PowerUp takes the stage in Washington 

PowerUp will be featured on a national stage at the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC on Sept. 30. Marna Canterbury (Director of Health and Wellness Lakeview Foundation), Sue Hedlund (volunteer chair of the Lakeview Foundation Health and Wellness Advisory Committee) and Donna Zimmerman (HealthPartners) will showcase how PowerUp is bringing the St. Croix Valley together to make better eating and active living easy, fun and popular, so that our kids can reach their full potential.

They will share successes and lessons learned with a national audience as we continue to work hand-in-hand to create and sustain change in partnership with the communities we serve. Nico Pronk (HealthPartners) will facilitate throughout the full day conference as a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee.

You can watch this conference by registering for the free webinar at www.iom.edu/Activities/Nutrition/ObesitySolutions/2014-SEP-30.aspx

About the Conference 

Cross-Sector Work on Obesity Prevention, Treatment and Weight Maintenance: Models for Change

Obesity affects 17 percent of children and adolescents and almost 36 percent of adults. Conservative estimates suggest that obesity now accounts for almost 10 percent of the national health care budget. Until the obesity epidemic is reversed, obesity will continue to drive rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. A 2012 IOM report, Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention, highlighted the need for action across all sectors to address the environmental and policy drivers of the epidemic. Many sectors have recognized the need for action, and a number of groups have formed across the country to tackle specific aspects of the epidemic. Stakeholders with a traditional role in promoting health, such as health care and public health institutions, have aligned and partnered with sectors not traditionally engaged in health promotion and obesity prevention, including education, transportation, business and industry. Successful examples of cross-sector collaborations exist, yet barriers exist when scaling and replicating such cross-sector initiatives. Continued efforts to partner and develop shared goals and initiatives between sectors are key to the prevention and control of obesity.

This public workshop, hosted by the IOM Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, will:

• Explore models of cross-sector work that may reduce the prevalence and consequences of obesity.
• Identify case studies of cross-sector initiatives that engage partners from diverse fields.
• Identify lessons learned from and barriers to established cross-sector initiatives.
• Engage participants to identify potential applications for their communities and organizations.