HealthCorps at New York City Hall

On Friday, June 15, 2007 as part of their Obesity Prevention Initiative, the New York City Council approved $1.7 million for HealthCorps in 22 New York City public schools. This money will also allow HealthCorps to participate in five health fairs in New York City.

At noon on Tuesday, June 5, 2007, Dr. Mehmet Oz joined the New York City Council in announcing the Obesity Prevention Initiative.

• Over half of New Yorkers are overweight
• Initiative will target obesity in all age groups

NEW YORK CITY HALL: Majority Leader Joel Rivera, Chair of the City Council Health Committee and Dr. Mehmet Oz, of The Oprah Winfrey Show and founder of HealthCorps, unveiled an innovative, integrated initiative designed to combat the obesity epidemic facing New York City. Obesity is the main cause of various conditions including: high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol.

Numerous other health advocates included in the initiative were on hand: N.Y.U. School of Medicine's "The Body Project: Banishing Obesity and Diabetes", N.Y.C. Obesity Prevention and Management Consortium, SPARK and the New York RoadRunners Foundation.

"HealthCorps is grateful to be a key player in Councilman Rivera's historic ' Obesity Prevention Initiative'", says HealthCorps founder Dr. Oz. "We are especially proud that, through this initiative, New York City is setting the standard on childhood obesity education for the rest of the country. $1.7 million for HealthCorps will allow them to execute the program in 22 New York City Schools and organize a health fair in each borough to reach out to the larger community. HealthCorps' holistic approach addresses root causes of preventable obesity and its secondary diseases. Our commitment to community activism ensures that our lessons continue to spread beyond the classroom."

HEALTHCORPS, www.healthcorps.org, is a non-profit education program dedicated to addressing childhood obesity and changing the state of health of the youth of our nation. HealthCorps educates kids about the workings and wonders of their bodies through in/after school seminars on nutrition, exercise and mental resilience empowering them to become educated consumers and make positive shifts in behavior.

Councilman White holds up five pounds of fat during the Obesity Prevention Initiative press conference.

HealthCorps Coordinators joined Dr. Mehmet Oz in presenting HealthCorps lessons at New York City Hall.

Cable news channel New York 1 was among many news outlets that covered the press conference.