LEXINGTON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation program, Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM, today announced a grant of more than $190,000 to the Mallory Community Health Center in Lexington to create the Dr. Martha W. Davis Healthy Families Movement program.
The Dr. Martha W. Davis Healthy Families Movement Program is designed to reduce the risk of heart disease among low-income, African-American women of childbearing age in Mallory Community Health Center’s (MCHC) community. The program will implement a comprehensive cardiovascular wellness program that combines medical, nutritional and fitness counseling with a targeted stress management intervention. The program will also provide an array of enjoyable and engaging community-based opportunities for women to exercise, eat healthy, cultivate social support and lose weight.
“The Martha Davis Healthy Families Movement affords women in central MS an opportunity to have access to a free health and weight management program,” said Stellanda Davis-Cornelius, MCHC CEO. “Because of this, the Healthy Families Movement Program is perfect for women interested in improving their cardiovascular health and teaching their families healthier lifestyle choices while reaching their personal weight loss goals.”
The program will use evidence-based curriculums and recruit participants via referrals from MCHC physicians and liaisons with schools, Head Start, public housing and churches. Clients will receive physical, nutritional and psychosocial assessments and work with a physician, dietician and behavioral health specialist to develop and adhere to individualized wellness plans incorporating nutritional counseling, increased physical activity and stress management. Training in deep breathing, guided imagery, journaling and coping skills will be provided using the Bright Futures Guide to Emotional Wellness (US Health Resources & Services Administration) and a weight management program that focuses on cognitive behavioral health strategies and goal setting.
“We must work to decrease the risk of and prevent cardiovascular disease in the United States, by providing resources to those in need,” said James W. Blasetto, M.D., MPH, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. “The Mallory Community Health Center is providing an innovative program to improve cardiovascular health throughout central Mississippi.”
Connections for Cardiovascular Health was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca. The program awards grants of $150,000 and up to US-based non-profit organizations that are doing innovative work in the field of cardiovascular health. The grant will be used to focus on screening initiatives that will identify patients with or at-risk of cardiovascular disease. Those individuals who do not have health insurance or are underinsured will be given the option of establishing a medical home with the free health clinic.
Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Foundation grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. Applications must be submitted online no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on March 15.
About Mallory Community Health Center
MCHC is a Joint Commission Accredited Federally Qualified Health Clinic. Our slogan is “Enter A Patient, Leave A Friend”. The slogan reflects the caring which is intrinsic to our mission. MCHC’s focus includes services aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles, primary care, social services, nutritional counseling and public transportation. For more information about the MCHC and the Dr. Martha W. Davis Healthy Families Movement, visit our website at www.mallorychc.org.
About the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation
Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose.
CONTACT:
AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation
Tony Jewell, 302-885-4594
or
MCHC, Dr. Matha W. Davis Healthy Families Movement
Tiffani Grant, 601-855-5275
KEYWORDS: United States North America Mississippi
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Women Health Cardiology Philanthropy Consumer Foundation
MEDIA:
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