Letter From The Director
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Greetings!
Just two short years ago, we began the STOP Obesity Alliance here at The George Washington University Department of Health Policy in partnership with a diverse Steering Committee and our Health and Wellness Chair, 17th U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS. We faced a daunting challenge: identifying and then breaking down the cultural and systemic barriers that have blocked the kind of progress we must make in America's race against obesity.
As an Alliance, we have made progress - from creating policy recommendations which provide common ground on things like defining success and outlining a research agenda to developing the first navigational tool to help public and private decision makers find the most successful pathways to reducing obesity. Still, the deadly consequences of weight-related health risks such as diabetes and heart disease continue to rise. Our work has advanced the cause, but continued progress requires a larger movement.
That's why I'm so pleased to announce that the Alliance is growing its membership. Just this month, we welcomed eight new Associate Members - a series of medical and public health organizations and obesity experts whose valuable and diverse perspectives will strengthen our efforts in meeting our mission.
New Associate Members include the American Association of Diabetes Educators, American College of Sports Medicine, American Society of Bariatric Physicians, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Campaign to End Obesity, Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and Rebecca Puhl, PhD, of Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
I'm also thrilled to announce that Morgan Downey, JD, formerly the executive vice president of The Obesity Society and chief executive officer of the American Obesity Association, has joined our team in the role of Policy Advisor. Working with our staff and membership, Morgan will help drive key research, writing and advocacy efforts.
Morgan's knowledge of obesity policy inside the Beltway is legendary. He is a true pioneer. Among his many accomplishments are successful efforts to change policies at government organizations - including Congress, Food and Drug Administration, Social Security Administration, Health Care Financing Administration, Internal Revenue Service, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - to formally recognize obesity as a chronic disease. In fact, he created the first conferences on obesity and public policy nearly 10 years ago.
If you'd like to see the press release announcing all of our new members, please visit our newsroom by clicking here.
I look forward to reporting continued good news with the STOP Obesity Alliance.
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Sincerely,
Christine C. Ferguson, JD
Director, The STOP Obesity Alliance
Associate Research Professor
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
The George Washington University |
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Alliance & Steering Committee Member News
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STOP Obesity Alliance Director to Chair Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Management Track of 3rd Annual Chronic Care and Prevention CongressOn May 20, Christine Ferguson will chair the Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Management Track of the 3rd Annual Chronic Care and Prevention Congress in Alexandria, VA. The Congress, which begins with pre-event workshops on May 18, will focus in two areas - Integrated Care Management and Delivery and Patient-Centered Medical Homes. For more information, please click here.
AHA Highlights Importance of Worksite Wellness ProgramsDuring the month of April, the American Heart Association called on employers across the country to invest in the health of their employees with the establishment of workplace wellness initiatives to address the nation's soaring healthcare costs, rising obesity rates and increasing prevalence of chronic disease. On April 2, the association, along with the U.S. Workplace Wellness Alliance, hosted a "Healthy Living for a Healthy Workforce" press conference on Capitol Hill to reintroduce the Healthy Workforce Act (H.R. 1897, S. 803) with lead sponsors U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA). The event kicked off "National Workplace Wellness Week" (April 6 - 12), which encourages employers to create worksite employee health promotion programs. The resolution, endorsed by the association, was introduced last year by U.S. Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) and Charles Boustany (R-LA) and approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. President Barack Obama also released a letter of support. This year the AHA's National Start! Walking Day, which aims to get Americans up and moving for 30 minutes, took place on April 8, during "National Workplace Wellness Week." For more information about the American Heart Association's workplace wellness activities, please click here. Trust for America's Health Releases Report Detailing How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent
A recently released Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report examines how the economic downturn could lead to serious cuts to disease prevention and emergency preparedness programs at the state level. For more information, please click here.
NQF to Host National Quality Healthcare Award Gala in May
The National Quality Forum will host its Annual National Quality Healthcare Award Gala on May 19 in Washington, DC. The award identifies organizations that are role models for achieving meaningful and sustainable quality improvements through performance measurement and a demonstrated commitment to public reporting. For more information, please click here.
AHIP Publication Highlights Health Insurance Plan Innovations in Recognizing and Rewarding Quality
AHIP's Innovations in Recognizing and Rewarding Quality monograph highlights examples of the most innovative approaches that regional and national health insurance plans have taken to advance quality of care and efficiency through the recognition of physicians and hospitals for demonstrating outstanding performance. The 28 featured programs focus on physicians, hospitals and multi-stakeholder collaborations. These programs encourage physicians to provide high-quality care to their members, demonstrate meaningful improvements in performance, as well as measuring member satisfaction. The featured profiles also demonstrate health plans' commitment to providing innovative prevention programs to patients.Prevention programs featured include efforts to control type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions in children, weight management initiatives, diabetes care coordination initiatives, tobacco cessation and asthma screening and appropriate medication usage. For more information, please click here. AHIP Partners with Gallup and Healthways to Measure and Evaluate America's Health Status Through the Well-Being Index
AHIP has teamed up with Gallup and Healthways to present the Well-Being Index (WBI), one of the most powerful tools ever created for measuring and evaluating America's relative health, well-being and prosperity. Based on comprehensive data derived from the landmark Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the AHIP State and Congressional District Reports will provide measurements, both composite and in-depth, of health and well-being in all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, as well as the District of Columbia. The data and map allow users to evaluate six primary domains of America's health and well-being at the state and congressional district level. For more information, please click here. |
News Round-Up
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April 20, 2009
Associated Press
This summer, an American Diabetes Association task force will focus on patients who have been diagnosed with Diabetes and have subsequently managed to control their blood sugar, eliminating the need for drugs. The task force will seek to determine whether these patients can be considered "cured." Among the points of interest: What blood sugar range qualifies as a cure and how long would it have to be maintained? How might blood pressure and cholesterol, both linked to diabetes, figure into the equation? And, what if a "cured" diabetic's blood sugar soars again?
Study: Costs of Employee Health on Productivity UnderestimatedApril 15, 2009
Occupational Health & Safety
Poor health among workers is far costlier to US employers than they realize, according to a major study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM). The multi-year study of 10 organizations employing more than 150,000 workers indicates that employers who focus only on medical and pharmacy costs in creating employee health strategies may misidentify the health conditions that most impact the productivity of their employees -- while underestimating the impact of other factors. Cool Way to Lose Weight?
April 11, 2009
The New York Times
Three studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine point to the potential of "brown fat" - aka "good fat" - to burn off calories and generate heat, rather than to build a bulging waistline. It has long been known that brown fat helps small mammals and human infants, who are unable to shiver effectively, stay warm in cold environments. But it was thought, erroneously, that humans lose their brown fat or its calorie-consuming effects after the shivering response sets in. The new studies found that brown fat was still present in adults and was metabolically active, especially when stimulated by exposure to moderate cold for a couple of hours. Overweight and obese people had less brown fat activity than lean people, suggesting that its absence might be a factor in causing weight gain. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Releases PSAs to Encourage Healthy Lifestyles
April 6, 2009
PR Newswire
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Surgeon General recently released two public service announcements, in English, "Take the Lead" and in Spanish, "Mi Cocina," on childhood overweight and obesity prevention. Both PSAs encourage families to be physically active and eat healthy foods. The PSAs were released on the first day of National Public Health Week, which was April 6 - 12, 2009. The Office of the Surgeon General is disseminating the PSAs as part of its "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future" public information initiative.
U.S. Experts Urge Health Reforms in Schools, Cities
April 2, 2009
Reuters
Congress and the White House are gearing up to revamp health care delivery and insurance coverage. President Barack Obama has made providing health insurance to the 46 million Americans without it a cornerstone of his plan, seeking a 10-year, $634 billion reserve fund as a "downpayment" for the effort. Panelists said greater attention should be paid to the impact of housing developments, public transportation, neighborhood safety and other planning issues that can help people have more active lifestyles. |
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