Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Logo Bottom
HHS Yellow Bar

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

HHS AWARDS $13.7 MILLION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS TO PREVENT DIABETES, ASTHMA AND OBESITY

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 12 grants totaling $13.7 million to promote community initiatives to promote better health and prevent disease. The grants are funded under HHS' new Steps to a HealthierUS program, which aims to help Americans live longer, better, and healthier lives by reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity and asthma and addressing three related risk factors -- physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use.

The grants will help to implement community action plans targeting border populations, Hispanics and Latinos, Native Americans, African-Americans, Asians, immigrants, low-income populations, the disabled, youth, senior citizens, uninsured and underinsured people and people at high risk. Recipients of the grants reach 23 communities, including one tribal consortium, 15 small cities or rural communities and seven large cities.

"To successfully achieve better health, we need to reach Americans in the places they live, work and go to school," Secretary Thompson said. "These twelve Steps grant programs are innovative and exciting. From the Michigan tribe increasing its knowledge of traditional foods like fish, berries and wild rice to the expanded walking program in a New York community, each grantee is using creative approaches tailored to achieve success in their individual community."

Diabetes, asthma, overweight and obesity were chosen as targets because of their rapidly increasing prevalence in the United States and the ability for individuals to control and even prevent these diseases through exercise, diet and other strategies. The number of people with diabetes in the United States has nearly doubled in the past decade to 17 million. An estimated 10 million adults and 5 million children suffer from asthma, and the number of cases of obesity in the United States has increased more than 50 percent over the past two decades.

Examples of programs in the school, community, health care, and workplace settings include organized community interventions such as walking programs, health education trainings, and media campaigns; environmental interventions like smoking cessation programs and increasing healthy food choices in schools and educational interventions like enhancing coordinated school health programs. Partners include departments of education and health, various other government agencies, school districts, health care providers, national and local health organizations, faith-based agencies, private sector and academic institutions. Six programs include a YMCA partner and nine include a community health center partner.

Today's announcement builds on a series of activities this week focused on the Secretary's prevention initiative to expand and build on the President's HealthierUS goal of helping Americans live longer, healthier lives. Launched in June 2001 by President Bush, HealthierUS focuses on four core areas for improved health and wellness: physical activity, preventive screenings, balanced nutrition and healthy choices. This week, the Secretary challenged HHS employees to become more physically active through the use of the President's Challenge Web site and convened a roundtable focused on prevention with business leaders. In addition, the department held its second annual "Take A Loved One to the Doctor Day" to encourage minority communities to seek preventive health services.

The Secretary announced the creation of the new community grant program at last April's first Steps to a HealthierUS summit in Baltimore, Maryland. More information about this initiative and the grants is available at www.healthierus.gov.

The following grantees were approved for a five-year project period, with the initial year's funding amount. Continuation award amounts will be determined toward the end of the first budget period.

Grantee

First-year grant funding

TRIBE

 

Intertribal Council of Michigan

$250,000

STATE-COORDINATED SMALL CITIES/RURAL COMMUNITIES

 

Washington

$1,553,969

New York

$1,805,459

Arizona

$1,390,247

Colorado

$1,283,287

LARGE CITIES/URBAN COMMUNITIES

 

Seattle-King County, Wash.

$965,340

Salinas-Monterey County, Calif.

$924,378

Austin-Travis County, Texas

$928,836

New Orleans, La.

$1,213,351

Philadelphia, Pa.

$1,152,874

Boston, Mass.

$1,218,040

Pinellas County, Fla.

$940,306

###


Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: September 18, 2003

HHS Home | Questions? | Contact HHS | Site Map | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act | Disclaimers

The White House | FirstGov