LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS NUHEALTH FOUNDATION $50,000 FOR ROOSEVELT CHILDHOOD OBESITY INITIATIVE

Funding will support an innovative NuHealth collaborative, supported by Hofstra University, which will deliver improved care and education, aimed at reducing childhood obesity and its co-morbidities

EAST MEADOW, NY…Joined by Roosevelt School District officials, PTA leaders, local elected officials and Roosevelt community representatives, David Okorn, executive director of the LI Community Foundation, today presented Deidra Parrish Williams, executive director of the NuHealth Foundation, a $50,000 grant to help support a childhood obesity initiative for middle school students in the Roosevelt Union Free School District.

In 2010, in partnership with the school district, NuHealth conducted a study of 6th and 8th grade students in Roosevelt to assess body mass index and the prevalence of overweight and obese children. The results of the study, which was funded by the Foundation for Innovations in Medical Education, showed that 44% of the students were overweight or obese, much higher than the national average.

“As a safety net health system, NuHealth has an obligation to care for our most at-risk communities and that means being responsive to their changing needs. We are grateful and proud to have the support of LI Community Foundation to help us confront a very serious issue among our young people,” said Deidra Parrish Williams.

In presenting the $50,000 grant to the NuHealth Foundation, David Okorn said, “We are very proud to support this initiative. It is a wonderful opportunity for the LI Community Foundation to help a community in need.”

Nationwide health care providers are seeing childhood obesity increase a child’s risk of developing other very serious conditions such as high blood pressure, type-one diabetes and social stigmas. We can do a better job in helping them. “By targeting children at risk and giving them the tools for weight management -- access to a primary care provider, healthier nutrition and fitness--, we could potentially change the lives of middle school students, helping them learn a new way of life with regard to good nutrition and exercise,” noted  David Fagan, MD, acting chair of pediatrics at NUMC.

The NuHealth initiative will include enhanced diet, fitness and nutrition education for parents, faculty and students, health fairs, and improved health care monitoring, ongoing support, implemented by trained community health workers and Hofstra students.

Roosevelt Schools Superintendent, Robert Harris expressed his gratitude: “We are deeply appreciative for this collaboration and will ensure that it is a primary focus in our schools”

Photo left to right: NuHealth Foundation accepts $50,000 check to combat childhood obesity at Roosevelt Middle School

Dr. David Fagan, acting chairman, NuHealth Pediatrics
Dr. Mark Jacobson, Director Lipid Disorders, NuHealth Pediatrics
Dr. Robert Tucker, Principal, Roosevelt Middle School
Deidra Parrish Williams, Executive Director, NuHealth Foundation
David Okorn, Executive Director, Long Island Community Foundation

ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.