Chatham Hospital Receives State Grant to Encourage Healthy Lifestyles among Latinas
• N.C. Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities funds initiatives targeting those of child-bearing age who are at risk for diabetes and heart disease
For Immediate Release: Monday, March 13, 2006
SILER CITY, N.C. — Chatham Hospital today announced that it has received a grant from the N.C. Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities to encourage healthy lifestyles and reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease among Latinas of child-bearing age.
“We are so pleased to receive this award and to be able to broaden the kinds of support Chatham Hospital offers to women and their families,” said Dr. Pam Frasier, director of the Chatham Hospital Hispanic Health Initiative. “Latinas in their child-bearing years are part of the growing epidemic of women who are overweight or obese in America. In fact, studies show that one out of every two Latinas born in the U.S. in 2000 is at risk for developing diabetes during their lifetime, which also increases the risk of heart disease. We hope to be able to reverse that trend here in Chatham County by offering intensive health assessments and counseling that can help women make healthy lifestyle choices.”
The grant will fund a broad range of initiatives designed to promote weight control, prevent Type II and gestational diabetes, and improve healthcare before, during and after the birth of a child. Among them are:
- An enhanced diabetes self-management program for those who are overweight. The program will include a personalized health risk assessment to highlight diet and lifestyle changes that can impact wellness.
- Weekly exercise classes and team sports for women and their families.
- A program that trains teens to work as lay health advisors among their peers – promoting self esteem and self image among young women, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and educating them on how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
- Expansion of the hospital’s doula program so that more Latinas receive support from a “birth coach” before, during and after the birth of their child.
- Volunteer care teams to ensure that Latinas are not “lost” in the medical referral system and have the transportation, interpretation support and childcare needed to keep important appointments with their healthcare provider.
- Expanded participation in the hospital’s Community Garden, which was launched last year to raise healthy, nutritional foods for those participating in the Chatham Hospital Diabetes Self-Management Program.
About the N.C. Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities
The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities was established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1992. The organization: promotes research to improve the quality and availability of health information, data collection and analysis; provides cultural diversity and interpreter training to health and human services professionals and advocates for language services; supports policies and legislation that improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians; collaborates with others to improve minority health programs and services; and disseminates information to increase awareness of minority health and health disparities.
