Today the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a 106-page report outlining actions for local governments to prevent childhood obesity. (Coverage in USA Today.) Among the recommendations: Create incentives to attract supermarkets to underserved neighborhoods… Require menu labeling in chain restaurants… Keep parks and playgrounds safe and attractive…

A colleague, who has been doing remarkable work with a group of women in Hartford, CT — they call themselves, Sisters in the Spirit of Health — said she was amazed to read that many of the recommendations were similar to those her group came up with. Yet, while there may be some overlap, the biggest difference is the way in which the recommendations came about.

On the one hand (IOM), an expert panel publishes a comprehensive set of policy and structural changes to be implemented by government and local authorities.

On the other hand, a group of moms and daughters, friends and neighbors begin a conversation, take a look around their own community, and share their highest aspirations for change — in words, drawings, and a powerful video montage and theme song!

We are optimistic that the IOM report might lead to new conversations and maybe even investment in a broader approach to health. Mostly, news like this seems to make even more urgent the need for ongoing community dialogue that explores what led to current conditions in the first place.

Meanwhile, the Hartford women are manifesting new sources of food in the city, and, just as important, sisterhood, as they continue to come together to consider what matters most and what might be possible working (and singing) together.