows us to continue our efforts to address root causes of food insecurity with policy, system, and environmental changes” said Jill Lange, M.P.H., R.D.N., L.D., bureau chief of the IDPH’s Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity. “PSE changes are critical in addressing needs for food and nutrition security across Iowa as they use a multidimensional approach to solve multidimensional issues.”

In addition to Iowa, eight other states were selected to receive support: Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Oregon. NACDD is working with the nine SPINE states to build and implement sustainable partnerships, programs, and services into existing efforts, especially in communities with populations at high risk (Black people, Latinx, American Indians/Native Americans, young children, aging adults, and people with disabilities). States will receive augmented support, including tailored and extensive training and technical assistance to increase food and nutrition security, reach populations at high risk, and address health equity. 

Visit www.chronicdisease.org/spine-program for more information about the SPINE program. To learn more about the Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity, visit www.idph.iowa.gov/nutrition-physical-activity.