AHA taps Providence for health-promotion effort

(Updated 11:50 a.m.) DALLAS – The American Heart Association has selected the Providence market as one of 15 around the nation to target health-promotion efforts at the community level using federal funds.
The AHA is one of three national organizations recently awarded a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Community Health to strengthen health promotion at the community level.
The association, in turn, has selected 15 markets around the country to implement local programs. These are designed to help reduce tobacco use and exposure, improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and improve access to chronic disease prevention, risk reduction, and management opportunities.
“All 15 markets were eligible to apply for up to $150,000 for a CDC Anchor Grant,” explained Michelle Karn, communications director for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Karn said that communities received “varying amounts based on need and focus areas within each market.”
“The volunteers and staff of the American Heart Association look forward to working within each of these 15 communities to help develop effective population health approaches to prevent chronic disease and reduce health disparities,” said Nancy Brown, association CEO. “We are proud to be a part of this initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we’re committed to doing all we can to advance healthy lifestyles and build a strong base for evidence-based prevention programming.”
In Providence, the focus areas include nutrition and physical activity, which will also be the focus in Kanawha County, W.Va.; and in Fox Valley, South-Central and Central, Wis.
Other markets and focus areas include: nutrition in Hartford, Conn; Howard, Anne Arundel and Prince George Counties, Md.; Bismarck/ Mandan, ND; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Southern Chester County, Penn.; Memphis/ Shelby County, Tenn.; San Antonio, Texas; and Hampton Roads, Va.
Beaverton, Ore., will focus on physical activity while a smoke-free focus will be applied in Incline Village/ Washoe County, Nev.; Central Texas; and in Houston and Fort Bend County, Texas.
The programs are part of the association’s mission to transform the way Americans eat, live and play while curbing the prevalence of disease. The organization is working to improve the overall cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent by 2020 while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent over the next decade.

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