PreventionWorksPreventionWorksNC PREVENTION PARTNERS IN THE NEWS
NC Prevention Partners kicks off its Prevention 2020 Partnership Strong executive leadership. After funders finalize targeted prevention issues, NCPP will assemble key health, policy, media and other leaders in the state to determine the plan of action. The 2020 Partnership will widely communicate the agreed upon goals to draw increased attention, leadership and resources to the priority areas.
Strategic communications planning. Working with our media partners, the 2020 Partnership will widely communicate priority goals and progress (or lack of progress) to schools, government, employers, When the initial priority issues get an ‘A,’ the 2020 Partnership will identify new goals, and the process will begin again. Stay tuned for more about NC Prevention Partners’ groundbreaking prevention initiative!
Learn how to improve the health and productivity of your business, hospital, school or community and reduce health care costs. Register today for our next Prevention Institute, October 14-15, Asheville
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
See the event flyer and check www.ncpreventionpartners.org/institute for more details as they become available. Registration for the event and a final agenda are available now. For more information, please contact Katie Weber, Executive Office Assistant at (919) 969-7022, ext. 201, or email katie@ncpreventionpartners.org NC Prevention Partners Names Three Health Policy Experts to its Board of Directors Dr. David F. Boerner, Medical Director of UnitedHealthcare of the Carolinas; William A. Pully, President of the NC Hospital Association; and Marci Wilding, Director of Government Affairs for the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees have joined the board effective July 1, 2008. NCPP is a statewide leader in reducing preventable illness and early death from tobacco use, physical inactivity, poor nutrition and obesity. See NCPP’s full Board of Directors online. “We are pleased and honored to announce our newest board members,” said NCPP Executive Director Dr. Meg Molloy. “Our board has unparalleled depth of experience and dedication to promoting proven prevention strategies that are critical to improving the health of all North Carolinians.”
NCPP Celebrates 10 Years of Improving Health and Honors NC Prevention and Health Leaders On June 3, NC Prevention Partners (NCPP) and statewide health leaders joined together to celebrate NCPP’s 10th Annual Meeting and to honor North Carolina individuals and organizations dedicated to improving the health of their community through prevention. The ceremony was held at the Carolina Club in Chapel Hill with a keynote address from Jim Goodmon, President and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company. A full list of the award winners and NCPP’s annual report are available online. NCPP Board Chair Peg O’Connell said, “Ten years ago, when NCPP got started, it was hard for many to imagine that we would experience the epidemic of chronic disease that we are seeing today in North Carolina and the nation. From our very first meeting, NCPP has been sounding the alarm about North Carolina’s health crisis. NC Prevention Partners has been and remains a visionary organization, and we are proud to have led the charge.”
NCPP is recruiting school teams for a free school health improvement training NCPP staff Julie Knaack, Karen Clark, and intern Angela Glusenkamp, presented Extreme Makeover: School Edition to health educators, school nurses, administrators and teachers at the Healthy Schools Institute held at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC on June 18, 2008. The presentation featured a tour through a day in the life of a student, highlighting the missed opportunities for consuming healthy foods and being physically active. NCPP also provided the audience with talking points that explain the academic benefits of improving student health. Be a part of a free Zone Health School Obesity Prevention Program workshop and make your school a healthier place to learn! For information on how to apply, please contact Julie Knaack (julie@ncpreventionpartners.org or 919-969-7022, ext. 216).
NCPP Encouraging Hospitals to Refer More Tobacco Users to free NC Quitline On July 1, NCPP launched a new contest to help North Carolinians quit tobacco using the free NC Quitline. NCPP is working with hospitals to increase patient and employee referrals to the free NC Quitline. Quitting coaches will answer any questions and will call people at agreed upon times to support them in their quit attempt. The NC Quitline is available every day between 8:00 a.m. - midnight by calling 1-800-784-8669. In May 2008, NC Prevention Partners received two Hermes Creative Awards in recognition of outstanding marketing and communications materials. NCPP received a Platinum Award, the highest honor, for its 2008 Prevention Report Card. NCPP also won a Gold Award for its Starting the Conversation tools, which help doctors work with patients to stop using tobacco, eat healthier, be more active and better manage blood pressure and cholesterol. Hermes Creative Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The awards are an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional materials and programs, and emerging technologies.
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Keeping Hospitals 100% tobacco-free campus wide You’ve already established a tobacco-free policy for your hospital. Now what? Here’s an example of a great next step. Southeastern Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Robeson County went 100% tobacco-free campus wide on April 15, 2008. The vast majority of hospitals in NC are now 100% tobacco-free. To kick-off the new tobacco-free policy, Southeastern hosted two events which were attended by more than 350 employees and individuals from the community in partnership with radio station WKML. During the events, attendees were offered healthy refreshments and information about the new policy. To help keep the campus 100% tobacco-free, SRMC has jumpstarted its campaign to tobacco users quit by offering medicine and counseling to any smoker who comes into their facility . Forty employees and individuals from the community chose to swap their tobacco products for gift bags which included a tobacco-free T-shirt and other related items at the kickoff events. Also, more than 50 employees have already taken advantage of SRMC’s help to quit the use of tobacco, including access to quitting medications and counseling. Employees and one other family member covered by the Medical Center’s health insurance have been offered—and will continue to be offered—access to free resources if they choose to quit. All employees who get no-cost quit medications are encouraged to seek follow up support by calling the free NC State Quitline at 1-800-784-8669. Patients and visitors also will get extra support. The hospital is hoping to offer nicotine gum for purchase at campus cafes and shops, and doctors will work with patients who need nicotine-replacement therapy. “There will be challenges,” said David Sumner, vice president of strategic management and support services at SRMC. “Hopefully, we can all be good ambassadors to help make this a cleaner, healthier environment. This is another movement to promote wellness in our community. My biggest hope is that the community and our employees realize that we are doing this for everyone’s sake.”
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| POLICY CORNER 2008 Legislative Session Summary The North Carolina General Assembly ended its short session on July 18, 2008. During this session, several important bills protecting the health of North Carolinians were signed into law by Governor Easley. NC Prevention Partners supported the following bills that passed this session:
In addition to these bills, the General Assembly created an Obesity Task Force to be chaired by Dr. Leah Devlin, NC State Health Director and NCPP Board Member, and Howard Lee, Chairman of the NC State Board of Education. This task force will “develop a comprehensive statewide strategic plan with recommendations for preventing childhood obesity.” NC Prevention Partners supports the policy agenda of the NC Alliance for Health, a coalition of health organizations advocating for health improvement policies before North Carolina's legislative and executive branches. The General Assembly begins its next long session on January 28, 2009. This fall, NC Prevention Partners and the Alliance for Health will work together to finalize a legislative agenda for the upcoming session. U.S. House Passes FDA Regulation of Tobacco Bill On July 31, 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would give the FDA power to regulate tobacco products by a historic, veto-proof vote of 326-102. The bill remains in the Senate where action is not expected until a new Congress convenes in January, when the bill must be reintroduced in both the House and Senate. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, more than 680 groups nationwide support the legislation, in addition to support from Philip Morris USA, one of the nation’s leading cigarette manufacturers. NC Prevention Partners’ Board of Directors voted to endorse this legislation at its April 23, 2008 meeting. Both presidential candidates are co-sponsors of the legislation in the U.S. Senate. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, this bill would:
For more information on how the FDA would regulate tobacco products, please visit the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids website. For more information on NC Prevention Partners policy activities or to join the Prevention Policy Network, please contact Katie at 919.969.7022, ext. 201 or katie@ncpreventionpartners.org.
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Thank you to our generous 10th Annual Meeting Sponsors!
Leadership Circle Diamond Gold Silver Our Leadership Circle sponsors are prevention leaders who understand the value of improving the health of North Carolina’s citizens. They shared their thoughts about prevention and NCPP: "The NC Division of Public Health supports NC Prevention Partners because we have the same health goals and when we bring our different strengths to our collaborative work, we achieve so much more for the people of North Carolina." - Leah Devlin, NC State Health Director "Rex Healthcare is honored to support the efforts of NC Prevention Partners. As Rex celebrates the first anniversary of our tobacco free campuses, we are thankful for the support of NC Prevention Partners. The organization’s leadership impacts the lives of countless North Carolinians every day by building tobacco-free communities throughout our state. " - David Strong, President, Rex Healthcare “UNC Health Care is proud to be a leader in establishing a tobacco-free hospital campus. Meg Molloy and NC Prevention Partners have provided critical leadership to help NC hospitals lead the nation in going 100% tobacco-free campus wide. This coming year, NCPP will work with us and hospitals statewide to establish comprehensive programs to help hospital employees, patients and visitors quit tobacco. NCPP’s focused leadership is driving dramatic change, and North Carolinians are reaping the benefits.” - Gary Park, President & CEO, UNC Hospitals "As a partner in improving the health of people in eastern North Carolina, University Health Systems continues to work toward making a difference in both the lives of those we serve and in the lives of our employees. NC Prevention Partnershelps us educate patients, their families and our employees about making the right choices for their own health and their own futures. The work they are doing with hospitals in North Carolina is fundamental to our success in improving the health of each community we serve. We are proud to be considered their partner in this important work." - Dave McRae, University Health Systems chief executive officer. "NC Prevention Partners' collaborative focus on prevention is reflective of AstraZeneca's mission to make a meaningful difference to patient health. AstraZeneca recognizes the importance of partnerships to achieve better health for North Carolinians. In addition to our work with organizations like NC Prevention Partners, ICARE and CommuniCare, in 2007 alone we provided more than $28.7 million in free medicines to North Carolina patients through our prescription savings programs." -- Chris Fullen, Senior Account Director, AstraZeneca
Our next event is the Oct. 14-15 Prevention Institute in Asheville. Sponsorships are available for the community, business, and hospital tracks, and for keynote speakers and meals. Contact Beverly Biggs, Director of Development, at bev@ncpreventionpartners.org or phone 919.969.7022, ext. 206. We also offer a Healthy Products Expo for exhibitors. |
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Other important upcoming dates for your calendar: 2008 September 8 – NCPP Hosts Roundtable for Hospital Food Service Providers 2009 March 24-25 – Spring Prevention Institute, Wilmington
New Faces at NC Prevention Partners Julie Knaack, MPH joined NCPP in July of 2008 as Nutrition Consultant. Julie is a registered dietitian and has more than 10 years experience as a pediatric dietitian specializing in childhood obesity treatment and prevention. At NCPP, she contributes her nutrition expertise to helping schools and hospitals establish healthier food policies. Julie is a past intern of NCPP. In 2006, she helped revise the Zone Health Toolkit for schools while completing her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A native of Wisconsin, Julie worked at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin from 1996-2004 providing nutrition assessment and counseling to parents of infants and children with problems including diabetes, feeding disorders, food allergies, and obesity. In 2002, Julie became board certified as a specialist in pediatric nutrition through the American Dietetic Association. Ingrid Morris, MPH, joined NC Prevention Partners in July as a Senior Health Promotion Manager. She will lead the NC Prevention Partners’ Zone Health School Obesity Prevention Program, which helps schools put stronger nutrition and activity policies in place. Ingrid has an interest in partnering with organizations to help them create more healthy environments. She earned her master’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. Ingrid has 10 years of experience in health promotion and disease prevention with work in health insurance, medical clinics and communities. NC Prevention Partners is proud to announce it is developing a fellowship program that will offer training and project management experience in public health and nonprofit governance. NCPP is proud to have selected an initial fellow, Gia Branciforte. Gia Branciforte joined NCPP as an Intern in May 2008, shortly after she graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BA in International Studies. Gia spent the past summer working with Melva Fager Okun, helping NC hospitals to go 100% tobacco-free campus-wide and set up comprehensive tobacco cessation systems. She will stay on for the next year as a Prevention Fellow, continuing to work on tobacco cessation projects and to gain non-profit governance skills. Gia is from New York City and enjoys finding hidden treasures in the Triangle, any kind of live music, and innovations in car-free living. Katie Weber joined NCPP as Executive Office Assistant, including a variety of administrative, IT and event planning tasks. Katie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 with a B.A. in International Studies. After graduating, she spent a year and a half traveling and doing volunteer work in Latin America. She worked with a number of non-profit organizations doing disaster relief work and working with underprivileged children. She is currently enrolled in the non-profit management certificate program at Duke University. Katie loves to spend time outdoors and planning her next international adventure. Amanda Davis joined the NC Prevention Partners team in May 2008 as a part-time database and development coordinator. A rising senior at UNC Chapel Hill, Amanda is earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in the fields of Arabic and International Studies, with a focus on global health. When she finds time to spare, Amanda enjoys playing tennis and thinking about how she might one day save the world.
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PreventionWorks Meg Molloy, DrPH, MPH, RD, Executive Director |
NC Prevention
Partners
88 VilCom Circle, Suite 110
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
www.ncpreventionpartners.org
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1.888.919.NCPP
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© 2008 NC Prevention Partners
Reserve your space today for NCPP’s next Prevention Institute. It will take place October 14 and 15, 2008 in Asheville at the Doubletree Hotel Biltmore. Please join N.C. leaders to learn how to bring prevention and health policies to your business, hospital, school, or community (new track). There is a new two-day agenda this fall:
NC Prevention Partners has recently offered several schools its Zone Health School Obesity Prevention Training, which gives real tools to improve student physical activity and nutrition. NCPP is now offering this training program to a limited number of schools free of charge. The knowledge gained will help the schools positively impact the lives of their students and families, faculty, and staff. This training also represents an excellent opportunity for school districts to serve as a model for the rest of NC in combating childhood obesity.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas is a national leader in prevention and promoting healthy foods for employees and visitors. FirstHealth offers a variety of discounted healthy foods, educates visitors about healthy eating, and labels nutrition information. For example, after raising the price of a double-bacon cheeseburger, sales decreased 63%. In comparison, sales of turkey burgers and fresh salad skyrocketed when the price was lowered. After six months of careful sales monitoring, it is clear that the price incentive has led to immediate and sustained customer behavior change. FirstHealth CEO and NCPP Board Member Charles Frock challenged the Operations and Food Services staff to come up with a menu and pricing structure to move healthy foods, and the program has been an overwhelming success. 
