September 17, 2012 -- Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce that a generous grant from the Safeway Foundation will help Virginia Garcia address a health problem faced by ever-increasing numbers of kids—childhood obesity. The evidence-based program, to be piloted at the Virginia Garcia Wellness Center in Cornelius, seeks to reduce childhood obesity among high-risk populations by targeting Latina mothers with newborn children during routine check-ups. Safeway will be presenting Virginia Garcia leadership with a check at the Forest Grove Safeway Store on September 18, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.
This innovative early intervention approach follows a curriculum that uses popular education strategies to empower new moms to promote good nutrition and healthy lifestyles in the home. The curriculum spans each of 10 visits, starting with the last prenatal visit and continuing through the two-year well-child visit. The program will be launched in Cornelius and spread to other Virginia Garcia clinics over time.
Dr. Ann Turner, co-medical director at Virginia Garcia, states that she was thrilled to hear about the funding: “Thanks to the Safeway Foundation, we are excited to be able to launch this program, which will help our newest patients and their families get a strong start on the road to healthy, active lives. The group visit in a primary care setting is a powerful model that engages patients in their care in a way that we believe will produce positive results.”
According to the Center for Disease Control, the obesity rates among children and adolescents has almost tripled since 1980; in fact, one of seven low-income, preschool-aged children is obese and at increased risk for developing chronic diseases.
Dan Floyd, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Safeway said: “With our focus on investing in community efforts to support healthier children, we’re pleased to be able to support Virginia Garcia’s innovative approach to addressing childhood obesity.”
The well-child obesity prevention curriculum was initially developed by a group of pediatric care providers and community health workers from local community health centers—led by staff from Virginia Garcia and Oregon Health and Science University—with a grant from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Fund.
Safeway Foundation distributed $2 million nationwide this year for programs that support healthier kids and communities.
For more information about Virginia Garcia, please visit www.virginiagarcia.org. For more information about the Safeway Foundation, visit www.safewayfoundation.org.
