Only Two Weeks Left to Nominate Leaders for the 2008 NC Prevention Partners' Awards for Prevention & Health Excellence!

Each year, NCPP recognizes organizations and individuals that demonstrate a passion for prevention to improve the health of their community, workplace, school or home. NCPP is now accepting nominations for prevention excellence by an individual or group in several areas. Nominations are due by April 30, 2008 and awards will be given at NCPP’s 10th Annual Meeting in June. Download nomination forms now! For more information, contact Elina Urli Hodges at 919.969.7022, ext. 201. See a list of previous award winners here.

NCPP's Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony
Keynote Speaker:
Jim Goodmon, President & CEO, Capitol Broadcasting Co.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Save the Date! NC Prevention Partners’ Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 3 at the Carolina Club (UNC Alumni Club) in Chapel Hill. Our keynote address will be given by Jim Goodmon, President & CEO of Capitorl Broadcasting Company (pictured, right). Event highlights include recognition of this year's NC Prevention Award winners; and a celebration of the many prevention successes of the past 10 years.

If you’d like to sponsor NCPP’s annual meeting,
please contact Beverly Biggs, Director of Development (919.969.7022, ext. 206).

Spring NC Prevention Institute - Wilmington

NC Prevention Partners hosted its latest Prevention Institute in Wilmington on March 30-31, 2008. More than 100 representatives from business, hospital, public health, school and advocacy groups across the state gathered to learn about preventing chronic illness associated with tobacco use, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. For the first time at its institute, NCPP trained school staff to use its Zone Health Obesity Prevention Program. See keynote presentations, the agenda and photographs of the event.

Generous support for the Prevention Institute came from:
▪ NC Comprehensive Cancer Program – Diamond support for the Hospital Track
▪ The Duke Endowment – the Healthy Hospital Initiative
▪ GlaxoSmithKline Community Partnerships – School Track
▪ PPD Pharmaco – Breakfast Sponsor

Dates, agenda & registration for the next Western NC Prevention Institute (Asheville, Fall 2008) and Eastern NC Prevention Institute (Wilmington, Spring 2009) will be available soon at the Institute website.

Photo (right): At the Spring Prevention Institute, Mary Piepenbring of The Duke Endowment (left) honored approximately 30 eastern NC hospitals for going tobacco-free. Also pictured, from left: Ginger Scott (Columbus Regional Healthcare System), India Foy (Chowan Hospital), Keith Strawn (New Hanover Regional Medical Center), Tyree Walker (University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina) and David Sumner (Southeastern Regional Medical Center).

NCPP launches website for brokers

NCPP has created a web resource for health insurance underwriters, brokers and others to help their employer groups reduce health care costs. The website compiles information about how unhealthy behavior increases costs for employers, and recommends specific ways to work with NCPP to reduce health costs. Log on now to www.ncpreventionpartners.org/brokers!

Building up schools' capacity to slim down:
State Board of Education partners with NCPP to reduce childhood obesity

North Carolina has the fifth worst youth obesity rates in the nation. To address growing rates of overweight and obesity among North Carolina youth, on March 8, the State Board of Education issued a resolution for the Board, the Department of Public Instruction, and local schools to partner with NCPP to establish models for reducing childhood obesity. Read the media release online. NCPP’s Zone Health School Obesity Prevention Program is made possible with generous support from GlaxoSmithKline. Photo (left): State Superintendent Dr. June Atkinson, Globally Competitive Students Committee Chair Kathy Taft, and NCPP Executive Director Meg Molloy.

Moving forward on N.C. DOT Wellness Initiative

Last month, the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT), the North Carolina State Health Plan and NCPP announced a new and innovative employee wellness program with a generous $1.5 million charitable gift from AstraZeneca, LP. On March 12, these groups held the inaugural meetings for committees that will oversee and evaluate the progress on this important wellness initiative. State Health Plan Executive Administrator George C. Stokes welcomed everyone and Dan DeVane, Chief Deputy Secretary for the DOT, offered remarks. Representatives from all participating groups – including the DOT, State Health Plan, NCPP, AstraZeneca, and Health Dialog – were in attendance.

(Photo, right: George Stokes kicks off the DOT wellness meeting)

Keep up with the latest news from NC Prevention Partners!

To read the latest news about NC Prevention Partners, log on to www.ncpreventionpartners.org/news. If you'd like to sign up to receive NCPP's media releases, please contact Andrew Tucker, (919-969-7022, ext. 203).

***PLEASE NOTE: As of April 14, NCPP staff will have new phone extensions. The main number will remain the same (919-969-7022). For the new contact information, click here.

FOCUS ON PREVENTION

Call to Action - Increasing Calls to the N.C. Quitline

NCPP Holds Third Health Plan Prevention Roundtable

There are 1.5 million adult smokers in North Carolina. Quitting smoking is the single most important thing a smoker can do to improve their health, and most smokers want to quit. Counseling and medicine double a smoker’s chance of quitting successfully. North Carolina operates a free quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800 784-8669) with counseling and information about quitting medications. Yet, on an average day, fewer than 10 people call the N.C. Quitline.

N.C.’s private and public plans met on February 21st for NC Prevention Partners’ third annual Health Plan Prevention Roundtable to discuss tobacco cessation benefits for employers and individuals, and to explore ways to increase use of the NC Quitline managed by the State’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch with resources provided by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Representatives from Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, Cigna, FirstCarolinaCare, the NC State Health Plan, United Healthcare, Wellpath, and the NC Division of Medical Assistance shared information about their own tobacco cessation benefits. The group brainstormed ways to increase communication with providers and employer groups about the Quitline. Two plans shared their experience in using the new American Medical Association CPT codes to pay providers to help patients quit smoking.

A special thanks to Ken Lewis, CEO of FirstCarolinaCare for helping to plan the event and Dr. Genie Komives (pictured, right), Senior Medical Director of BCBSNC for facilitating.

The Health Plan Roundtable was generously supported by:
 AstraZeneca
 Novartis Consumer Health
 Sanofi Aventis
 Schering Plough

For more information about NCPP's tobacco cessation events, please contact Georgia Alwon-Mount.

State Legislature Short Session Convenes on May 13

NC health policy advocates are gearing up for the 2008 short session of the state legislature which convenes on Tuesday, May 13th and ends its session in July. NC Prevention Partners is working closely with its advocacy partner, the NC Alliance for Health, to finalize the policy priorities for the session.

In the area of obesity prevention, the NC Alliance for Health will propose a bill to the Joint Education Oversight subcommittee that will define quality physical education in North Carolina’s basic education plan for grades K-12. In addition to defining physical education in statute, the bill will help N.C. schools collect basic weight information of N.C. school children. We encourage individuals and organizations to sign the Alliance’s online resolution in support of defining quality physical education in NC’s basic education plan.The Alliance is also considering several potential secondhand smoke policy priorities for the short session.

FDA Tobacco Regulation Bills Pass Congressional Committees

In the U.S. Congress, bills (H.R. 1108, S. 625) granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products have passed both House and Senate committees.  The bills will now be scheduled for floor votes in both houses.  NC Prevention Partners would like to thank Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-01) for voting for the legislation in committee and Representative David E. Price (D-04) for co-sponsoring the House version of the bill.  NCPP urges the North Carolina congressional delegation to vote in favor of this important legislation.

Fore more information on N.C. state and federal legislation being tracked, including bills related to worksite wellness, childhood obesity, and preventive healthcare, please visit our Prevention Policy Resource Center at www.ncpreventionpartners.org/policy.

To join NCPP’s Prevention Policy Network of individuals interested in staying up to date on prevention legislation on the state and federal levels, please contact Elina Urli Hodges at elina@ncpreventionpartners.org or 919-969-7022, ext. 201.

MAKING IT POSSIBLE

NCPP Receives Corporate Contribution from RTI International

NC Prevention Partners has received a generous, unrestricted corporate contribution from Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International to support priority mission-related initiatives. Each year, RTI contributes to community organizations in the U.S. and abroad to extend their mission of improving the human condition. RTI International is one of the world's leading research institutes that works with governments and businesses worldwide in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, democratic governance, economic and social development, energy, and the environment. RTI maintains corporate headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and has offices throughout the U.S. and the world.

Photo: Dan Ahlport (RTI), Meg Molloy & Beverly Biggs (NCPP), Rob Hubal (RTI)

PreventionWorks
Andrew Tucker, Editor

NCPP Staff

Meg Molloy, DrPH, MPH, RD, Executive Director
Georgia Alwon-Mount, Marketing and Program Assistant
Beverly Biggs, Director of Development
Anne Butzen, MPH, Manager, Healthy Food in Hospitals
Karen Clark, MD, MHA, Health Promotion Manager
Whitney Davis, MPH, Report Card Consultant
Kim Forrest, Finance Director
Julie Knaack, MPH, RD, Nutrition Consultant
Kristy Lowther, Program and IT Manager
Melva Fager Okun, DrPH, Healthy Hospital Initiative Manager
Nicholas Sullivan, Program Assistant, Healthy Foods in Hospitals
Andrew Tucker, Director, Marketing & Communications
Elina Urli Hodges, Policy and Event Manager