Board Meetings

April 14, 2023 Board Meeting

May 5, 2023 | by

The ASPHN Board of Directors met on April 14, 2023.

  1. Eight General member applications were approved: Akua Boateng and Kimberly Thompson (DC); LaToya Osmani and Cicely Thomas (GA); Stephany Brimeyer (IA); Mimi Mohamud (MN); Carla Anastasio (NY); and Alyssa Dorsey (OH).
  2. Ten Associate member applications were approved: Lisa Hofmann (LA); Christopher Ogar, Tamaraemumoemi Okoro and Funmilola Olukoya (MD); Meagan Shedd (MI); Wole Ajala (NC); Heather Gavras (TX); and Brianne Danaher, Stacey Kripp and Christina Mispel (VT).
  3. Policy Committee actions on behalf of ASPHN since last board report:
    1. Submitted comments on behalf of ASPHN to the:
      1. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regarding: Docket No.: FDA–2016–D–2335 “Food Labeling: Nutrient Content Claims; Definition of Term ‘Healthy.’” Request for Comments.
      2. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Re: 7 CFR Part 246 [FNS–2022–0007] RIN 0584–AE82 “Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages.” Request for Comments.
    2. Signed on in support of the:
      1. Center for Science in the Public Interest’s comments for mandatory front-of-package labeling.
      2. National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) Coalition letter opposing a rider that would block the USDA’s recently-proposed rule to strengthen nutrition standards consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (“Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” or known as the “durable rule”) in the FY24 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies spending bill.
      3. Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)  letter to House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee leadership in support of  $100 million for the CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Moms and Babies (SET-NET) in FY24.
      4. Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) letter to House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee leadership in support of $1 billion for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant in FY24
      5. National WIC Association’s (NWA) sign-on letter for national organizations, which calls for $6.35 billion in WIC funding to cover WIC caseload, fund set-aside priorities for technology infrastructure and breastfeeding, sustain the fruit and vegetable bump through fiscal year 2024, and exclude riders that would disrupt implementation of the WIC food package rule.
      6. Center for Science in the Public Interest’s (CSPI) statement  to Congress describing the many positive impacts of SNAP, and expresses that SNAP must be protected and strengthened during Farm Bill deliberations.
      7. CRD Associates’ letter to the Appropriations Committees in support of at least $340 million in FY24 funding for CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) and $100 million for CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Analytics (CFA).
      8. Center for Science in the Public Interest signing on to their comment on FDA’s proposal for quantitative research on front-of-package labeling.
      9. Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) addressed to Secretary Vilsack and Congress to support the new proposed nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
      10. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee’s (USBC) letter – urging members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program to $20 million.
      11. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee’s (USBC) organizational sign-on letter addressed to members of Congress,  calling for increased funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item.
      12. Trust for America’s Health’s (TFAH) is organizations to sign on to their letter addressed to appropriations leaders requesting $100 million for the CDC’s Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) program.
    3. National WIC Association’s two WIC bills re-introduced in the Senate:
      1. The MODERN WIC Act which will codify remote access to WIC services, providing a 90-day window after phone/video appointments to complete relevant health assessments for WIC participants. This balanced approach will modernize WIC certifications and preserve flexibility that contributed to a 12% increase in child participation since 2020.
      2. The WIC Healthy Beginnings Act which will require USDA to publish hyperlinks to open bid solicitations for WIC infant formula contracts. This step increases transparency and promotes competition within the sole-supplier model.
    4. Did not opt out of the:
      1. Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) sign on letter addressed to members of Congress advocating for $130.42 million for CDC’s State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) and Active People, Healthy Nation (APHN) programs for fiscal year (FY) 2024, which is also in line with the FY24 President’s Budget Request.

Final March 2023 board meeting minutes



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