Grant to N.C. Prevention Partners reaches more people in need across state
February 03, 2004
CHAPEL HILL — N.C. Prevention Partners, a program allied with the N.C. Institute for Public Health, received a grant last fall from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust of Winston-Salem, and has recently added two prevention programs to underserved areas statewide as a result of the funding.The N.C. Institute for Public Health is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health’s bridge to those working in public health practice across the state as well as regionally and nationally.
The grant of $267,385 is being used to integrate two prevention programs, the Winners Circle Healthy Dining Program and Quit Now NC!, into clinics in underserved and economically disadvantaged areas.
“We know that people of limited incomes and fixed incomes in the state have some of the greatest health needs,” said Dr. Melva Fager Okun, Quit Now NC! coordinator. “The grant from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust gives us additional resources to continue to work to improve health in North Carolina.”
As part of this effort, all Quit Now NC! and Winner’s Circle Healthy Dining Program resource materials are being translated into Spanish and designed to be attractive to diverse cultural groups.
The Winners Circle Healthy Dining Program works to create healthy eating environments statewide by helping local partners and affiliates help restaurants to identify and promote healthy menu items; create consistent, credible and easily recognized nutritional guidance for consumers in restaurants; and increase consumer demand for healthy restaurant items.
Quit Now NC! serves as a resource for adults who want to quit smoking, for their families and friends who want to help and for health professionals with patients who use tobacco.
“The grant is allowing us to do special outreach into areas of counties with fewer resources and greater need,” said Kim Shovelin, who directs the Winner’s Circle program for N.C. Prevention Partners. “We will identify restaurants where people on limited incomes go to eat and enlist such places in the Winner’s Circle program.”
The grant will also help ensure that resources of the Quit Now NC! collaborative are available to smokers wanting to quit in Durham, Chatham, Robeson, Lenoir and Pamlico counties, Okun said.
“Clinic and health department staff have attended a Quit Now NC! training session, and site visits and presentations have begun. Smoking cessation educational materials, including the ‘Starting the Conversation on Tobacco’ tool, are being distributed.” Okun said, “We have completed the Spanish translation of the ‘Starting the Conversation’ tool and will be testing it in several clinics before printing the brochure.”
N.C. Prevention Partners, founded in 1998, serves the state by working to improve the longevity and quality of life of North Carolinians and has nearly 1,000 statewide partners.
The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was created in 1947 by the will of Mrs. William N. Reynolds of Winston-Salem. Three-fourths of the trust’s grants are designated for use in health-related programs and services across North Carolina and one-fourth for the underserved population of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
This news release was researched and written by Jena Wittkamp, of Raleigh, a December 2003 UNC graduate, with degrees in women’s studies and journalism and mass communication.
Note: Contact Okun at (919) 843-4455.
News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu
For further information please contact Lisa Katz by email at lisa_katz@unc.edu
