Heading 6
Policy and Advocacy
Objectives
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Distinguish between the ranges of food security (i.e. high, marginal, low, and very low food security), food insecurity, hunger, food desert, and food swamp
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Understand how food insecurity affects health, including health complications that arise or are exacerbated by food insecurity
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Identify food deserts and food swamps in one’s state and community using data, maps, and global information systems (GIS) and identify socioeconomic and demographic patterns
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Identify and connect with local organizations working to address food insecurity in a sustainable way
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Describe examples of successful food security initiatives implemented within your country and in a country other than your own
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Evaluate the roles government, non-government, non-profit, and community-based organizations play in addressing food insecurity
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Explain how different factors lead to or perpetuate food insecurity, including socioeconomic factors, household factors, and individual demographic factors
Landmark Papers
These papers are academic studies used to introduce the topic of health policy, the significance of policy in health, and what efforts have been made to address health policy as medical providers.
Theory Burst By: Congressman Ami Bera
Congressman Ami Bera has represented California’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. Representative Bera is currently a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. He is also a senior member on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Congressman Bera is also Vice Chair for Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition, a group of over 100 forwardthinking Democrats who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.
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He attended California’s public schools from grammar school through medical school, earning both his B.S. and M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. During Congressman Bera's twenty-year medical career, he worked to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of healthcare. After graduating from medical school in 1991, he did his residency in internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, eventually becoming chief resident. He went on to practice medicine in the Sacramento area, serving in various leadership roles for MedClinic Medical Group. Chief among his contributions was improving the clinical efficiency of the practice. He then served as medical director of care management for Mercy Healthcare, where he developed and implemented a comprehensive care management strategy for the seven-hospital system.
Congressman Bera went on to put his medical experience to work for his community, serving Sacramento County as Chief Medical Officer. In that role, he fought to reduce the cost of health care, create jobs, and deliver care to tens of thousands of Sacramento
Theory Burst By: Mayor Nan Whaley
Mayor Nan Whaley grew up in a small town in Indiana. She attended the University of Dayton, becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. She also attended Wright State University and obtained a master’s degree in public administration. She met her husband, Sam, and fell in love with her adopted hometown, eventually running for City Commission and becoming mayor of Dayton Ohio in 2013.