Ellen Michaels, Health Education Specialist

Ellen Michaels, from Butte County Public Health, works with the nutrition education and obesity prevention program using methods to help make the healthy choice the easy choice.  Direct education in schools including healthy food and beverage standards in schools, and policies for healthy corner stores, safe routes to school and edible gardens are parts of this effort. 

  She also is in the tobacco education program with a focus on prevention.  She states that the rise of electronic cigarettes, which contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens, could undermine progress that has been made in tobacco use prevention.  Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death in Butte County.  Telephone counseling on tobacco use is available by calling 1-800-no butts.  More information awaits in the attached interview.