April 30 is the deadline to submit applications for Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana, a $10 million statewide challenge grant program presented by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation in partnership with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The challenge grant program aims to reduce the rising obesity rate across Louisiana by providing financial support to innovative programs that promote healthy eating and active living.
There were 112 letters of intent submitted by groups across the state, says Christy Reeves, director of the Foundation. Those groups were then asked to submit full applications. “We tied the deadline date to the Louisiana Bicentennial,” Reeves says. “Louisiana residents are joining together to look back and celebrate the history of our state. The Foundation leadership thought this would be a good time to look forward and improve the state’s future by taking steps to curb obesity in Louisiana.”

Of the 112 submissions, 42 came from the New Orleans area (which includes the Northshore), 22 came from the Baton Rouge region, 14 were from statewide organizations, 11 were from multi-regional groups (but not statewide), nine were from the Monroe region, which includes Alexandria, seven were from the Shreveport area, five were from the Lafayette region and one each were from the Lake Charles area and from a region to be determined.

Other facts about the Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana grant program:

• Since the announcement of the Challenge on Sept. 14, 2011, the Foundation has held eight introductory workshops across the state for interested applicants.
• The Foundation hosted 273 attendees during the workshops, with an average of 34 attendees per workshop.
• These individuals represented 174 unique organizations from across the state of Louisiana, with 17 attending without an affiliation.
• An expert panel will review grant applications from May until June of this year.
• In mid-June, the panel’s recommendations will be presented to the Foundation Board.

About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is building a healthier Louisiana through community outreach and charitable giving. Its two signature programs are The Angel Award®, an annual statewide recognition program that awards funds to outstanding Louisianians working to improve the quality of life of the state’s children, and Smart Bodies®, an interactive

education program to prevent childhood obesity. In addition, Blue Cross contributes nearly $2 million annually in financial aid to various non-profit organizations throughout the state that contribute to health, education and the overall quality of life in our communities. When we put dollars into Blue Cross communities, it makes Louisiana a better place for everyone. The Foundation is funded solely through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is the oldest and largest Louisiana-based health insurance company. Blue Cross is a private, fully taxed mutual company, owned by policyholders—not shareholders—and governed by a local Board of Directors. It is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The company and its subsidiaries provide group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to more than one out of every four Louisiana residents. With headquarters in Baton Rouge and eight district offices, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana employs more than 1,900 Louisianians who are committed to improving the lives of its customers by providing them with health guidance and affordable access to quality care.

Learn more on the company’s website at www.bcbsla.comor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluecrossla. Follow Blue Cross on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BCBSLA and CEO Mike Reitz at www.twitter.com/MikeReitzCEO

The letters of intent have been submitted for Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana, a $10 million statewide challenge grant program presented by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation (BCBSLAF) in partnership with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The challenge grant program aims to reduce the rising obesity rate across Louisiana, by providing financial support to innovative programs that promote healthy eating and active living.

There have been 112 letters of intent submitted by groups across the state, says Christy Reeves, director of the BCBSLAF. “We are thrilled that so many organizations have shown an interest in the challenge grant program and are submitting plans,” Reeves says. “Curbing obesity in Louisiana is a major task. The more groups willing to work on this public health concern, the better.”

To apply for a Challenge Grant, organizations were instructed to submit a letter of intent by    Jan. 13, 2012, to be considered during the review process. Of the 112 submissions, 42 came from the New Orleans area (which includes the Northshore), 22 came from the Baton Rouge region, 14 were from statewide organizations, 11 were from multi-regions (but not statewide), 9 were from the Monroe region (which includes Alexandria), 7 were from the Shreveport area, 5 were from the Lafayette region and 1 each were from the Lake Charles area and from a region to be determined.

Project ideas include the development of a healthy living community with monthly educational festivals; a summer camp for overweight youth; improving walking paths connected to parks and schools; free health screenings for at-risk adults; public cooking and nutrition demonstrations; pop-up mobile markets to provide fresh produce to low-income neighborhoods; and, the creation of a working urban farm to host an affordable farmers market.

Other facts about the challenge grant program:

• Since the announcement of the Challenge on Sept. 14, 2011, BCBSLAF has held 8 introductory workshops across the state for interested applicants.
• BCBSLAF hosted 273 attendees during the workshops, with an average of 34 attendees per workshop.
• These individuals represented 174 unique organizations from across the state of Louisiana, with 17 attending without an affiliation.
• BCBSLAF will hold technical workshops February – April 2012 for applicants who submitted a letter of intent by the January deadline.
• Only those who submitted a formal letter of intent are eligible to submit a full application. The deadline for full applications is April 30, 2012.
• Between May – June 2012, the grant applications will be reviewed by an expert panel.
• In mid-June 2012, the panel’s recommendations will be presented to the BCBSLAF Board.

About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is building a healthier Louisiana through community outreach and charitable giving. Its two signature programs are The Angel Award, an annual statewide recognition program that awards funds to outstanding Louisianians working to improve the quality of life of the state’s children, and Smart Bodies, an interactive education program to prevent childhood obesity. In addition, Blue Cross contributes nearly $2 million annually in financial aid to various non-profit organizations throughout the state that contribute to health, education and the overall quality of life in our communities. When we put dollars into Blue Cross communities, it makes Louisiana a better place for everyone. The Foundation is funded solely through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is the oldest and largest Louisiana-based health insurance company. Blue Cross is a private, fully taxed mutual company, owned by policyholders—not shareholders—and governed by a local Board of Directors. It is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The company provides group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to more than one out of every four Louisiana residents. With headquarters in Baton Rouge and eight district offices, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana employs more than 1,900 Louisianians who are committed to improving the lives of its customers by providing them with health guidance and affordable access to quality care.

Learn more on the company’s website at www.bcbsla.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluecrossla. Follow Blue Cross on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BCBSLA and CEO Mike Reitz at www.twitter.com/MikeReitzCEO. 

Developers in the last half-century called it progress when they built homes and shopping malls far from city centers throughout the country, sounding the death knell for many downtowns. But now an alarmed cadre of public health experts say these expanded metropolitan areas have had a far more serious impact on the people who live there by creating vehicle-dependent environments that foster obesity, poor health, social isolation, excessive stress and depression.

As a result, these experts say, our “built environment” — where we live, work, play and shop — has become a leading cause of disability and death in the 21st century. Physical activity has been disappearing from the lives of young and old, and many communities are virtual “food deserts,” serviced only by convenience stores that stock nutrient-poor prepared foods and drinks.

According to Dr. Richard J. Jackson, professor and chairman of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, unless changes are made soon in the way many of our neighborhoods are constructed, people in the current generation (born since 1980) will be the first in America to live shorter lives than their parents do.

Although a decade ago urban planning was all but missing from public health concerns, a sea change has occurred. At a meeting of the American Public Health Association in October, Dr. Jackson said, there were about 300 presentations on how the built environment inhibits or fosters the ability to be physically active and get healthy food.

In a healthy environment, he said, “people who are young, elderly, sick or poor can meet their life needs without getting in a car,” which means creating places where it is safe and enjoyable to walk, bike, take in nature and socialize.

“People who walk more weigh less and live longer,” Dr. Jackson said. “People who are fit live longer. People who have friends and remain socially active live longer. We don’t need to prove all of this,” despite the plethora of research reports demonstrating the ill effects of current community structures.

The Price of Progress

“We’ve become the victims of our own success,” Dr. Jackson said of the public health mission that cleared cities of congested slums. “By living far from where we work, we reduced crowding and improved the quality of our air and water, which drove down rates of infectious disease.” But as people have moved farther and farther from where they work, shop and socialize, the rates of chronic diseases have soared.

Public transportation has not kept pace with the expansion of suburbs and exurbs. Nor are there enough sidewalks, nearby parks and safe places to walk, cycle or play outdoors in many, if not most, towns. Parents spend hours in cars getting to and from work; children are bused or driven to and from school; and those who can’t drive must depend on others to take them everywhere or risk becoming socially isolated.

In 1974, 66 percent of all children walked or biked to school By 2000, that number had dropped to 13 percent.

“Children who grow up in suburbia can’t meet their life needs without getting a ride somewhere,” Dr. Jackson said. “The average teen in suburbia says it’s boring.”

His new book, “Designing Healthy Communities,” a companion piece to a coming public television series, says: “When there is nearly nothing within walking distance to interest a young person and it is near-lethal to bicycle, he or she must relinquish autonomy — a capacity every creature must develop just as much as strength and endurance.” The book was written with Stacy Sinclair, director of education at the Media Policy Center in Santa Monica, Calif.

“We’ve engineered physical activity out of children’s lives,” Dr. Jackson said in an interview. “Only a quarter of the children in California can pass a basic fitness test, and two in seven volunteers for the military can’t get in because they’re not in good enough physical condition.”

The health consequences, he said, are terrifying. Not only are Americans of all ages fatter than ever, but also growing numbers of children are developing diseases once seen only in adults: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and fatty livers.

Can Our Suburbs Be Saved?

The four-part series that Dr. Jackson developed with the documentary producers Dale Bell and Harry Wiland, to be broadcast in the spring, highlights changes being made in forward-thinking communities — changes that foster better physical and mental health by redesigning the built environment.

“Health happens in neighborhoods, not doctors’ offices,” Dr. Jackson states in one of the programs.

Metropolitan Atlanta, which is 8,000 square miles and growing and where workers drive an average of 66 miles a day, has suffered the ill effects of high ozone levels, few sidewalks and bike lanes, and crosswalks as much as a mile apart. In what may be the crown jewel in environmental restructuring for better health, the city plans to create an urban paradise from an abandoned railroad corridor over the next two decades, with light rail and 22 miles of walking and biking trails.

In Lakewood, Colo., an abandoned shopping mall (a blight now rampant in suburbia) was converted into housing, businesses and play areas.

Syracuse is converting an old saltworks district into a mixed-income, energy-smart housing and business area, giving residents easy access to work and recreation. The local supermarket, Nojaim’s, offers health and nutritionclasses and weekly health checks, and a mobile farmers’ market serves an area that lacks grocery stores.

Another jewel in environmental restructuring is Elgin, Ill., where an island park was created in the middle of the rejuvenated Fox River and a former Superfund site known as auto dealers’ row is now Festival Park, giving families a place to gather for water play, picnics and musical performances. A Bikeway Master Plan will eventually connect all the neighborhoods, and easy access to the river has spurred investment.

“For every dollar the city has spent, we have leveraged that into two or three dollars of private investment through new kinds of buildings, row houses and businesses that have opened because the river has a magnetic quality,” said a former mayor of Elgin, Ed Schock. He might have added another economic benefit: the prospect of lower health care costs.

Further information on healthier communities can be found atdesigninghealthycommunities.org.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/communities-learn-the-good-life-can-be-a-killer/

Please check the Challenge Grant website  for workshop dates, locations, and registration.

“The Blue Cross Foundation is committed to improving the health of our state, and this is a major public health concern,” said Mike Reitz, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. “Obesity contributes to a long list of chronic conditions—such as heart disease and diabetes—that diminish the quality of people’s lives in Louisiana while pushing healthcare costs higher.” 

The company is partnering with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center—noted for its work to combat childhood obesity and recognized as the foremost academic nutritional research center in the world—to administer the grant program, called Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana. Announced today at Pennington’s fourth annual Childhood Obesity Conference in Baton Rouge, the grant program will offer matching financial assistance to non-profit organizations for projects that promote healthy eating, active living and environmental change.

“This represents a great example of a private–public partnership that can benefit all Louisianians,” said Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, associate executive director for population science at the Pennington Center.

Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana aims to improve statistics like these released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and the Louisiana Obesity Council:

• Our state ranks fifth highest in the country for obesity
• Nearly half of Louisiana’s schoolchildren are overweight
• Almost one third are classified as obese

Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) non-profits are eligible for the grants, but projects should have multiple collaborators. The Blue Cross Foundation encourages applicants to partner with local municipalities, school districts, universities, hospitals, research centers and/or chambers of commerce. “The Foundation Board of Directors believes that community support is vital to this effort to encourage healthier lifestyles,” said Foundation President Peggy Scott.

Katzmarzyk agreed, saying, “Measurable improvements in community health will take the concerted efforts of many different organizations and levels of government. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation’s Challenge Grant program is a major investment in the future of Louisiana, and it has the potential to make a real difference.”

The Foundation’s website at www.OurHomeLouisiana.org offers resources for applicants, including ways to reach out to potential partners in each local area.

Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana is looking for projects that address the causes of obesity through changes in policies, practices, social support and the physical environment. Projects should incorporate several of the following efforts:

• Encourage healthy lifestyles
• Include/promote physical activity
• Promote fitness and nutrition education
• Support parental involvement in children’s lives
• Provide access to safe facilities and neighborhoods for physical activity
• Directly support adequate and healthy nutrition

The Blue Cross Foundation will award grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. Applicants must provide at least a one-to-one match in funding, which may come from various sources. Up to half of the matching funds may be in kind. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by Jan. 13, 2012, and final applications are due April 30, 2012. Those interested can find detailed information about the grant requirements and application timeline at www.OurHomeLouisiana.org.

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About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation is building a healthier Louisiana through community outreach and charitable giving. Its two signature programs are The Angel Award, an annual statewide recognition program that awards funds to outstanding Louisianians working to improve the quality of life of the state’s children, and Smart Bodies, an interactive education program to prevent childhood obesity. In addition, Blue Cross contributes nearly $2 million annually in financial aid to various non-profit organizations throughout the state that contribute to health, education and the overall quality of life in our communities. When we put dollars into Blue Cross communities, it makes Louisiana a better place for everyone. The Foundation is funded solely through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana 
Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is the oldest and largest Louisiana-based health insurance company. Blue Cross is a private, fully taxed mutual company, owned by policyholders—not shareholders—and governed by a local Board of Directors. It is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The company provides group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to more than 1.4 million members. With headquarters in Baton Rouge and eight district offices, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana employs more than 1,900 Louisianians who are committed to improving the lives of its customers by providing them with health guidance and affordable access to quality care.

Learn more on the company’s website at www.bcbsla.com or on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/bluecrossla. Follow Blue Cross on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BCBSLA and CEO Mike Reitz at www.twitter.com/MikeReitzCEO. 

Quick overview of funding opportunity.
Letter of Intent due date: January 13, 2012
Full Application due date: April 30, 2012
Award Size: $250,000 to $1,000,000
Matching Funds: The applicant must provide a minimum one-to-one dollar match of cash or in-kind contributions. At least half of the matching support must be a cash match. Award Duration: Projects are to be completed between one to three years.
Eligibility: Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) non-profits.

For more information, click here.