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News release: California - Northern
September 21, 2005
MEDIA CONTACTS: Helping Latinas Make Healthy Choices Every Day Kaiser Permanente supports the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association to promote health guidelines to Northern California Hispanics/Latinos SAN FRANCISCO – Kaiser Permanente, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association today announced their collaboration on a public awareness campaign to help Hispanic/Latino women and their families lower their risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke by following a single set of recommendations. Combined, the four chronic diseases account for nearly two out of every three deaths in the United States. Kaiser Permanente donated $1 million to support the Preventive Health Partnership, an unprecedented collaboration between American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association, to bring the existing Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life campaign to Hispanic/Latino communities in Northern California. Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life is a three-year public education campaign based on four preventive strategies that the organizations recommend for all adults:
“We call the campaign “Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life” because we want people to know there are alternatives they can implement every day to protect themselves and those they love from heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many cancers,” said Michelle Torres, M.D., American Heart Association spokesperson, Kaiser Permanente, Centro de Salud, Spanish Module. Support from Kaiser Permanente will fund materials for a two-year bilingual campaign for the Hispanic/Latino communities in Northern California, including this year’s launch of Spanish-language television and radio advertisements, bilingual brochures and community outreach. Through the Everyday Choices For a Healthier Life campaign, the organizations seek to support Hispanic/Latino women who want to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and assess their personal risk for disease with a medical professional. “Kaiser Permanente physicians regularly recommend the guidelines in the Everyday Choices campaign to patients, but there are many Latino families who do not visit a doctor for preventive care,” said Valerie Kwai Ben, M.D., cardiologist, Kaiser Permanente. “Kaiser Permanente is devoted to keeping our communities healthy. That is why we think it is important to get these messages to Latinas who have a strong influence on health-related issues in their families, including meal planning, social activities and doctors visits,” she said. “Statistics show that Hispanic/Latino women are the least likely of ethnic groups to use preventive services such as Pap tests to detect cervical cancer, and mammography and breast exams to detect breast cancer,” said Marynieves Diaz-Mendez, spokesperson for American Cancer Society and outreach coordinator, University of California, San Francisco, Center for Aging in Diverse Communities. “We believe it is essential to bring this campaign to the Hispanic/Latino communities because they have unique health risks highly relevant to this campaign.” Nearly one-third (32.2%) of all deaths in Hispanic/Latino females are caused by heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is twice as common among Mexican-American and Puerto Rican adults than among non-Hispanic/Latino white adults. About 67,400 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2003 among Hispanic/Latinos and 22,100 died from cancer. “We can begin to change those statistics by recommending four simple lifestyle changes: Eat a healthy diet, achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, become more physically active and avoid tobacco products. These steps can become a part of daily life, and can help protect you and your family from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” said American Diabetes Association spokesperson Rafael Gonzalez-Amezcua, M.D., Internal Medicine, On Lok Senior Health. The bilingual Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life (Elecciones Diarias Para Una Vida Más Saludable) campaign kicks off with television and radio advertisements and a website. The multimedia campaign is targeted primarily to Hispanic/Latina women ages 30 to 50 (considered the primary “health-influencers”), living and working in the nine Bay Area counties and the Sacramento and Fresno areas. A free Spanish-language brochure is available by calling 1-866-399-6789. It provides information that Hispanics/Latinos can use to help protect themselves from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Those interested in learning more can also visit www.escogelasalud.org, a Spanish website featuring information and tips on healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation and recommended medical tests. # # # About the organizations: The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. With local offices in 106 communities, the California Division of the American Cancer Society reached 2.3 million Californians with cancer prevention and early detection messages last year. The American Cancer Society is the largest source of not-for-profit, non-governmental funding of cancer research in the US. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The Association's commitment to research is reflected through its scientific meetings; education and provider recognition programs; and its Research Foundation and Nationwide Research Program, which fund breakthrough studies looking into the cure, prevention, and treatment of diabetes and its complications. Visit the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Since 1924 the American Heart Association has helped protect people of all ages and ethnicities from the ravages of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and other cardiovascular diseases, claim nearly a million American lives a year. The association invested more than $348 million in fiscal year 2002-03 for research, professional and public education, and advocacy so people across America learn what they can do to reduce their risk and live stronger, longer lives. Visit the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org or call 1-800-AHA-USA-1 (1-800-242-8721). Kaiser Permanente, founded in 1945, is a non-profit integrated health care organization, with physicians, nurses and staff working in collaboration to provide high quality care to patients and address the health care needs of communities served by the organization. The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region serves almost 3.2 million members. It includes 6,000 physicians in The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) and about 54,000 employees. The region has 19 major medical centers. Each year, Kaiser Permanente donates about $300 million to a variety of community programs and agencies in Northern California. http://www.kaiserpermanente.org Back to Northern California press releases
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