Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Media Contact: Sheri Hutchinson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 352-483-7964

HIDDEN HEROES OF PUBLIC HEALTH WINNERS ANNOUNCED BY
LAKE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT MADE DURING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

The Lake County Health Department will observe National Public Health Week, April 6th - 12th, by recognizing Lake County's 2009 "Hidden Heroes of Public Health". The 2009 Individual Hidden Hero of Public Health Award will be presented to Sandra Turner, Manager, Wellness Services at Leesburg Regional Medical Center. Gold's Gym, located in Mt. Dora, will receive the Organization Award.

Nominations were sought for individuals and organizations that contributed to the health and safety of the community by working to advance the efforts of Public Health. The efforts of annual award winners must align with the objective and goals identified by the Healthy People 2010 initiative. Healthy People 2010 is about improving health-the health of each individual, communities, and the nation. Many objectives focus on interventions designed to reduce or eliminate illness, disability, and premature death among individuals and communities. Others focus on broader issues, such as improving access to quality health care, strengthening public health services, and improving the availability and dissemination of health-related information. Each objective has a target for specific improvements to be achieved by the year 2010. Because Public Health encompasses more than just the Lake County Health Department, this is an opportunity to recognize community members and organizations for their dedication and hard work who contribute to the health and well-being of Lake County's residents.

Sandra Turner public health efforts focused on childhood obesity and increasing access to physical fitness and activity by creating a new program called Teaching Us Fitness is Fun (TUFF Kids) targeting children in grades 3rd - 5th who participate in an After School program at their local elementary school. The program's intent was to equip children with education and skills to make healthy food and physical activity choices with the intent to reduce obesity in young children. The program was a joint venture between Leesburg Regional Medical Center, University of Central Florida and Lake County School's Food Services Division.

After a successful pilot season in 2007, the program expanded from three Lake County Elementary Schools to every elementary school during the summer of 2008. At that time, the schools were also challenged to expand the TUFF Kids curriculum to incorporate grades K-5th. In 2009, the Marathon Scholars program was unveiled, which included the challenge for kids
K-5th to read 26 books and run/walk 26 miles. A total of 17 local elementary schools signed up to participate in the 4-month program and nearly 1500 children successfully completed the assignments.

Gold's Gym is instrumental fulfilling Healthy People 2010 Objectives because of the efforts taken against adult and childhood obesity and help to improve access to physical fitness and activity opportunities for Lake County residents by hosting and promoting three Community Health Fairs:

June 28th Recognition of Men's Health Month
A community outreach effort to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

November 15th Health and Wellness Expo
Free health screenings provided including blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, hearing, vision were available, as well as, chiropractic services. Education components included tobacco, physical fitness and nutritional food choices. A total of 59 vendors participated and more than 700 residents attended the event.

February 23rd Cardio Challenge
In observation of Healthy Floridian Month, the challenge included utilization of Gold Gym's cardio equipment and group fitness classes. The event was open to the public and the participant that burned the most calories received a free Gold's Gym membership. A total of 422 residents participated and the winner burned over 2000 calories during the three (3) hour challenge.

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