For Immediate  Release	Contact: Tiffany Himmelreich
April 25, 2003	614-221-7614
	tiffanyh@ohanet.org

Hospitals Sponsor Prevention Programs for

Special Populations

COLUMBUS – The Foundation for Healthy Communities of the Ohio Hospital Association, awarded grants totaling $50,745 to four hospitals committed to increasing physical activity and reducing sexually transmitted diseases (SDTs) among special populations. The foundation generally supports community heath projects which promote healthy lifestyles and address societal issues.

“Our foundation is particularly excited about these projects because they address youth and adults who are vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease or who are at risk for the negative impact of not exercising regularly and eating healthy. When the economy is in decline, educational programs for the economically and socially disadvantaged tend to get cut. The foundation is pleased to fill some of those gaps,” said Lynne Ayres, director of the foundation.      

The four grants totaling $50,745 were awarded to the following hospitals:

• The Cleveland Clinic Foundation received $12,500 for a project to increase the number of individuals tested for HIV/AIDS and decrease the incidence of STDs, especially in the African American population.

• The Mercy Foundation in Springfield was awarded $8,145 for CATS, the Concerned About Teen Sexuality program, to enable 25-30 high school students to deliver abstinence messages to local middle and high school students.

• Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton was awarded $15,100 for Mahogany’s Child, an African American women’s health program to promote physical activity and weight loss and decrease diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• University Hospital of Cleveland received $15,000 for the Youth Health Initiative, a three-week summer camp targeting overweight African American children aged 9-12 to promote healthy eating and exercise habits in addition to human sexuality classes emphasizing STD prevention.

All four programs are in line with the foundation’s current grant focus of supporting hospitals in their efforts to encourage individuals to take greater accountability for their health and practice healthy lifestyles. In 2003, the foundation is seeking projects that increase physical activity and decrease the incidence of STDs.

The Foundation for Healthy Communities was created and endowed by Ohio hospitals in 1994 to promote creative collaborations for better health and improve community health status. The 94 projects the foundation has funded so far for nearly $1 million dollars have provided community health needs assessments, smoking cessation and prevention, mobile and community health clinics and child immunizations and other health improvement programs.

The foundation solicits project initiatives twice a year with grants awarded in the spring and fall. In addition to its 2003 focus area of promoting healthy lifestyles, applicants are encouraged to submit projects directed at any public health need which is collaborative, creative approaches toward improving health status through measurable results.  The next opportunity to apply for a general grant from the foundation will be summer 2003. Check the foundation’s Web site at www.ohanet.org/healthycommunities for details.

The foundation is a charitable arm of the Ohio Hospital Association. OHA represents more than 170 hospitals and 40 health systems with more than 200,000 employees throughout Ohio. OHA’s mission is to provide leadership. OHA works with members in meeting the health care needs and improving the health status of the communities they serve. 

###