Healthy Avondale Partnership Launched
October 15
Avondale Mayor Ron Drake today announced the launch of the Healthy Avondale Partnership, formed as part of a program to target cardiovascular disease in the Avondale community, particularly the Hispanic community which comprises 46 percent of Avondale residents.
The partnership includes the City of Avondale's Healthy Avondale 2010 initiative, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Sun Health, a non-profit health care provider, and the American Hearn Association's Halle Heart Center (H4HC). The partnership will undertake several projects with the purpose of helping Avondale residents improve their health. These programs are sponsored by the Chronic Disease Program of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). The partnership is one of nine initiatives selected for funding throughout the state. Below are the main initiatives that this partnership will undertake:
TGen Survey
Beginning this Fall, TGen will conduct a door-to-door health
survey among residents of Avondale. This information will be used
to make recommendations about how best to address the risk of
chronic disease.
"TGen is committed to improving the health of Avondale community members," said Dr. Johanna K. Wolford, who is leading the health survey. "The information collected will be cmucial for developing culturally sensitive intervention strategies to lower risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity."
Dr. Wolford said that the interviewers will be carrying identification, and will be wearing a TGen polo shirt and khaki slacks.
FitStart/FitSource
Under the grant partnership, Sun Health Community Education and
Wellness will administer the FitStart and FitSource programs in
Avondale. FitStart is designed for children 10 to 14 years old to
improve nutrition and fitness levels among children. Children
participating in the program will learn an effective approach to
healthy lifestyle management and receive instruction in nutrition
and exercise.
The FitSource program is aimed at adults previously identified as being at high risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The program will emphasize methods for increasing daily activity and improving body-movement exercise techniques and nutritional considerations. The grant partnership will have the ability to transform how pre-diabetes is targeted, managed and reduced through healthy lifestyle changes among program participants in Avondale. Sun Health Community Education and Wellness is part of the local, non-profit Sun Health healthcare network of services in the West Valley, which include Boswell and Del E. Webb Memorial Hospitals.
Halle Heart Center Tours
The American Heart Association's Halle Heart Center (HHC) will
provide educational information on cardiovascular disease and
stroke through community outreach and to schools. Fifth graders
throughout Avondale will be invited to tour the Halle Heart Center
museum. The HHC will also play a key role in the Healthy Avondale
Weilness Symposium planned for April 2005.
In 2002, Proposition 3030 increased state tax on tobacco products; and it repealed and reenacted Proposition 204 statute that established the Tobacco Tax and Health Care Fund - Health Education Account. As a voter approved initiative, a portion of the tobacco tax revenue (2%) is directed to prevention and the early detection of the four leading disease-related causes of death (as periodically determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or its successor agency.) Initially, the Arizona Department of Health Services' Chronic Disease Program will address the following chronic diseases: heart disease, cancer, pulmonary disease, and stroke, based on 2002 vital statistics data.
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a
not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to make and
translate genomic discoveries into advances in human health.
Translational genomics research is a relatively new field employing
innovative advances arising from the human Genome Project to apply
to the development of diagnostics, prognostics and therapies for
cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and other complex
diseases.
About Sun Health
Sun Health is a non-profit healthcare organization that exists to
serve all ages with excellence in medical care, wellness programs,
research and education. To find out more about Sun Health visit www.sunheatlh.org.
About Halle Heart Center
The American Heart Association's Halle Heart Center (HHC) will
provide educational information on cardiovascular disease and
stroke through community outreach and to schools. Fifth graders
throughout Avondale will be invited to tour the Halle Heart Center
museum. The HHC will also play a key role in the Healthy Avondale
Wellness Symposium planned for April 2005. To find out more about
the American Heart Association or the HHC, visit the website at www.americanheart.org/halleheartcenter.
For more information on these programs or the Healthy Avondale 2010 initiative, please contact Arminda Cockett, Healthy Avondale Community Health Liaison at (623) 478-3060 or log on to the Healthy Avondale 2010 website at www.healthyavondale.com.
