Press Release
February 5, 2015
The Fit for Kids Funders’ Consortium is pleased to announce that Rush-Copley Foundation is joining the Leadership Board of the Consortium. The Fit for Kids Funders’ Consortium is private-public partnership established to support the comprehensive, coordinated, community-based initiatives needed to make Kane County “Fit for Kids” and implement the Fit Kids 2020 Plan. Fit for Kids is the Kane County initiative to reverse childhood obesity by 2020. (www.makingkanefitforkids.org)
Rush-Copley Foundation joins Funders’ Consortium members: the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, United Way of Elgin and Kane County Department of Health and Division of Transportation.
The Fit for Kids 2020 Plan is a template for reversing childhood obesity and was created by the local community in 2010-2011 to spark grassroots and organizational implementation of the Fit Kids 2020 Plan. Fit for Kids strives to change policies, systems and the environment to create a culture of health.
The Funders’ Consortium has made over $520,000 available to community partners to support local efforts to reduce obesity in the community and implement the Fit Kids 2020 Plan. These funds have been and will continue to be made available to community organizations, municipalities and coalitions that implement strategies consistent with the Fit for Kids goals.
Rush-Copley Medical Center completed a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment in 2013 to prioritize and address the top health issues in the community it serves. This area includes Aurora, Oswego, Montgomery, North Plainfield and most of Kendall County. The top three health priorities identified were obesity, chronic disease prevention and management with a focus on diabetes, and access to care with a focus on medications for the uninsured and underinsured.
Obesity was targeted for a number of reasons including (1) the severity of the problem in our community; (2) the fact that it disproportionately affects Hispanic Americans, and (3) because reducing the prevalence of obesity would positively impact the health of the community and reduce the incidence of chronic disease.
The hospital formed planning teams in 2013 to develop and implement strategies for addressing all three priorities. The Obesity Planning Team’s Implementation Strategy focuses on community-based wellness programs, programs that target obesity prevention and weight loss, and weight loss and nutrition programs for Rush-Copley employees.
Increased involvement with the Fit for Kids Program was identified as one of the priorities of this Implementation Strategy. Rush-Copley Foundation is proud to fulfill this directive by representing Rush-Copley Medical Center on the Leadership Board of the Funders’ Consortium.