NHPS Receives "Weight of the Nation" Award
Wilmington, Delaware
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 12:00 AM EDT
by: Karen Bengston, Public Relations Manager
Nemours Health and Prevention Services Receives CDC “Weight of the Nation” Award For Innovative Obesity Prevention and Control Initiatives
At its inaugural “Weight of the Nation” Conference, July 27-29, in Washington, DC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) honored Nemours Health & Prevention Services of Newark, DE as one of eight national organizations at the forefront of advancing policies and environmental strategies to prevent and control obesity.
Nemours earned the Pioneering Innovation award on the basis of its work to improve the health and well-being of children through an integrated system that includes community-based prevention and medical care. In addressing the social determinants of children’s health, Nemours employs a population-level approach to implement child health policy and practice changes in the places where children live, learn, and play. Through statewide work in schools, child care, primary care, youth-serving organizations, and the built environment, Nemours has reached more than 100,000 Delaware children with its healthy behavior change initiatives.
In presenting the awards, Dr. William H. Dietz, Director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said: “We are excited about the commitment each group has made to programs and policies that are sustainable, cost-efficient, and results-oriented. There is much focus on what individuals can do to improve their health, and while that is important, we must remember that our nation’s health is also strongly affected by population-level changes that result from the collective efforts of all sectors of society."
Accepting the award, Debbie Chang, MPH, Nemours Vice President, Policy and Prevention, said: “It’s an honor to receive this recognition. Fighting obesity is tough work that takes a village. Our successes in Delaware could not have happened without the dedication of our community partners who serve children and families. We have evidence that our ‘surround sound’ approach of reaching children ‘around the clock,’ in all the places they spend time—child care, schools, health care, and communities—is making a difference in Delaware. We believe we’re the little state that can have the healthiest kids in the nation.”
The other Pioneering Innovation awardees that have worked successfully to influence environmental, economic, social, and cultural shifts toward obesity prevention and control include: Alliance for a Healthier Generation – American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation; Baptist Health South Florida; the Center for Science in the Public Interest; Kaiser Permanente; Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative; Navajo Nation, and Produce for Better Health Foundation.
Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS), based in Newark, Delaware, works with families and communities to help children grow up healthy. A division of Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, NHPS expands the organization’s reach beyond clinical care to consider the health of the whole child within his or her family and community. NHPS sees its role as one of catalyst, “planting the seeds for better health” by working with community partners to reach children where they live, learn and play. With its initial area of emphasis – childhood obesity prevention – the goal is to impact long-term changes in policies and practices that promote healthy lifestyles and lead to better health outcomes. Online at www.GrowUpHealthy.org
modified: Friday, July 31, 2009 @ 04:11 PM EDT
created: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 09:49 AM EDT
