July/August 2010 

Deadline July 12 to Vote for Ohio Hospital in National Grant Contest

Healthy Worksite Award Application Now Available

July 19 Deadline for HHS Health Care Workforce Grants

Register for Ohio Employee Health and Wellness Conference

Healthier Food Results from Limit on Trans Fat

Results Inconclusive for Companies Offering Financial Incentives for Employee Weight Loss

Obesity in Pregnancy Puts Mother, Baby at Risk

Sign-Up for ‘Walk with a Doc’ Program, Newsletter

New Media Offerings Ways for Patients and Communities to Get Healthy

Ohio 13^th Fattest State in U.S.

Hospital Highlights – Health and Wellness Ideas Worth Sharing

Deadline July 12 to Vote for Ohio Hospital in National Grant Contest
Mary Rutan Hospital, Bellefontaine, was named a top 10 finalist nationwide for the Post Cereal Health and Wellness Grant. The grant recipient is selected based on electronic votes. People are allowed one vote per day until July 12. The grant application was submitted for the Power-Up 4 Fitness Program and is valued at $25,000. Power Up 4-Fitness provides education, resources and activities to make proper choices for healthy lifestyles in fighting childhood obesity. To vote, visit Post Cereal’s Web site. The winner will be announced July 22. 

Healthy Worksite Award Application Now Available
The 2010 Healthy Ohio Worksite Award application is available until Oct. 12. This award recognizes Ohio employers that demonstrate a commitment to employee health by incorporating worksite health promotion and wellness programs. It acknowledges efforts to facilitate and encourage employee health, enhance productivity and ensure a healthy work environment. All worksites, regardless of size, public, private, for-profit or non-profit status are encouraged to apply. To view the 2009 award winners, including several Ohio hospitals, visit the Ohio Department of Health's Web site. For more information about the award program contact Debra Smith at 614.644.8492 or debra.smith@odh.ohio.gov.  

July 19 Deadline for HHS Health Care Workforce Grants

Healthcare Development Workforce Grants are now available for states to plan and implement health care workforce development strategies at the state and local levels. Grant applicants will be expected to address how the activities will lead to the expected increases in health workforce. The grants can only be made to eligible state partnerships. Applications are due by July 19 and the program will provide funding for fiscal year 2010.

Register for Ohio Employee Health and Wellness Conference
The fifth annual Ohio Employee Health and Wellness Conference will be held Sept. 22 at the Columbus Marriott Airport Hotel. The purpose of the conference is to help motivate and sustain a healthy and productive work environment. It will feature best practices in employee health promotion, viable strategies for creating a healthier organization and best practices of Ohio’s healthiest organizations. A complete agenda will be posted online by July 15.  Registration and more information is available online. 

Healthier Food Results from Limit on Trans Fat
Most food manufacturers and restaurants did not swap one bad ingredient for another when they trimmed trans fat from products and menus, results published in the New England Journal of Medicine found. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Harvard researcher, and consumer advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest examined 83 foods that had a makeover since 2006 when the government required food labels to list the amount of trans fat in packaged products. Nearly all foods analyzed were free or mostly free of trans fat and many companies and restaurants did not spike saturated fat content when they cut trans fat.  View a Cleveland Plain Dealer article.

Results Inconclusive for Companies Offering Financial Incentives for Employee Weight Loss
At least one-third of U.S. companies offer or are planning to offer financial incentives to get employees to lose weight or get healthier in other ways. OhioHealth, Columbus, began a program that paid employees up to $500 a year to wear a pedometer and walk more. However, only 10 to 15 studies have tried to evaluate the effect of whether these measures worked beyond a few months. None made conclusions about how much money it takes to make a long-term difference for most people. View a News-Herald article.

Obesity in Pregnancy Puts Mother, Baby at Risk
Approximately one in five women is obese when they become pregnant, according to researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical evidence suggest obesity may be contributing to record-high rates of cesarean sections and leading to more birth defects and deaths for mothers and babies. Babies born to obese women are nearly three times more likely to die within the first month of birth than those born to women of a normal weight, and obese women are almost twice as likely to have a stillbirth. Obese women are also more likely to have high blood pressure, hemorrhage, blood clots and strokes during pregnancy and childbirth. View a Columbus Dispatch article. 

Sign-Up for ‘Walk with a Doc’ Program, Newsletter
Just Walk is a free, non-profit program for those interested in taking steps for health. Physicians, specialists and health care professionals from various communities provide support and answer questions with the program Walk with a Doc. For more information on walks in various communities throughout central and northeast Ohio, view Just Walk’s Web site or sign up online to receive an online newsletter with health tips and program information. 

New Media Offerings Ways for Patients and Communities to Get Healthy
Humana Inc. developed the first of many iPhone game applications aimed at promoting healthier living. Colorfall is a game application, that allows users to test cognitive and physical fitness. Users have to arrange cascading colored tokens in the order of the colors of a rainbow. More healthy living gaming applications are in the development process and planned to be released in the future. View a Cincinnati Business Courier article.

In addition, Facebook.com came up with a concept to challenge people to engage in specific healthy activities. The latest Facebook.com application is HealthSeeker, a game that promotes healthy lifestyles to prevent diabetes. HealthSeeker has 15 missions that involve healthy activities, such as eating more veggies, avoiding sugar and exercising.  

Ohio Ranked 13^th Fattest State in U.S.

Ohio ranks the 13^th fattest state in the country, according to the report "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future" released by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. While Ohio ranked 10^th last year, the state’s new ranking is not due to the state being healthier—the three states that passed Ohio this year have just gotten fatter. Ohio’s adult obesity rate is 29 percent, and its minority population obesity rates are worse—32.5 percent of the Latino population and 40.9 percent of the African American population are considered obese. For a full breakdown, view the comparison chart.

Hospital Highlights – Health and Wellness Ideas Worth Sharing

Holzer Medical Center – Jackson’s Wellness Wagon will be at the County Fair in Wellston July 19-25 for a variety of health screenings. Screening hours will be posted daily. For more information, call 740.395.8500.

Grand Lake Health System, St. Marys, is sponsoring the 2010 Women’s Walk for Wellness event on Saturday, July 24 at 8:15 a.m.  The event is a 3.1 mile course. Registration is $10. To register, contact Anne Larger at 419.394.3335 ext. 1128.   

South Pointe Hospital, Cleveland, is providing easy access to quality resources at the Market Place at Summit Plaza in Northfield Center. South Pointe Hospital’s Wellness Center provides community members with open access to health and wellness information. In July, South Pointe is offering free blood pressure screenings every Friday from 4-5 p.m. On July 11, stop by between noon and 3 p.m. for a free Healthy Heart screening for cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. A Zumba demonstration is scheduled for July 16 at 1 p.m. For a calendar of programs and screenings offered in July, visit www.southpointehospital.org.

Licking Memorial Health Systems, Newark, is hosting a free educational program focusing on weight-loss, healthy eating and exercise July 22 at 6 p.m. The program will focus on the health benefits of losing weight, along with fitness suggestions and ways to maintain a healthy diet. There is no charge but registration is required. To register, call 740.348.2527.

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Want to Know More About the Foundation?

Visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.healthycommunitiesohio.org to learn more about grants, partnership opportunities and more. Contact Mary Yost at 614.221.7614 for more information.

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The Foundation for Healthy Communities of the Ohio Hospital Association