News and Stories

On September 8^th, community leaders, elected officials, and public health advocates gathered at the Border View Family YMCA in San Diego's South Bay for a press conference to celebrate a milestone two decades in the making: the 20th anniversary of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative (COI).

The press conference brought together a coalition of voices that reflects how COI has always operated, not as a single agency, but as a network of dedicated partners who are supported with foundational funding from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. 

Kim McDougal of the YMCA of San Diego County welcomed everyone, noting that the YMCA was a founding partner and has been active for all 20 years, serving on the Leadership Council and chairing key domains of the work. Our Executive Director, Blanca Meléndrez, also a COI founding member, then looked back on the initiative's history thanking former Supervisors Ron Roberts and Pam Slater-Price for launching COI.

The press conference also introduced Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors as COI's newest Board of Supervisors Champion. Aguirre, who represents District 1, spoke about the barriers to health that families in District 1 experience and how to overcome them. “Every child in San Diego County deserves a healthy environment, and by partnering with the Childhood Obesity Initiative, we are letting our residents lead the way, directing resources where they are needed most to expand access to healthy food, improve our neighborhood environments, and build a healthier future for our kids.” She then presented a proclamation recognizing September 8^th as Childhood Obesity Awareness Day. 

Joyce Moore, President of Thrive Lemon Grove and a member of our COI Community Council, talked about how rising food costs affect the families she works with every day and why continued funding for programs like ¡Más Fresco! Plus matter so much to families. Dr. Shaila Serpas, a family physician on COI's Executive Leadership Team and a COI founding member, spoke about connecting clinical care with prevention and the importance of training the next generation of family medicine residents to understand the conditions that shape their patients' health outside the exam room. 

To close, Dr. Barbara Jung, Dean of the UC San Diego School of Medicine, spoke about what it means for an academic medical institution to bring its resources and expertise into partnership with community knowledge and priorities. Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the County's Public Health Officer, closed the event by reflecting on the milestone and on how much of health is shaped by nutritious food, physical activity, and strong, connected communities. He pointed to the day's examples --investments in community-led solutions, work to improve food access, and support for breastfeeding -- as proof of what happens when partners focus on prevention before challenges become lifelong burdens for children and families. He closed by thanking everyone who has contributed to COI over the past 20 years and affirming the County's commitment to keep building on that foundation alongside COI and its partners.

We're growing the already strong foundation with stronger community leadership, continued investment, and new champions like Supervisor Aguirre. To learn more about the event visit the County News Center.