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Boston Globe - Codman Square health forum highlights progress, new goals
By Cara Bayles, Town Correspondent
December 2, 1010
Over the course of a few hours Wednesday night, a group of teenagers asked an auditorium full of their neighbors for feedback on local and federal anti-smoking campaigns, ways to promote peace in the community, an initiative that would connect residents with local resources, and a lobbying effort against the largest fast-food corporation in the world.
The host of weighty concerns was aired at Boston Public Health Commission's fourth neighborhood health meeting of the year, and its third consecutive year hosting a forum in Codman Square, a community known for civic engagement around health.
"Over the years, we've changed our approach. We used to just present data and then take questions. Now, we partner with community groups," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the city's public health commissioner, after she'd given a presentation on health inequities and then handed off the meeting to the teenagers. The Codman Square Neighborhood Council and the Boston Alliance for Community Health partnered with the city to bring the meeting to the Codman Square Health Center.
The teens were members of Breath of Life Dorchester, or BOLD, a 13-year-old group that organizes young health advocates. A year ago, they used the commission's meeting as a chance to gather suggestions from the community, said Alexandra Chery, the group's coordinator.
"This year is a follow-up on last year's community brainstorm process," she said after the meeting, which was filled with interactive interludes. Residents broke into smaller groups to vote on effective national warning labels on cigarettes, to discuss why so many young Bostonians carry weapons, and to meet about campaigns that interested them.
One of the campaigns was a "Retire Ronald McDonald" effort, which would put the fast food mascot and toys in happy meals out of commission. The effort, led by the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International, has already seen success in San Francisco, where the board of supervisors banned the practice of including toys with unhealthy food two weeks ago.
Rev. Dr. Bill Loesch, who led a group of residents interested in the campaign, likened Ronald McDonald to Joe Camel, the cartoon character who shilled cigarettes for most of the '90s.
"As parents, we're dealing with a corporation that knows how to get children into a fast food place," Loesch said. "Kids see these toys as collector's items." He added that the campaign would also lobby for all McDonald's locations to offer healthier options, like the salads and fruit bowls the company has introduced in recent years.
Ferrer said the health commission would look into the happy meal campaign, and that BOLD would probably present on it to their board, as they have before on topics like sugar-sweetened beverages.
In the past, BOLD has driven campaigns like the ban on selling cigarettes in pharmacies, which the Boston Public Health Commission passed in 2009. In 2007, the teens started printing stickers with more "nutrition facts" about the content of tobacco products, and partnered with local vendors who agreed to put the stickers on cigarette packs. The campaign earned them a visit and acknowledgment from federal officials with the Center for Tobacco Products.
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