By Stephanie Grinnell
Staff Writer


Though some people may not be familiar with the name Maine Coastal Healthy Community Coalition, it is likely they are familiar with its programs encouraging people to quit smoking, eat healthy and exercise more. The coalition serves nine communities in York County; Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Buxton, Hollis, Dayton and Arundel.
Director Emily Rines has been with the coalition since its inception in 2001. The Gardiner native moved back to Maine to accept the position after living in South Carolina following her college graduation. She said the goal of the coalition is to promote education about chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and asthma and encourage substance abuse prevention and healthy activities in the communities it serves.
The program is funded with federal tobacco settlement money in addition to grants. There are 30 healthy community sites in the state, each one tailored to the community it serves, Rines said. The Maine Tobacco Helpline also receives funding from the more than $25 million in annual tobacco settlement funds received by the state, she said. There are two other healthy community sites in York County, one at Goodall Hospital in Sanford and the other at York Hospital. Rines said a county-wide health assessment was completed recently.
“We feel strongly we need to talk to the people in the county and see what they need to be healthy,” she said. 
Rines said the coalition is focused on preventing underage drinking and more recently, prescription drug abuse. She said federal funding is directed at underage drinking, but said she has discretion to allocate funding where it is needed the most.
“In our assessment, we found prescription drug use is increasing rapidly. We chose to add that because it was clearly an issue that was coming up,” she said.
She said they try to get parents involved with their children and plan to host additional forums like the recent discussion in Old Orchard Beach that featured guest speaker Attorney General Steven Rowe to educate parents and children about underage drinking. A video about underage drinking is currently being edited and will be shown on local cable access channels, Rines said. 
“This is a revolutionary idea, the Healthy Maine Partnerships,” she said.
Much of the coalition’s work is with community schools, Rines said. There is currently one school health coordinator for the area, Jackie Tselikis, who is based in the Old Orchard Beach schools.
“She works with schools on nutrition policies and outdoor exercises,” Rines said. “We are fighting to get another one here.”
In Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Biddeford schools, students participate in “5210 goes to school.” The 5210 program began a year ago and encourages students to eat five fruits and vegetables per day, limit screen time on the computer, playing video games or watching television to two hours per day, get one hour of physical activity per day and indulge in zero sugar sweetened drinks, Rines said.
“Maybe we can introduce them to five fruits per day or milk instead of Pepsi,” she said. “It’s a menu of options, not a prescription to do all four every day.”
The coalition is overseen by an advisory board comprised of community members who meet once a month. Rines said she would like to see additional advisory members from the newer communities volunteer, and said anyone interested in being a part of the coalition’s efforts would be accommodated. More than 400 people attend the annual meeting, she said.
“It’s an opportunity to engage them and share what we’re doing,” Rines said.
A new project has the coalition working with WIC (Women, Infants and Children) to establish places for mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies or pump milk while working.
“Largely, it’s because we know many women who breastfeed and pump are going back to work,” Rines said.
Studies have shown breastfeeding is better for the mother and the baby and current laws allow women to breastfeed in public, she said.
“Now, we’re working with businesses to share why it is important to let employees breastfeed,” Rines said.
Another workplace effort revolves around vending machines, Rines said. The coalition is attempting to make 40 percent of vending machine choices healthy alternatives and encouraging employers to make baskets of fruit available to employees at a minimal cost, she said.
In the community, Rines said they are educating landlords about smoke-free housing. Smoking, she said, is not only a health risk, but a fire danger as well.
“The number one cause of fire is cigarettes,” she said. “But it’s not about the person, it’s about the behavior.”
Rines said the line is blurred when it comes to outdoor public spaces and smoking. She cited campground and miniature golf courses as places frequented by children where smoking is still allowed.
“If you’re within 20 feet of a smoker outside, there is measurable exposure to second-hand smoke,” she said. “We know it’s a cancer causing agent, like asbestos. People would have a problem with a burning pile of asbestos outside.”
Tobacco costs the state more than $6 million per year in health related costs, Rines said. One of the major pushes this year is working with physicians to talk to their patients about tobacco use.
“Research shows a one to five minute counseling session helps people quit,” she said.
Often, physicians don’t know what to recommend to assist their patients to quit smoking, Rines said, adding there are people who are taking tobacco education courses to help physicians. On a regular basis, tobacco cessation information is provided to businesses, she said.
The influx of information to the communities helps support a consistent message, Rines said.
“It’s supporting that healthy living option,” she said. “A lot of people say, ‘I want to exercise but I can’t afford to join a gym,” but there are opportunities,” Rines said.
In schools, doctors offices and businesses, a “Physical Activity Guide for the Kennebunks, Old Orchard Beach and Saco” is accompanied by 5210 cookbook featuring “healthy, easy and cheap” recipes put together by a former food service director. Rines said people often complain they don’t know how to prepare healthy meals so the cookbook was made available with the activity guides.
To help encourage physical activity, the coalition has an event titled “Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days.”
“It helps get people in action and to support people who are already in action,” Rines said. “Walking is free, it’s relatively easy to do and you can do it with your family.”
She said the idea behind Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days is to get people in the habit of being active.
“A mile a day is a lot for some people,” she said. “But with a little bit of increase in activity, they can get the health benefits.”
This year marks the eighth year of the walking effort, which is unique to Coastal Healthy Communities, Rines said.
“It’s the concentric circles. The farther out you go, the bigger impact you can have,” she said.
Prior to becoming the director of Coastal Healthy Communities, Rines lived and worked in South Carolina, educating children about tobacco prevention.
“It’s nice to come back [to Maine] and be able to make a difference,” she said.