Collaborating, Training and Research for Healthier Food Systems

PHI’s Center for Wellness and Nutrition (CWN) works and collaborates across some of the most pressing issues in public health around the country. In 2020, the program expanded to working in 27 states through collaborations with 277 partner organizations, diving deeper into building health equity and reducing health disparities by amplifying local leadership, dismantling structural barriers, and addressing the social determinants of health inequities. 

CWN delivered tailored training and technical assistance throughout the year to support individual and organizational capacity to meet pressing community challenges. As a technical assistance provider for the Centers for Disease Control Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), CWN provided support to the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grantees and chronic disease specialists across the country. In 2020, CWN engaged with 30 organizations across 21 states, facilitating training and technical assistance sessions that focused on community engagement using participatory action approaches with an equity lens. Altogether CWN worked with 1764 individuals from 124 community-based organizations in 127 training sessions. Ultimately this work aims to lift community voices, share power, and use co-decision-making processes in local food systems change work.