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Obesity Discussion · 10-14-06, 12:59 PM

Historic Minority Health Summit Launches Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities Initiative
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News
Article Date: 17 Jul 2006 - 15:00pm (PDT)

Four key congressional leaders, along with top health care and business officials have created an agenda that will focus on community health education and obesity prevention for Southern California minority communities. This plan was created from meetings at a historic health summit of top thought-leaders, entitled Empowering Local Community, Informing National Policy Makers: A New Agenda to Address Health Disparities Conference in Los Angeles on Friday, July 7th.

One key takeaway was the creation of "Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities;" a unique initiative created to attack obesity in minority and other underserved communities in Los Angeles through culturally-competent means, including a series of community education/wellness events and efforts to increase the access of minority communities to environments that promote healthy eating and physical activity. Conference participants quickly came to the consensus that education must be tailored by the demographic of the community. Healthy diets must incorporate traditional recipes, and habitual behaviors must be critically discussed, dissected, and changed.

The initiative to engage Southern California communities in health and fitness awareness will also focus closely on the infrastructure of minority and other underserved communities, as conference participants made it clear that a healthy community must be formed holistically. Parks and recreational areas must be renovated and kept safe, while options for the purchase of healthy foods and fresh produce must be greatly increased.

"If you ride through Brentwood, you see that the entire community is designed to facilitate healthy living. It's a much different story if I drive through South Los Angeles," said Daron Watts, CPMH President and a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP. "This is an innovative model to attack obesity and educate minorities about health through culturally-competent means. We're hoping that with the help of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, we can take this plan and apply it to other cities like Chicago, Houston and Detroit."

The Coalition to Promote Minority Health, AltaMed Health Services, Community Health Councils, El Proyecto del Barrio, and Ovations/United Health, in collaboration with Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, formed a working group with the initiative consisting of representatives from their respective organizations as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente, City of Hope Medical Center, L.A. Care Health Plan, the Los Angeles YMCA, local church groups such as Faithful Central Bible Church, and industry leaders such as Del Monte Foods, Herbalife International, Pitney Bowes, and Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. The group will meet to further the blue print of the initiative in August.

"The conference was a call to action by policymakers and local health providers to work together to find ways to end racial and ethnic health disparities," said Congresswoman Solis. "I am hopeful we can continue to work together to create healthy environments, improve education and increase political empowerment for all communities. I am very grateful to CPMH, Community Health Councils, Inc., El Proyecto del Barrio, AltaMed Health Services, and Ovations/United Health for hosting this important event in my hometown of Los Angeles."

"This forum produced the necessary blueprint on how to improve the quality of health care in communities of color. It is important that we look at long- term strategies and solutions to adequately address disparities that exist in our communities," said Corinne Sanchez, president and CEO of El Proyecto del Barrio. "We want to empower families to take control of their own lives by being proactive about ways to improve their own health through a change in lifestyle."

Castulo de la Rocha, JD, President and CEO of AltaMed Health Services Corporation said "AltaMed commends the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in bringing this forum together to discuss innovative health and mental health care models that reduce health disparities in underserved multicultural communities."

The Coalition to Promote Minority Health

10-14-06, 12:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Obesity Discussion Administrator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,815 Weight Statistics 8/1/2006 Start Date: 185 lb Start Weight: 152 lb Current Weight: 155 lb Goal Weight: -33 lb Weight Loss: 5/1/2007 Goal Date:	Historic Minority Health Summit Launches Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities Historic Minority Health Summit Launches Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities Initiative Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News Article Date: 17 Jul 2006 - 15:00pm (PDT) Four key congressional leaders, along with top health care and business officials have created an agenda that will focus on community health education and obesity prevention for Southern California minority communities. This plan was created from meetings at a historic health summit of top thought-leaders, entitled Empowering Local Community, Informing National Policy Makers: A New Agenda to Address Health Disparities Conference in Los Angeles on Friday, July 7th. One key takeaway was the creation of "Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities;" a unique initiative created to attack obesity in minority and other underserved communities in Los Angeles through culturally-competent means, including a series of community education/wellness events and efforts to increase the access of minority communities to environments that promote healthy eating and physical activity. Conference participants quickly came to the consensus that education must be tailored by the demographic of the community. Healthy diets must incorporate traditional recipes, and habitual behaviors must be critically discussed, dissected, and changed. The initiative to engage Southern California communities in health and fitness awareness will also focus closely on the infrastructure of minority and other underserved communities, as conference participants made it clear that a healthy community must be formed holistically. Parks and recreational areas must be renovated and kept safe, while options for the purchase of healthy foods and fresh produce must be greatly increased. "If you ride through Brentwood, you see that the entire community is designed to facilitate healthy living. It's a much different story if I drive through South Los Angeles," said Daron Watts, CPMH President and a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP. "This is an innovative model to attack obesity and educate minorities about health through culturally-competent means. We're hoping that with the help of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, we can take this plan and apply it to other cities like Chicago, Houston and Detroit." The Coalition to Promote Minority Health, AltaMed Health Services, Community Health Councils, El Proyecto del Barrio, and Ovations/United Health, in collaboration with Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, formed a working group with the initiative consisting of representatives from their respective organizations as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente, City of Hope Medical Center, L.A. Care Health Plan, the Los Angeles YMCA, local church groups such as Faithful Central Bible Church, and industry leaders such as Del Monte Foods, Herbalife International, Pitney Bowes, and Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. The group will meet to further the blue print of the initiative in August. "The conference was a call to action by policymakers and local health providers to work together to find ways to end racial and ethnic health disparities," said Congresswoman Solis. "I am hopeful we can continue to work together to create healthy environments, improve education and increase political empowerment for all communities. I am very grateful to CPMH, Community Health Councils, Inc., El Proyecto del Barrio, AltaMed Health Services, and Ovations/United Health for hosting this important event in my hometown of Los Angeles." "This forum produced the necessary blueprint on how to improve the quality of health care in communities of color. It is important that we look at long- term strategies and solutions to adequately address disparities that exist in our communities," said Corinne Sanchez, president and CEO of El Proyecto del Barrio. "We want to empower families to take control of their own lives by being proactive about ways to improve their own health through a change in lifestyle." Castulo de la Rocha, JD, President and CEO of AltaMed Health Services Corporation said "AltaMed commends the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in bringing this forum together to discuss innovative health and mental health care models that reduce health disparities in underserved multicultural communities." The Coalition to Promote Minority Health __________________