News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: June 5, 2009
For more information, contact Virginia Elliott, Vice President for Programs, 620-662-8586

Health Fund Announces Grants for State Fiscal Analysis, Home Environment Project

Hutchinson, KS—The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund announces two grants totaling $282,000 to support health-related projects serving Kansans.

The Community Health Institute of Kansas State University receives a $132,000 grant supporting the development and evaluation of the HOP’N Home Environment Project, a preschool program seeking to improve home environments to encourage more physical activity and healthful nutrition for young children.  Program focuses include media literacy, to help young children distinguish between commercial advertising and entertainment, and providing parents new tools to ensure their children engage in active play and eat healthful meals and snacks.

Once developed, the preschool program will be tested at the KSU Stone House Child Care Center in Manhattan.  At least four child care programs in Butler County will also participate.  The project is being led by David Dzewaltowski, Ph.D., director of the Community Health Institute.

“Parents and children are bombarded with media messages,” said Dzewaltowski.  “Making healthy food and activity decisions in this environment is really challenging—especially when your children are begging for something they just saw on TV.  We think it’s important to help children understand what a commercial is and help parents resist the barrage of profit-making influences when making decisions affecting the health of the entire family.”

Kim Moore, president of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, said Health Fund grants have for several years focused on healthy lifestyles for young children, but that is has been difficult to engage parents.  “This is a very promising approach to reaching parents and young children with important messages about nutrition and physical activity,” Moore said in announcing the grant.  “We are hopeful that this project will provide a tool for Kansans to use in preventing childhood obesity.”

Topeka-based advocacy organization Kansas Action for Children receives a $150,000 grant to support KAC’s Fiscal Focus work over the next three years.  Fiscal Focus provides ongoing analysis of state budget and tax policies, and their impact on low-income children and families. The goal of Fiscal Focus is to ensure a balanced tax system and budget process which protects the well-being of Kansas children and their families while providing for a stable system of state revenues.  This is the Health Fund’s third grant to KAC supporting analysis, education, and technical assistance related to Kansas budget issues, with the goal of assuring that economically vulnerable children and their families are considered.

Based in Hutchinson, the mission of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is “Healthy Kansans through cooperative and strategic philanthropy guided by Christian principles.”  Funded through an endowment established in 1986 by the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church from a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Wesley Hospital in Wichita, the Health Fund has since awarded grants totaling more than $50 million, supporting projects to improve the health of all Kansans.

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