Healthy Jacksonville Initiative Kicks Off as Duval County Health
Department & Pfizer Partner to Celebrate National Volunteer Week &
National Minority Health Month
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, 30 APRIL 2003 – The Duval County Health Department (DCHD)
and Pfizer Inc today announced their two-year partnership to support Healthy Jacksonville, a local initiative of Healthy People 2010, at an awards ceremony honoring Healthy Jacksonville coalition members and leaders, as well as program volunteers for their continuing contribution to the better health of Jacksonville citizens. Healthy Jacksonville consists of innovative programs through various coalitions to address health promotion and disease prevention throughout the community.
The announcement and ceremony will begin today at 8:30 a.m. at Florida Community College at Jacksonville at the Downtown Campus Auditorium located at 101 West State Street.
The partnership will support a Community Outreach, Health Education and Literacy Program (COHELP) using Pfizer’s Know Your Health® program, a comprehensive, health literate and culturally sensitive health education program for individuals with Diabetes and/or Hypertension. The program components include facilitator and interactive participant materials designed to educate individuals on the behavior needed for successful disease self-management. A leading researcher and health literacy expert will train volunteers from the Diabetes, Heart & Stroke and Interfaith Based Coalitions along with health care providers and city residents on the program. Approximately 250 volunteers will be trained to implement the program, and classes will then be taught in various settings throughout the City including clinics, schools and churches. Once 30 April 2003 2 volunteer training is completed in May, program locations and times will be announced in June by the DCHD.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to improve the quality of life for the residents of Duval County who otherwise might not have access to quality health care programs,” said Antoinette Lloyd, M.D., Director of Healthy Jacksonville at the DCHD. “More public-private partnerships such as this should be pursued so key public health issues, such as health literacy, can be effectively addressed at the local level”.
The DCHD will also determine the effectiveness of the Know Your Health® program and the COHELP approach through a controlled study being implemented and evaluated at the West Jacksonville Family Health Center and Agape Community Health Center. The DCHD will enroll approximately 150 patients, 18 years or older, with uncontrolled Diabetes and/or Hypertension. The study will determine the extent to which this program demonstrates improved clinical outcomes, medication compliance, and utilization of emergency department services. All data gathered will contribute to the more effective, evidence based medicine approach supported by DCHD in the effort to achieve healthier outcomes in Jacksonville. Study results will be available in Second Quarter 2005.
“The DCHD team assembled to implement this initiative has involved the citizens of Jacksonville in various capacities, such as focus groups and advisory councils” said Dr. Jeff Goldhagen, Director of the DCHD. “We perceive our future role to be leaders and partners in a public health system of care to better meet the needs of Jacksonville, and the Healthy Jacksonville partnership is one way to accomplish that objective.”
The Healthy Jacksonville partnership is also committed to providing other key health care services to community residents. Enrollment opportunities and information on the Pfizer for Living Share Card™ will also be available today. The Share Card™ program provides qualified, low-income, Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to obtain a 30-day supply of their medicines for a $15 fee and will be available throughout the community.
“Innovative public-private partnerships like Healthy Jacksonville are one of the important ways that Pfizer works together to improve the health of our communities,” said Forest T. Harper, Vice President, Pfizer for Living Share Card™ program. “Pfizer’s Share Card™ program is another example of how we are working with communities across the United States to provide access to medicine for thousands of low-income seniors who don’t have any prescription drug coverage.”
Pfizer will also be donating Listerine® mouth rinse to the County’s Mobil Dental Vans in order to raise community awareness of the importance of daily oral hygiene as it relates to overall health and wellness.
National Minority Health Month was created in April 2001 in response to, and in support of Healthy People 2010, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Surgeon General. Goals of the Month include raising public awareness, building public-private partnerships and encouraging health education and training of minorities across the country.
National Volunteer Week began in 1974 as a time to recognize and celebrate the efforts of volunteers at the local, state, and national levels and to provide a special opportunity to encourage Americans of all ages to get connected to their communities by volunteering.
The DCHD is part of the State of Florida’s Department of Health and today serves a population in Duval County of approximately 800,000 residents. It has an annual operating budget of $35 million and is staffed by approximately 600 employees. Some of the many partnerships established by the DCHD include relationships with the University of Florida, Shands Jacksonville and numerous business and civic organizations throughout Duval County/Jacksonville.
Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines, for humans and animals, and many of the world’s best-known consumer products.
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