Press Releases: Colorado
May 4, 2012
Kaiser Permanente Hosts The Weight of the Nation Premiere in Colorado Springs
DENVER — In Colorado, one in four children between the ages of 2 to 14 was overweight or obese in 2010. And in El Paso County, nearly 60 percent of adults and 28 percent of children are at an unhealthy weight. To address this rising concern, Kaiser Permanente Colorado and other local community partners hosted the Colorado Springs premiere of The Weight of the Nation. The event, held on Friday, April 27, included an interactive health expo and a screening of the fourth film in the series, “Challenges,” followed by an engaging Town Hall discussion featuring local experts and members of the audience.
Mistress of Ceremonies:
- Stacia Naquin: KKTV News Anchor
Moderator:
- Tyler Norris: senior advisor, Total Health for Kaiser Permanente
Panelists:
- Rick Hughes: director of Food and Nutrition Services for Colorado Springs School District No. 11
- Debra Lemke, MS, RD: manager, Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks
- Mina Liebert, MS, MCHES: director, LiveWell Colorado Springs
- Lisa Ramey, DO: pediatrician, Peak Vista Community Health Centers
- Kelley Vivian: development and sustainability director, El Paso County Public Health
Watch the full town hall presentation at: http://new.livestream.com/cdphepsd/weightofco/
Kaiser Permanente has partnered with HBO (Home Box Office), the Institute of Medicine, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on The Weight of the Nation campaign.
In The Weight of the Nation, HBO aims to help launch one of the most far-reaching public health campaigns on this epidemic to date. The series debuts on May 14, exclusively on HBO, and is comprised of four documentary films, a three-part HBO Family series, 14 bonus shorts, a social-media campaign, a book published by St. Martin’s Press and a nationwide community-based outreach campaign. Further information on the series can be found at theweightofthenation.hbo.com.
The Weight of the Nation Colorado Springs premiere served as a launching pad for a new initiative in El Paso County to improve community health. Comprised of dozens of community organizations and key stakeholders, the Healthy Community Collaborative is focused on increasing healthy eating and active living in settings such as schools, worksites and in neighborhoods. The goal is to stop the upward trend of overweight and obesity in El Paso County within the next five years and reverse the trend in the coming decade.
This health expo, screening and “The Weight of El Paso County” Town Hall discussion were made possible with support and participation of El Paso County Public Health, LiveWell Colorado Springs, and the Healthy Community Collaborative.
About Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the state’s largest nonprofit health plan, proudly working to improve the lives and health of Denver, Boulder, and southern Colorado area residents for more than 40 years. Kaiser Permanente Colorado provides comprehensive health care services to more than 535,000 members through 24 medical offices and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. Kaiser Permanente is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the top-ranked private health plan in Colorado , No. 6 in the nation and one of the top three Medicare plans in the U.S. In 2011, Kaiser Permanente proudly directed more than $90 million to community benefit programs to improve the health of all Coloradans. For more Kaiser Permanente news, visit kp.org/newscenter or follow us on twitter @kpcolorado or facebook.com/kpcolorado.