YMCA Calls on Senate to Fund Community-Based Solutions to Address Childhood Obesity...

YMCA Calls on Senate to Fund Community-Based Solutions to Address Childhood
Obesity Crisis

WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Philip J. Dwyer, president and CEO of
the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, offered testimony before the U.S. Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee's Subcommittee on Children and
Families today to call for increased funds for community-based solutions, such
as those implemented at YMCAs across the nation, that will help reduce rates
of obesity among children.
Dwyer spoke on behalf of the more than 2,600 YMCAs, that -- for nearly 160
years -- have been dedicated to the health of youth and families in America.
Through Activate America -- the YMCA's response to the nation's health crisis
-- YMCAs are changing the way they work inside their facilities so that they
are more supportive of people who need help adopting and maintaining a
healthier lifestyle. The YMCA is moving outside of their walls to act as a
catalyst to improve community health.
"At the YMCA, our goal is to make the healthy choice, the easy choice for
individuals and families by ensuring that our communities have adequate
opportunities to engage in healthy behaviors where they live, work, learn and
play," said Dwyer. "Few organizations are in a better position than the YMCA
to support change in children and their families. We have the knowledge,
expertise, network and reach to succeed."
Dwyer noted the YMCA's long history of innovation in the area of health
and well-being and highlighted recent successes, from the YMCA's Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention-funded "healthier communities" initiatives
-- Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC), ACHIEVE and Steps to a Healthier US
-- that focus on collaborative engagement with community leaders, how
environments influence health and well-being, and the role public policy plays
in sustaining change. A total of 116 communities across the nation participate
in these initiatives and 20 new communities will be launched later this month.
Each year since 2004, a group of YMCA's have been selected through PHC to
convene community teams comprised of leadership from YMCAs and other community
sectors such as schools, hospitals, businesses, health-focused foundations,
faith communities, public health, health care purchasers, faith-based groups,
government and academic institutions. These teams explore creative and proven
strategies to transform their communities into healthier ones by increasing
opportunities for physical activity, healthy eating, preventing tobacco use,
and other strategies to prevent chronic disease.
Communities currently participating in PHC initiatives have had success in
influencing community walkability and pedestrian safety, access to fresh
fruits and vegetables, and physical education requirements in schools. For
example: the Central Connecticut Coast PHC team instituted "Friday is Fruit
Day" in Milford, a No Child Left Inside Coalition, walking pathways and trails
and walking school buses; a program at five Pittsburgh-area YMCAs made
high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables available to community members to
purchase at 40 percent market price; and, in Attleboro, Mass., they were able
to get the right partners to the table to collaborate on the creation of an
extensive city-wide trail system that would also connect to adjacent
communities allowing commuters an opportunity to engage in physical activity
and families an area for activity.
A recent study by the Trust for America's Health indicated that
investments in the types of interventions implemented at YMCAs and other
community-based organizations could ultimately save America $16 billion in
five years in health care costs.
"I don't believe that the YMCA can single-handedly improve health in
America," said Dwyer. "But I don't think health in America can be improved
without the YMCA. Our charitable mission calls us to support the healthy
development of children and youth and to help find ways to combat the
lifestyle health crisis."
To read the full testimony visit:
http://www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/press_room.html

The YMCA: A Long-Standing Commitment to Health of Spirit, Mind and Body
YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the nation's 2,686
YMCAs, which serve nearly 20.2 million people each year, including 9.4 million
children under the age of 18. Through a variety of programs and services
focused on the holistic development of children and youth, health and
well-being for all and family strengthening, YMCAs unite men, women and
children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From
urban areas to small towns, YMCAs have proudly served America's communities
for nearly 160 years by building healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Visit
http:/www.ymca.net to find your local YMCA.
Contact: Kelly Kennai
312-520-0080 (cell)

SOURCE YMCA

Kelly Kennai of YMCA, +1-312-520-0080 (cell)