news & updates Press Releases Children's Futures Awarded $50K to Fight Obesity
| Children's Futures Awarded $50K to Fight Obesity |
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CHILDREN’S FUTURES AWARDED $50,000 TO FIGHT OBESITY IN TRENTON
Grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey
Supports Obesity Prevention and Education Program Trenton, NJ, May 6, 2009—Children’s Futures (CF), the Trenton non-profit aimed at improving childhood health and development, has recently been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey to support the Trenton Obesity and Medical Home Project. The funding will provide obesity prevention training and support to numerous primary care physician practices in Trenton who treat more than 5,900 children up to three years of age. “We’re delighted that The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has recognized the importance of tackling childhood obesity, and we are putting the money to work immediately,” said Floyd Morris, president of Children’s Futures. “The Foundation’s funding is a testament to the strength of CF’s collaborative approach to promoting the health and school readiness of Trenton’s children.” Childhood obesity is one of the most significant health issues affecting Trenton children. According to a report from the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth (2005), 9 million U.S. children are overweight, and the rate of obesity in children aged 2-5 has doubled in the past 30 years. The New Jersey Obesity Prevention Plan states that New Jersey has the highest incidence of obesity in low-income children aged two to five years in the nation. “The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has made fighting childhood obesity one of our top funding priorities,” said Larry Altman, Executive Director of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. “The medical home concept of care is a new and innovative approach for providing treatment, education, and awareness to combat childhood obesity. We are excited that Children’s Futures is exploring this innovative approach and we believe the project will have a major impact.” Among the innovative approaches CF is instituting to tackle childhood obesity is the creation in Trenton of the medical home, a healthcare model in which a clinician partners with the patient and the patient’s family to address medical and non-medical needs. Through this partnership, the clinician can help the patient and family access and coordinate specialty care, educational services, out-of-home care, family support, and other services that are important to overall health. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes the medical home model as one that provides “accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective care.” Floyd Morris added: “Combined with the extensive obesity prevention and treatment training that we will be providing to area physicians, the introduction of the medical home approach will be a huge step forward in maintaining and improving the health of Trenton’s children.” About Children’s Futures Children’s Futures Inc. (CF) is a nationally recognized, Trenton, New Jersey-based nonprofit organization created to improve health and developmental outcomes for children. As a major catalyst for change, CF also advocates for important policy initiatives to improve maternal and child health; convenes local stakeholders to model best practices on early childhood development; provides technical assistance and training for service providers; and serves as a clearinghouse of objective child health information. Core to CF is its role in Trenton directing a seven-year collaboration of health, social service, and educational institutions that work together to implement innovative approaches to improving child health and development at scale. CF began in 2001 with support that continues from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans. Children's Futures is part of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Vulnerable Populations Portfolio, which is dedicated to examining the critical relationships between health and where and how people live, work, learn and play. For more information about Children’s Futures and the programs offered, please visit www.childrensfutures.org. About The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is celebrating five years of healthier, stronger communities. The Foundation promotes health, well-being, and quality of life across our state by supporting charitable organizations. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.horizonblue.com/foundation. |