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MAYORS WELLNESS CAMPAIGN, LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES ANNOUNCE
WINNERS OF “AETNA MINI-GRANTS” FOR 2006
Eastampton, Garfield, Hamilton and Wharton Honored; Madison Recognized As Previous Grant Recipient
For Immediate Release: November 1, 2006
Contact: MWC: Ann McDonald 609-393-4931, NJLM: Bill Dressel 609-695- 3481
Aetna: Walt Cherniak 410-691-1405
Trenton – New Jersey’s Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC – www.mayorswellnesscampaign.org) with its partner, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJLM), today announced the winners of the first “Aetna Mini-Grants” awarded to towns which have demonstrated a commitment to the principles of the MWC and pledged to get their town’s citizens leading more active lifestyles. The four recipients, who will be honored at the 91st Annual League Conference in Atlantic City on November 17th, are: Eastampton in Burlington County; Garfield in Bergen County; Hamilton in Mercer County; and, Wharton in Morris County. The town of Madison in Morris County was also recognized and had been a prior recipient of funding from Aetna.
“These five towns have taken significant steps to implement programs which we hope will improve the overall health of their citizens and move us closer to our goal of reducing obesity in New Jersey by five percent by the year 2010,” said Ann McDonald, Project Manager for the MWC. “We are proud to have them as our partners.”
“The League is thrilled with the participation in the Mayors Wellness Campaign by so many of our towns and we salute the five towns which have made such remarkable progress already,” said William G. Dressel Jr., Executive Director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. “We are hopeful that local leadership will make a real difference in our fight against obesity.”
The four towns will be provided with $500 grants by Aetna to help implement MWC programs. The presentations will be made at the business breakfast at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Annual Conference on November 17th in Atlantic City. The town of Madison will be honored, having received its grant earlier in the year. Aetna, a major sponsor of the MWC is providing the grants in recognition and support of the towns’ efforts to create programs to improve the health and wellness of its citizens as part of the MWC. The grants are intended to be used fund additional programs and tools promoted in the MWC “Toolbox.”
“Aetna is committed to helping all people achieve and maintain health and wellness. We believe that the Mayors Wellness Campaign, along with community support, can improve the lives of New Jersey residents,” said Brian McGarry, vice president, Aetna Sales and Service, National Accounts.
“We know local initiatives are critical to addressing health issues such as obesity, but we also understand that they can be difficult to launch. That’s why we are so pleased the Mayors Wellness Campaign provides information and tools that mayors can use to positively impact inactivity, obesity and the associated health risks for their residents. We encourage all New Jersey Mayors to take part in the Mayor Wellness Campaign. We especially applaud those who have and those who are actively working to launch programs in their communities,” says Nathan Drapkin, sales vice president, Aetna Government and Labor Division.
The MWC supports mayors as champions of community health. The goal is to increase opportunities for residents to participate in daily physical activity with a long-term goal of reducing health care costs. Through public-private partnerships, the MWC provides structure and resources for healthy community initiatives. By encouraging mayors to play a leadership role in supporting local opportunities for active, healthy lifestyles, the intent of the MWC is to make New Jersey a national leader in community-based health interventions. Mayors in were mailed the MWC “Toolbox,” a manual designed to guide them through the implementation of wellness programs. Broken down into four major sections – Youth in Motion; Employees in Motion; Seniors in Motion; and Communities in Motion – the Toolbox outlines programs that can be directly used in every community.
Eastampton was selected for recognition because it was an early supporter of the Mayors Wellness Campaign and its emphasis on putting its “Community in Motion:” Mayor Donald Hartman launched the “Campaign for a Healthy Eastampton” this past June. This event was sponsored by the town in conjunction with its pledge to participate in the MWC and included a “community walk. Participants in the walk received free pedometers, walking log books, maps and tips for stretching exercises. The effort was guided by a local physical therapist. The town also asked those participating to complete a brief registration form and survey to use as a baseline to judge the effectiveness of its program. Incentive programs were put in place to reward citizens who became active. In September, Eastampton distributed a recreational survey town-wide with its newsletter in order to gain a better understanding of the interests of the community with regard to physical activity.
Garfield was selected for recognition because of its early support of the Mayors Wellness Campaign and its particular emphasis on putting “Youth in Motion:” Garfield Mayor Frank Calandriello created Garfield’s own Childhood Obesity Task Force to tackle this critical public health issue. The Taskforce created the F.U.N. (Fitness, Unity and Nutrition) Program in January of 2006 and launched the Ramapo and Meadowlands Survival (RAMS) camp this past summer to teach Garfield teachers and students how to integrate fitness and nutrition activities into their academic curriculum, and ultimately, their everyday lives. The town is currently in the process of creating a Garfield F.U.N. Resource Guide, which will contain walking maps, healthy tips for families and a directory of community health resources.
Hamilton was selected for recognition because of its early support of the Mayors Wellness Campaign and its emphasis on putting its “Community in Motion:” Mayor Glen Gilmore took the lead this past September by putting together a program which saw Hamilton partner with its two hospitals – St. Francis Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton – as well as other community organizations to officially launch the Mayors Wellness Campaign in a big way. The Mayor challenged the residents of Hamilton to get healthier and put in place an impressive array of incentives, including scholarships and monthly prize to get them motivated. In conjunction with the MWC, Hamilton announced a “Strive-for-Five” wellness program which challenged families to get a yearly physical examination; get ample sleep; cut back on sweets; eat three, well-balanced meals a day; and stay physically active.
Madison was selected for recognition because of its early support of the Mayors Wellness Campaign and its emphasis on putting its “Employers and Seniors in Motion:” Mayor Ellwood “Woody” Kerslager has been a leading proponent of the Mayors Wellness Campaign since its inception in 2005. Mayor Kerslager chartered a comprehensive health and wellness task force to evaluate the needs and priorities for the community and is in the process of conducting a walkability assessment, as recommended by the MWC. Working with the town’s largest employer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and the area YMCA, Madison launched a program last spring to get its seniors more active and to emphasize fitness among Wyeth employees as well.
Wharton was selected for recognition because of its emphasis on putting “Youth in Motion:” Mayor Bill Chegwidden worked closely with Wharton schools to create a comprehensive Wharton program to improve the physical environment of the town and encourage a social climate to support the ability of its children to walk and bicycle safely to school. In August 2006, the Wharton Borough Council and Public School Board designated the 2006-2007 school year as “Safe Routes to School Year” by joint resolution. Students themselves activity participated in developing a “School Travel Plan” by participating in “walkability” audits; creating a “walking time radius” map; creating art work depicting walking and biking to school; and, participating in a “bicycle safety rodeo.”
The MWC is an initiative of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (www.njhcqi.org) in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (www.njslom.org). Major funding has been provided by Aetna and BeneCard. Additional funding has been provided by the New Jersey DOT, St. Francis Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital – Hamilton, Johnson & Johnson, Pennoni Associates and Bayville Holdings, League Legislative Comnittee.
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