August 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 58

N R PA I n A c t i o n

Prevention and Wellness
NRPA awarded $1.1 million for health initiatives

T

he National Recreation and
Park Association was awarded
$1.1 million on Wednesday, July
7, 2010, by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) as part of the
HHS Communities Putting Prevention to
Work (CPPW) initiative, a comprehensive
prevention and wellness initiative funded
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. NRPA is one of 10
national non-profit organizations competitively selected to support public health
efforts to reduce tobacco use and reduce
obesity through increased physical activity and improved nutrition.
NRPA's award will support activities
over a 24-month period that will promote
policies, systems and environmental
change strategies to advance the nation's efforts to prevent chronic diseases
and related risk factors.  NRPA will work
in partnership with local communities to
provide expert guidance and implement
strategies that positively impact policies,
systems and environments. NRPA's activities have long included health and
wellness programs that support its organizational mission. CPPW reflects HHS'
broader commitment to helping prevent
disease before it starts.  The program
has five distinct initiatives: a community
initiative, a states and territories change
initiative, a states chronic disease selfmanagement initiative, the national organizations initiative and a supporting
media campaign.  NRPA Chief Executive Officer Barbara Tulipane attended
an announcement of the awards at HHS
Headquarters on July 7, 2010, in which
representatives from the selected organizations participated in a roundtable
discussion with HHS Assistant Secretary
for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H.,
to share highlights of each organization's
expertise and identify opportunities for
cross collaboration. 

56	 Parks & Recreation

SEPTEMBER 2010

" NRPA is pleased to help lead the
fight against chronic disease and encourage communities in America to live
healthier, more active lifestyles, " said
Tulipane.  " Improving our nation's health
begins with the positive choices of each
individual. Through the CPPW grant, we
can ensure that our message makes an
impact in local communities in the U.S.
and eventually resonates throughout the
country. "
In addition to N R PA, the CPPW
awardees include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart
Association, the American Lung Association, the Association of American Indian Physicians, BlazeSports America,
the Community Food Security Coalition, the National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, the Sesame Workshop and
the Society for Public Health Education.
CPPW grant recipients will provide expert guidance to community leaders,
help sustain prevention efforts when Recovery Act funding ends, and foster a national movement toward prevention by
implementing key practices across their
networks and systems. The selected national organizations will also help communities implement prevention policies
that will enable residents to live longer,
healthier lives. Examples of these strategies include: incentives to food retailers to locate and offer healthier options
in underserved areas; healthier choices
in child care, schools and the workplace;
subsidized memberships to recreational
facilities; safe routes to school; and evidence-based strategies that discourage
tobacco use and increase utilization of
cessation programs.
For more information on the CPPW
initiative, contact Zarnaaz Bashir, senior project manager, at 703.858.4746 or
zbashir@nrpa.org.


www.NRPA .ORG

Thank You!

T

he National Recreation
and Park Foundation
would like to thank you all for a
wonderful summer of parks and
recreation. Keep up the great
work in your community!
The NRPF is a 501 (c) (3) organization supporting research
and public awareness of the
economic, social and physical
value of parks and recreation
in creating healthy families and
communities for all populations
to include educating and reaching the underserved, through
grants provided to NRPA (i.e
Environmental Stewardship and
Play Summits; Parks Build Community initiative with Marvin
Gaye Park).
Jeremy M. Culpepper
NRPF Administrator
admin@nrpfoundation.
org * 864-634-0412
263 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634
Fran Mainella, NRPF Chair
fmainel@clemson.edu
August 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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