Welcome to Independent Tribune Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

independenttribune.com - Independent Tribune

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Health alliance awarded grant in fight against childhood obesity

By Robin L. Gardner | Independent Tribune

Published: November 2, 2009

KANNAPOLIS - The Cabarrus Health Alliance was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
as part of $3.25 million awarded to The National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality to fight childhood obesity.

NICHQ awarded the money to CHA as part of the Mobilizing Healthcare Professionals as Community Leaders in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity program.

"The awards will allow the recipients to conduct obesity-prevention advocacy training and provide implementation support to local health-care providers," said Rachelle Mirkin, executive program director at NICHQ.

Victoria Manning, obesity project coordinator and grant writer for CHA, said the money will go to training about 20 health-care professionals as advocates in the community for childhood obesity.

"They will work outside the clinical walls," Manning said.

Eight grants were awarded to organizations in seven states across the country.

The goal of the program is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic trend the nation is suffering by training, supporting and providing technical assistance to health-care professionals, who in turn, advocate for change in their community.

The health alliance has partnered with Healthy Cabarrus, the local Healthy Carolinians Coalition, to fight childhood obesity by partnering with the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City school systems, local government, health-care providers, businesses, churches and others in the community.

The grant process involved written applications and phone interviews.

Those who were awarded the grants had "detailed project plans, highly collaborative project teams and a history of working on sustainable advocacy and public health initiatives."

As part of the grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NICHQ will launch a Web site in 2010 as a "go to" resource for advocacy training and technical assistance for healthcare providers.

"It's important to have the resources to pull this all together in a way to combat childhood obesity. One group can make an impact," Manning said. "We are having great success in bringing awareness to childhood obesity."

• Contact reporter Robin L. Gardner: 704-789-9140