|
|
State announces more than $1 million in Women’s Health Initiative Grants for Illinois
Grants will help raise awareness and educate women about the health risks associated with common disease and health conditions
PETERSBURG – On behalf of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, announced today at the Menard County Health Department more than $1 million in Women’s Health Initiative Grants for non-profit organizations, health departments and service agencies in downstate Illinois to institute educational programs about menopause, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. The Menard County Health Department is receiving a grant to support a program that educates young women on the risk factors of cardiovascular disease and teaches them the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity.
“Many women spend so much time taking care of their families, they may not take enough time to care for themselves,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “Some diseases that affect women - including heart disease and osteoporosis - can be detected or even prevented through increased awareness. These grants are small investments that can go a long way toward raising awareness and helping communities promote healthy living.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Office of Women’s Health administers the grants, which are awarded to organizations that implement programs that provide guidance on issues related to nutrition, exercise, risk assessment, treatment options and prevention strategies.
“The Office of Women’s Health recognizes the need to educate the public about the benefits of healthy lifestyles and that positive behavioral changes can help improve and prevent a variety of chronic conditions,” said Dr. Whitaker. “We’ve added two new programs this year, Osteoporosis Prevention for Teens and Jump Girl Jump to address the common health condition of bone loss and at the request of grantees to add more programs for young girls.”
The Menard County Health Department received $11,000 for its Heart Smart for Teens program. Heart Smart for Teens is a nine-week program that educates adolescent girls on the risk factors of cardiovascular disease and teaches them the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity.
“The grant will allow the Menard County Health Department (MCHD) to introduce the Heart Smart for Teens program in the Athens School District as well as continue to support/assist the PORTA School District as they continue the Heart Smart for Teens programs,” said MCHD Administrator Alicia Davis.
“We are going to shift our other health classes to continue the Heart Smart for Teens philosophy, thus changing the students over time and developing a life-long attitude towards fitness,” said PORTA Junior High Principal Jeff Hill. “Additionally, our physical education classes are getting ready for the addition of a new center which will allow our students to further the Heart Smart curriculum in a different setting.”
The Women’s Health Initiative Grants are funded through state general revenue funds and include six programs.
- Heart Smart for Women, a 12-week community-based program designed to change unhealthy behavior while promoting the benefits of exercise and nutrition.
- Heart Smart for Teens, a nine-week nutrition and exercise curriculum geared to school-aged girls.
- Building Better Bones, a program for women that offers group education sessions as well as bone density screenings for osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis Prevention for Teens, a program targeting high school freshman and sophomore students that includes a presentation on osteoporosis and several activities which include a nutrition demonstration and exercises to promote bone building.
- Jump Girl Jump, a four-session structured jump rope and nutrition program for grade school girls designed to create awareness of bone health, physical activity, and the importance of calcium intake.
- Understanding Menopause, a program that offers educational sessions that help women understand peri-menopause and menopause and inform them about related health issues.
Gov. Blagojevich has made other significant contributions to promote and improve women’s health including:
- Increased funding for women’s health: Governor Blagojevich has consistently made women’s health a priority, allocating $24.1 million in state funding for women’s breast and cervical health programs over the last four years. This year, Governor Blagojevich allocated $2.1 million in new funding to increase eligibility for life-saving breast and cervical cancer screenings to women with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Since the Governor has been in office, more than 37,000 women, 48 percent of whom are minorities, received free screenings through the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP).
- Signed women’s health legislation into law: Last summer, Gov. Blagojevich signed several pieces of legislation affecting women’s health in Illinois. The “Ticket for a Cure” is a new lottery game to raise money for breast cancer research. Senate Bill 12 requires insurance companies to cover screening for breast cancer earlier in a woman’s life if her doctor considers her to be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. House Bill 3564 expanded and renamed the Penny Severns Breast and Cervical Cancer Research Fund to include ovarian cancer research. Senate Bill 521 requires insurers to provide coverage for ovarian cancer screening tests for women who are at risk. In 2004, Gov. Blagojevich also signed legislation creating a 12-member Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Force to help educate the public about cervical cancer and develop a statewide comprehensive prevention and control plan.
- Stand Against Cancer Initiative: Beginning in 2003, Gov. Blagojevich funded the Stand Against Cancer Initiative (SAC), a community outreach and screening program targeting the hardest to reach minority women. It is conducted by a coalition of neighborhood organizations, churches and Federally Qualified Health Centers. In fiscal year 2005, SAC provided more than 17,000 breast and cervical cancer screenings and reached more than 47,200 other women through educational programs and outreach.
- Hispanic Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative: In 2005, Gov. Blagojevich launched the Hispanic Breast and Cervical Cancer initiative, which is closely patterned after the Stand Against Cancer initiative. Women screened through the initiative who subsequently need diagnostic tests are referred to local IBCCP lead agencies.
- IllinoisWISEWOMAN Program: Providing the WISEWOMAN cardiovascular research program in both English and Spanish languages in 21 Illinois counties. The project is targeted toward women enrolled in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and helps them reduce heart disease by leading healthier lifestyles.
- Women’s Health-Line: Increased access to services through Women’s Health-Line and other informational resources. In FY06, the state-funded toll-free Women’s Health-Line responded to more than 2,000 requests, referring women to services and providing more than 600,000 free educational materials to women and community providers. These materials are also available through the department’s website.
- Illinois Healthy Women program: The Healthy Women program has helped women across the state who are losing their Medicaid eligibility stay healthy and promoted healthy births by providing comprehensive reproductive health care coverage, including annual physicals, Pap smears, mammograms, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives. Over 120,000 women have been offered this program since its inception in 2004.
For more information on women’s health and programs offered through the Illinois Department of Public Health visit www.idph.state.il.us or call the Women’s Health-line at 888-522-1282 or for TTY, (hearing impaired use only) 800-547-0466.
A list of this year’s Women’s Health Initiative Grants for Illinois, outside of Chicago, follows. Women’s Health Initiative Grants for Chicago will be announced July 21, 2006.
Fiscal Year 2007
Women’s Health Initiative Grantees
Organization |
City |
Project Title |
Amount |
Bond CHD |
Greenville |
Osteoporosis Prevention for Teens |
$4,500 |
Bureau CHD |
Princeton |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$14,000 |
Carroll CHD |
Mt. Carroll |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$20,000 |
Cass CHD |
Beardstown |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$8,500 |
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District |
Champaign |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$20,000 |
Coles CHD |
Mattoon |
Understanding Menopause |
$14,000 |
Crawford CHD |
Robinson |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$25,000 |
Decatur Memorial Hospital |
Decatur |
Understanding Menopause |
$20,000 |
Dewitt-Piatt Bi-CHD |
Clinton |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$18,000 |
East Side Health District |
East St. Louis |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$35,000 |
Fulton CHD |
Canton |
Building Better Bones |
$12,000 |
Good Samaritan Health and Wellness Center |
Downers Grove |
Heart Smart for Women |
$35,000 |
Greene CHD |
Carrollton |
Building Better Bones |
$7,500 |
Hancock CHD |
Carthage |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$15,000 |
Ingalls Wellness Center, Inc. |
Homewood |
Heart Smart for Women |
$25,000 |
Jasper CHD |
Newton |
Understanding Menopause |
$8,000 |
Jersey CHD |
Jerseyville |
Building Better Bones |
$17,000 |
Kane CHD |
Aurora |
Jump Girl Jump |
$25,000 |
Knox CHD |
Galesburg |
Heart Smart for Women |
$14,000 |
Lake CHD |
Waukegan |
Building Better Bones |
$30,000 |
Livingston CHD |
Pontiac |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$30,000 |
Logan CHD |
Lincoln |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$16,000 |
Macoupin CHD |
Carlinville |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$25,000 |
Madison CHD |
Wood River |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$40,000 |
Marion CHD |
Salem |
Heart Smart for Women |
$16,000 |
Marshall CHD |
Lacon |
Building Better Bones |
$13,500 |
McHenry CHD |
Woodstock |
Understanding Menopause |
$25,000 |
McLean CHD |
Bloomington |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$30,000 |
Memorial Hospital of Chester |
Chester |
Heart Smart for Women |
$14,000 |
Menard CHD |
Petersburg |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$11,000 |
Mercer CHD |
Aledo |
Heart Smart for Women |
$17,000 |
Montgomery CHD |
Hillsboro |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$13,000 |
Morgan CHD |
Jacksonville |
Heart Smart for Women |
$11,000 |
Oak Park DPH |
Oak Park |
Heart Smart for Women |
$21,000 |
Peoria City/CHD |
Peoria |
Building Better Bones |
$16,500 |
Perry CHD |
Pinckneyville |
Jump Girl Jump |
$10,000 |
Pike CHD |
Pittsfield |
Building Better Bones |
$20,000 |
Provena St. Joseph Medical Center |
Joliet |
Heart Smart for Women |
$25,000 |
Rock Island CHD |
Rock Island |
Heart Smart for Women |
$20,000 |
Salem Township Hospital |
Salem |
Jump Girl Jump |
$15,000 |
Sangamon CHD |
Springfield |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$22,000 |
SIU School of Medicine |
Springfield |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$30,000 |
Southern Illinois HealthCare |
Carbondale |
Building Better Bones |
$23,000 |
Southern Seven Health Dept. |
Ullin |
Heart Smart for Women |
$20,000 |
Stephenson CHD |
Freeport |
Understanding Menopause |
$17,000 |
Tazewell CHD |
Tremont |
Heart Smart for Women |
$17,000 |
Wabash CHD |
Mt. Carmel |
Heart Smart for Women |
$15,000 |
Washington CHD |
Nashville |
Understanding Menopause |
$6,000 |
Whiteside CHD |
Rock Falls |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$18,000 |
Winnebago CHD |
Rockford |
Understanding Menopause |
$20,000 |
Woodford CHD |
Eureka |
Heart Smart for Teens |
$28,000 |
Xilin Association |
Naperville |
Building Better Bones |
$25,000 |
YMCA of Alton |
Alton |
Jump Girl Jump |
$25,000 |
|
|
