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Ten Communities Selected to Receive Grants From the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and the YMCA of the USA to Combat Obesity and Chronic Disease

Posted on: Monday, 14 January 2008, 15:00 CST

ATLANTA, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the YMCA of the USA today announced that 10 U.S. communities have been selected to advance community leadership in the nation's efforts to prevent chronic diseases and related risk factors through a collaborative approach between local health departments and YMCAs. This initiative, called Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental ChangE (ACHIEVE), is supported by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The 10 communities selected to participate in the ACHIEVE Initiative include: Blackhawk, Iowa; Wichita, Kansas; Hancock County, Maine; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cattaraugus, New York; Cleveland County, North Carolina; Stark, Ohio; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and Tacoma, Washington.

The purpose of ACHIEVE is to bring together local leaders and stakeholders to build healthier communities by promoting policy and environmental change strategies with a focus on: increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, preventing tobacco use, and controlling cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

ACHIEVE is an innovative approach that brings together all sectors of a community to spur policy change toward prevention of chronic diseases. ACHIEVE was inspired in part by the YMCA of the USA's Pioneering Healthier Communities Initiative, which has convened 64 leadership teams across the country to make changes in their communities. Policy changes implemented through ACHIEVE may include increasing access to and use of attractive and safe locations for engaging in physical activity; revising school food contracts to include more fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods; and requiring sidewalks and crossing signals in neighborhoods to make them more pedestrian-friendly, among others.

ACHIEVE fosters collaborative partnerships between State Departments of Health, local health departments, and YMCAs. The initiative recognizes the roles of these institutions as trusted community convenors and aims to combine public health expertise from the state and local levels with the experience of the YMCA in providing community support and outreach.

"The NACDD is pleased to partner with the YMCA of the USA to support the ACHIEVE Initiative," said Paula Marmet, NACDD president. "Promoting healthier lifestyles and supporting healthy communities will help us meet our goal of reducing chronic diseases. Through community collaboration, we can create a synergy that assists people in making healthy choices where they live, work and play."

Neil Nicoll, president and chief executive officer, YMCA of the USA, said, "By connecting the leaders who can affect change, ACHIEVE communities will help to make healthy behaviors an easier choice, not just the healthier choice. YMCAs have seen this approach work over and over again in communities across the country. Improved opportunities for active living and healthy eating are laying a foundation to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases that have taken such a serious toll on Americans."

The communities applied for this program and were selected after a competitive review process that included 127 applications. A total of $800,000 will be distributed among the teams to attend leadership conferences, including an Action Institute to learn about effective strategies to affect community change, as well as to design and implement a community action plan.

What's Next for ACHIEVE teams

Local health departments and YMCAs will immediately begin to compose teams consisting of 10 local leaders. These teams will include: elected officials; state and local directors of public health organizations; business leaders from various industries; and leaders of local schools, parks and recreation departments, hospitals, and other community organizations. These teams will convene at an Action Institute in Alexandria, Virginia, in June 2008. At this training conference, attendees will learn about evidence-based approaches to affecting change in their communities from nationally known experts. More information about the ACHIEVE Initiative can be found at http://www.chronicdisease.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3496.

About the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD)

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is a national public health association, founded in 1988, to link the chronic disease program directors of each state and U.S. territory to provide a national forum for chronic disease prevention and control efforts. Since its founding, NACDD has made impressive strides in mobilizing national efforts to reduce chronic diseases and the associated risk factors.

With 58 voting members and more than 500 regular and associate members, NACDD works to reduce the impact of chronic diseases on the American population by advocating for preventative policies and programs, encouraging knowledge sharing and developing partnerships for health promotion. Visit http://www.chronicdisease.org/ for more information about NACDD.

About 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 2,663 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.

CONTACTS: Wendy Alpine Kelly Kennai Alpine Communications for NACDD YMCA of the USA 770.321.6386 202.835.9043 wendy@alpinepr.com kelly.kennai@ymca.net

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; YMCA of the USA

CONTACT: Wendy Alpine of Alpine Communications, +1-770-321-6386,wendy@alpinepr.com, for National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; orKelly Kennai of YMCA of the USA, +1-202-835-9043, kelly.kennai@ymca.net

Web site: http://www.ymca.net/http://www.chronicdisease.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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