|
|
Community Fitness Today-Gospel Aerobics Power Jam
Community Fitness Today (CFT) is a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization established to improve the health status of African Americans and other minorities through educational fitness, nutrition and prevention programs. A significant part of their programming includes an extensive schedule of fitness classes offered at the Sabathani Center located in south Minneapolis. CFT annually sponsors a Gospel Aerobics Power Jam, a family-oriented event designed to promote physical activity and nutrition within the Minneapolis community featuring a gospel choir providing background music to aerobic classes. The event was held on Saturday, March 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Sabathani Center. MHIF provided blood pressure screening services at the event, topic literature and drawing prizes valued at $500.
Perspectives Supportive Housing Program-Health Maintenance Program
Perspectives, Inc., located in St. Louis Park, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for homeless and at-risk families and children affected by physical and chemical abuse. Their Supportive Housing Program currently assists over 50 mothers and more than 100 children. They recently developed a Health Promotion/Maintenance program for their clients and requested a ReachOut Grant to support the registration fees of approximately 20 of their clients for the HealthPartners 10,000 Steps Program (an incentive-based walking program), a BMI Display/presentations, smoking cessation presentations and incentive awards. Services were provided from March 29 through April 15th, 2004. Total MHIF support for this program was approximately $1450.
Intertribal Health Committee-American Indian Wellness Fair
The Intertribal Health Committee sponsored the Ninth Annual American Indian Wellness Fair on Wednesday, April 28th, 2004 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The goal of the event was to provide a variety of free screenings and increase personal awareness of risk factors by providing the tools necessary to assist in promoting health and preventing disease. The Committee requested support for non-fasting cholesterol screenings and an interactive educational display to include health-counseling services.
Stratis Health-African American Diabetes and Cardiovascular Initiative
Stratis Health, along with a group of over 15 partners, has initiated a project focused on measuring and improving the rate of lipid profile testing rates among African American Medicare consumers with diabetes in Minnesota. Through this collaborative effort, a number of public awareness approaches have been developed to include the development and distribution of targeted topic-specific posters for presentation at locations throughout the metro area at a cost of $1300. (4/15)
Parents In Community Action (PICA)/Head Start-Festival of Families
On Saturday, April 17th, 2004, PICA/Head Start and partners hosted its annual Festival of Families and in 2003 added a strong health component to the event they are hopeful to grow. This year the event included a wide range of health topic workshops, a mini health spa, a health fair, aerobics/nutrition classes, a fitness center open house and door prizes, among other services and supports. Cash support for the event in the amount of $700 for aerobic instructors and incentive prizes. In addition, MHIF provided blood pressure screening services and 50 MHIF “Cooking with Heart and Soul” cookbooks.
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church-Getting to the Heart program
MHIF had the unique opportunity to partner with Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and other area African-American congregations to share valuable information on the influence of cardiovascular disease on this recognized at-risk audience. The program, titled Getting to the Heart, was held on Wednesday, June 9th, 2004 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at Fellowship Church in north Minneapolis. The program featured a cardiologist who provided an overview of heart disease and its related risk factors and highlighted those steps necessary to reduce personal risk and a dietitian who informed the audience as to how to select and prepare heart-healthy foods. MHIF provided cash support for food services, equipment rental and brochure design and printing, services to include program planning, speakers/presentations, blood pressure screening services, interactive displays and population-specific educational materials, and drawing prizes.
Stairstep Foundation-Church Olympics and Family Day
The Stairstep Foundation was developed in 1992 to reinforce historic African American values and to bring together and strengthen components that build community and is currently working with 15 African American congregations in the Twin cities through an Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative project. As part of this larger initiative, they hosted a Church Olympics on Saturday, June 12th to encourage member of all ages to become more physically active and take charge of their health. Specific activities included a 2-mile Intergenerational Walk, 3-on-3 basketball tournament and various track and field events to include the “Pastors Race” as well as a health tent. In addition to cash support, MHIF provided several interactive displays to include the HITECH Heart, Prevent Heart Attack and the BMI display.
Twin Cities Juneteenth Celebration, Inc.-Juneteenth Twin Cities
Juneteenth Twin Cities is the largest event of its kind in the upper Midwest attracting over 60,000 African/African Americans to a month-long series of family-friendly artistic, educational and recreational cultural programming. One program focus involves promoting heart health and self-responsibility for health among this community. The Juneteenth Day Festival, the primary celebration event, was held on June 19th and 20th. MHIF support for this event included Speaker’s Bureau presentations on hypertension and stress management, BMI, Prevent First MI and HiTECH Heart interactive educational displays and cash support in the amount of $1,000.
Hmong American Partnership-Walk and Talk 5K Health Fair
On Saturday, July 17th, the Hmong American Partnership hosted the Walk and Talk 5K health Fair, a multi- agency event that offers individuals and families a chance to walk together and participate in interactive demonstrations of healthy behaviors. This event allows Hmong elders and other community members to walk together around St. Paul’s Lake Phalen and benefit from interactive health lessons and resources along the way. Over 1000 participants benefited from information and resources provided by various community support organizations to include the HeartFair and HiTECH Heart interactive displays provided by MHIF. As a sidenote, Blue Cross Blue Shield will provide blood pressures using MHIF staff as part of our existing service agreement.
Saludando Salud (Greeting Health)-Physical Activity Promotion Program
Saludando Salud is a program of the Region Nine Development Corporation which provides culturally and linguistically appropriate health education/promotion services to the Latino population living in South Central Minnesota. This program will incorporate the use of pedometers with current and future cardiovascular health improvement activities in order to further encourage and motivate Latino participants to increase and measure their level of physical activity. Program coordinators will also incorporate MHIF programs and services into future community health education programming to further support the cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention needs of those communities they serve.
Deaf Community Organizers
Representatives from the Deaf Community in the metro area are beginning to enhance their health literacy program. A screening and education program will be held Tuesday October 19, 2004 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. This program will screen 25 people and will include a computerized health risk appraisal, testing total cholesterol, HDL, glucose and blood pressure. Individual risk factor counseling will be available upon receipt of results. The education program will include a presentation describing how to interpret screening results as well as provide education on further enhancing your heart health. Interpretive services will also be available. This project is a pilot program that will further enhance the communication efforts of MHIF. Depending on the outcome of the pilot project, the Deaf Community plans on offering a future screening for deaf community members.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
