About this Episode
In the second episode of the Nutrition Education and Racial Disparities podcast, our guests are Alicia McDaniel, MPH, Rolanda Patrick Forehand, MPH, and Casey Brown from the Cabarrus Health Alliance in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a city in Cabarrus County.
With our guests, we discuss the processes of applying for grants and designing programs for nutrition education, projects that are often tested by logistical and financial barriers. We also talk about the common gaps in nutrition and general health education that our guests see in their community on a regular basis.
Alicia, Rolanda, and Casey are very familiar with the logical steps needed to create a successful, sustainable community health program, and in this episode they share their experiences of success in implementing a variety of programs, like giving grocery store tours to community members to learn more about food labels, ingredient lists, and how to compare fresh, frozen, and canned produce.
Our guests describe “sincere support” as one of many qualities of a community health program that promotes long-term, sustainable, healthy change for the population involved. Each of our guests is passionate about supporting healthy changes in their community, and they share common areas where individuals tend to struggle when looking to improve their health through nutrition, as well as how to best address those struggles, improve compliance, and support long-term healthy change.
About Our Guests
Alicia McDaniel, MPH, currently serves at the Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA) as the Healthy Living Director. She received her master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior from the University of South Carolina and her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Furman University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist, focusing on health promotion efforts such as physical activity, nutrition, and health equity. Alicia has designed and facilitated direct service and policy, systems, and environmental initiatives in both the school and community setting in the areas of food access and chronic disease prevention and management. As an active community member, she serves as a Board Member on the Cabarrus County Farm and Food Council. Alicia’s passions stem from a fervent desire to create sustainable systematic change that catalyze communities and prioritize the needs of minority and disadvantaged populations. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, she enjoys returning home to visit family and friends, hiking, and eating authentic Thai cuisine.
Rolanda Patrick Forehand, MPH, has enjoyed the field of public health for the past 14 years and has led programs focusing on nutrition and physical health, adolescent development, minority youth violence prevention, and (currently) diabetes prevention. Rolanda is the Employee Relations Manager & Diabetes Prevention Program Manager at the Cabarrus Health Alliance in Kannapolis, NC. As a Lifestyle Coach, she enjoys educating, supporting, and encouraging individuals on their journey for improved health.
Casey Brown holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Following graduation, they spent a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Billings, Montana where they worked in the Community Development department. Their passion for nutrition brought them back to North Carolina where they began working as a nutritionist in the WIC department at the Cabarrus Health Alliance. When CHA received grant funding to implement the North Carolina Minority Diabetes Prevention Program (NC MDPP) in 2016, Casey transitioned to working as a co-Regional Coordinator. They hope that their path will one day lead them to voice a character in a Tim Burton film.
