Special Election
There will be a special election for one tribal council position on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Maliseet Housing Authority, 13 Clover Circle, Houlton. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
HBMI EAT Smart Club
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) EAT Smart Club (ESC) is a popular health promotion program that’s been available annually to tribal members. Initially offered in 2000, the program uses a social support approach to assist club members in learning about and practicing healthful behaviors. Meetings focus on ways to make healthy eating Easy, Affordable and Tasty, which represents the EAT in EAT Smart. In 2006, when it was generally recognized how important physical activity is to sustain a healthy lifestyle – a physical activity component was added as well. Meetings are led by co-facilitators: a tribal member who serves as the EAT Smart Club Coordinator and a Health Professional. Tribal members who have served as the ESC Coordinator are Betty Joseph in 2000, Justin Kobylarz from 2001-2003 and the current Coordinator, Christina Desiderio, who has been in that capacity since 2004. The Health Professional role has been filled since the Club’s inception by Tribal Nutritionist Sue Tortello, RD, LD. Training and financial support are provided by the Maine Nutrition Network (MNN).
The Club has come a long way in eight years. Starting with a small group of 10 – 12 members, attendance at meetings now averages 25. Topics the club has undertaken range from the Food Guide Pyramid, meal planning and label reading to The Four Winds Food Model created by Native American Nutritionist Kibbe Conte. Most impressive is the consistent success of the ESC Program to effect healthy change. Every year, for eight years, the evaluations completed at the end of the program period reveal that the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of HBMI ESC members were measurably positive when compared to what they were at the beginning of the sessions.
Due to the HBMI Club’s eight years of demonstrated and documented success as an effective means to implement healthful behavior change, the Maine Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (PAN) and the MNN wanted to share the Eat Smart model to other partners throughout the State. On Dec. 11, Chris Sady with the MNN and Sue Tortello with HBMI were presenters at the first of a series of four PAN trainings held at the Bangor Civic Center. The seminar was entitled “Making Change Happen: Evidence –Based PAN Practice.” Sady and Tortello’s session, “Using a Social Support Approach to Impact Food and Physical Activity Choices” was well attended and enthusiastically received by conference participants. According to Tortello, “It’s been exciting to be a part of this process and watch how the HBMI ESC program has evolved. To be considered a model program for the State of Maine is an honor. Credit for the success of this program goes to the ESC Coordinators and Club members. Without their participation and support from HBMI tribal leadership, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
