CATCH Champion for August 2007

An Interview with Lisa Tims

Senior Community Health Specialist

Missoula City-County Health Department, Montana

What prompted you to be an advocate and champion of children's health?

My professional background is in Health Promotion, so I gravitate toward community interventions that are evidence based and help people make better decisions about things they can do to enhance their health. I remember as a child how important it was to have a reliable source of health information that enabled me to make good choices. I wanted to know what foods made me healthy, what games I could play that made me strong, how to express myself so my needs were known by my family. CATCH embodies this approach.

When did you adopt the CATCH Program and what prompted you to do so?

I started working in public health several years ago, and in 2001 my department began focusing our attention on obesity prevention and promotion of the “Eat Smart, Move More” philosophy. We wanted to target school-age children and their families, and CATCH was a perfect model for us to use. It was somewhat of a turnkey program with materials and lesson plans and a proven track record. At the Missoula City-County Health Department, we were experienced with the “Train the Trainer” model as a way to bring health education to a larger community. We have an excellent relationship with the University of Montana Health and Human Performance Program, as well as the Montana State University College of Nursing. Their students frequently request internship placement in our department, and so training them to do health education for elementary students was a logical fit. These students in turn, work closely with elementary teachers too.

Describe notable changes since implementing CATCH and how you know CATCH is working.

We started with one pilot school, and now have CATCH incorporated into the elementary education program in our rural schools. Over 2/3 of the students in the schools have CATCH integrated into their curriculum, their parent education, and food service programs. More recently, we have brought the Kids Club CATCH Program into our summer parks and recreation program. That way children continue their learning throughout the summer months as well as during the school year.

What are the keys to your success?

It's hard to identify a single “ingredient”. We have an excellent partnership between St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center who provides funding for staff and operations of the program, the Missoula City-County Health Department where I work, and the program was incubated and continues to be supervised. In addition, the rural schools in Missoula, which serve about 10,000 children (half the county's student body), have embraced the concepts, created time to teach the curriculum, supported food service staff, and encouraged families to learn about CATCH.

What was your most significant barrier and how did you overcome the challenge?

In some ways, one barrier we had to deal with was some resistance from our large school district who was heavily involved in the debate and learning curve associated with the mandated School Wellness Policy. They were still working on the “no child left behind” issues, and couldn't adapt quickly enough to embrace still one more system change. Our hope is that soon “no child left behind” will be reframed to “no child's health left behind”. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Rather than spending lots of time trying to convince folks to adopt CATCH, we instead focused on working with those schools who wanted the program. Eventually more and more jumped into the fold as they saw successes at peer schools.

What advice can you offer for those just beginning and for those who have already implemented the CATCH Program.

Inventory your friends and collaborators and work with those who are eager to become healthier. There is the concept of “innovators and early adopters”, and they can help get things started. Others need the safety of actually seeing things working before they can become involved. The partnerships are what help sustain the program. Health is a long term commitment.

What has been the reaction from parents, administration, students and community?

The reaction is positive. There are many opportunities to highlight success with CATCH, and people like to be associated with success, not confusion or failure.

What are your plans for the future? What is your CATCH vision?

Our vision is tied to the idea of embracing “no child's health left behind”. When physical activity and good nutrition are the norm, we will begin to see improvements in the obesity rates.

How do you sustain the program from year to year?

It grows on its own, but without the St. Patrick Hospital and Missoula City-County Health Department partnership, the momentum would probably be slower.

Anything else you would like to add?

We need a box of nutrition lessons similar to the box of PE activities. Would you put that together in your spare time? We don't have anymore!

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