On April 3, I traveled to Des Moines, IA, to receive an award for Naturally Well, INM’s (Institute for Natural Medicine) childhood nutritional education program as a leading nationwide initiative dedicated to youth well-being. This is INM’s first national honor.
The Harkin on Wellness Symposium is an annual event by the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement. The Harkin Institute exists to inform citizens, inspire creative cooperation, and catalyze change on issues of social justice, fairness and opportunity. It is based in Des Moines, at Drake University and was founded in 2013 by Senator Tom Harkin. Sen. Harkin was a U.S. Senator from 1985 to 2015 and has a legacy of success that includes such notable achievements as the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation on childhood nutrition and food access, health care access and reform, labor issues and education improvement. He is responsible for adding “and Prevention” to the name of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The day began with a fireside chat with Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, who emphasized the responsibility of schools in addressing the persistent mental stress experienced by students. He also discussed the rising challenge presented by loneliness in the U.S. for adults and adolescents. One American in two is dealing with some measure of loneliness. We know that loneliness increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent, increases the risk of stroke by 31 percent and the risk of dementia by 50 percent.
Further, he discussed the stark statistics of social isolation, our youth and the alarming statistics on social media. In his first term as Surgeon General in 2021, he issued an advisory on youth mental illness based on a rise of 57 percent in suicide rate among teens during the decade before the pandemic. Currently, half of high school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness. One in three high school girls have seriously considered taking their own lives, and between 60 and 70 percent say they are struggling with loneliness. To see a video of his presentation, visit
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjxtFm6wQnY.
Add in social media and things worsen. As a platform designed to maintain attention, social media excels. However, youth report feeling worse about themselves, left out of friendships, isolated and lonely.
The symposium brought together various stakeholders, including youth advocates, policymakers, education leaders, teachers and pediatricians. The aim was to explore evidence-based and innovative practices for promoting health and wellness in schools. It’s recognized that fostering habits that support both mental and physical health is crucial, especially in light of the challenges children are encountering in a post-COVID world.
I participated on a panel in the morning that addressed health care support for student well-being. Other panel members were:
• Larry Rosen, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
• Lauren Finke, The Kennedy Forum
• Kaitlyn Tollefson, American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM)
• LeMar Yeager, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Iowa
During my few minutes, I took the opportunity to highlight the strategy of educating graders as a vector of influence on families and communities. Children of that age are particularly ready to embrace new ideas and become champions of them. When the seatbelt campaign in the 1970s was targeted at children, influencing their parents to “click it or ticket” seatbelt adoption was rapid in the U.S. We do not always give children enough credit for their ability to understand and advocate for what they believe is important. Giving them information on making good diet and lifestyle choices and why is one of the most valuable educational tools we have to bend the trajectory of chronic disease in America. This education should be available to all kids. Naturally Well is just such a plug-and-play program to bring to schools, after-school program settings, summer programs, etc. We hope our new recognition will foster more partner organizations to embrace our curriculum.
The day’s keynote was provided by Dr. Kathy Ether, the director of the CDC Adolescent and School Health Division.
Addressing the national emergency in child and adolescent mental health requires effective solutions on a large scale. The symposium highlighted K-12 schooling as a pivotal avenue for promoting the well-being of children. Given that children spend significant time at school, implementing structured curricula with hands-on, collaborative and holistic components is essential for fostering better mental health and academic outcomes. Practices such as mindfulness, gardening and food preparation offer valuable learning opportunities.
INM’s Naturally Well was one of 12 exemplary programs identified across the nation that work to increase wellness among children. Our partner, EJE Academies Charter School, was honored for its exemplary leadership in promoting healthy lifestyle coursework. EJE incorporates Naturally Well into its 3rd- and 5th-grade curricula, serving as a model for K–12 wellness education. This is INM’s first national recognition.
INM, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to enhancing human health potential by advocating for whole person care enriched by nature’s medicine. The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement aims to inform citizens, inspire creative cooperation and drive change for social justice, fairness and opportunity.
Michelle Simon, PhD, ND President & CEO, Institute for Natural Medicine
In 1992, the leadership core of naturopathic doctors established the Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) as a not for profit organization dedicated to advancing natural medicine. The purpose of the INM is to increase awareness of, broaden public access to, and encourage research about natural medicine and therapies. Among its milestones the INM counts the launch of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) as an independent organization, leading California’s efforts to obtain licensure, developing an interactive childhood education program focused on healthy eating and lifestyles called Naturally Well in 2017, and expanding residency access by establishing and funding a residency program in 2018. INM has joined forces with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), serving as the charitable arm, to deepen access to naturopathic care, public education and research. Dr. Michelle Simon serves as president and CEO of INM, is a licensed naturopathic physician, clinician, educator and leader in many organizations dedicated to improving the quality and delivery of health care. In addition to holding a naturopathic doctorate from Bastyr University, she also holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Simon has served on the boards for the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC), the AANP and the Naturopathic Physicians Research Institute (NPRI). Dr. Simon also served nine years on the Washington State Health Technology Clinical Committee which is part of the Health Technology Assessment program that examines the scientific evidentiary basis for efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of health care technologies. She was also an invited participant for health care economics at “Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public” at the Institute for Medicine (IOM) in 2009. Dr. Simon was recognized as the 2018 Physician of the Year by the AANP. Twitter: #inaturemed Facebook: @INMWeAreNaturalMedicine
