October was the start-up date for the newly-funded "Towards Healthy Eating"
program, which will link community leaders and health-care professionals in developing health education for newcomer communities. The program is a
collaboration with UMass Extension Services' Expanded Food and Nutrition
Education Program (EFNEP) and will involve leaders from the Cambodian,
Vietnamese, and Russian-speaking communities. Together they will plan and
organize a health and nutrition education program for their communities. Too
many people are unfamiliar with or fearful of health care in the United
States, because it does not make sense in their culture. In the EFNEP
program, CIRCLE will mediate between mainstream health professionals and
newcomer leaders to create a conversation on health and nutrition that will
make sense to newcomers.