| Food: A Cause of Chronic Disease? |
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The national statistics are chilling: seven out of ten deaths each year are from chronic disease; heart disease, cancer and stroke account for more than 50% of all deaths each year; obesity and diabetes among adults and children are at epidemic levels. Westchester County is not immune to the nationwide epidemic of diabetes and the rising incidence of heart disease. According Westchester County Department of Health Community Health Assessment, 2010-2013, less than half of resident’s have a healthy weight. Westchester County Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Disparities noted communities of color are disproportionately affected by a wide range of preventable health conditions that impact life expectancy and quality of life. Low-income families throughout the county live in neighborhoods where there is little to no access to fresh, local fruit and vegetables. They also suffer disproportionately from the effects of poor diet and nutrition.
A Film Focusing on Food: Forks Over Knives The Westchester Community Foundation has partnered with Jacob Burns Film Center to present a documentary film series, “Community Matters” to explore topics affecting those who live and work in Westchester. On March 15, 2012, the Foundation will dedicate the fourth film in the series: Forks Over Knives. The film examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and post-film gathering to generating discussion and activism around this timely topic. Cheryl Archbald, M.D., MPH, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Community Health, Westchester County Health Department will add a medical perspective to the panel discussion. Dr. Archbald practices pediatrics and preventive medicine in New Rochelle, New York. Also included on the panel will be Westchester native Douglass DeCandia, Food Growing Program Coordinator with the Food Bank for Westchester. Deeply committed to food justice, Mr. DeCandia is a member of the board of directors of InterGenerate and helped launch the Heritage Egg Co-Op at John Jay Homestead in 2011. Laura Rossi-Ortiz, Program Officer at the Westchester Community Foundation, will complete the panel. She helped develop the Foundation’s Faith-Based and Healthy Food Initiatives. WCF has supported health fairs and screenings, services for cancer patients and cancer survivors, programs to educate the community about environmental toxins, and conferences that explore health disparities and encourage efforts to bring healthier food to schools. Past grantees include Cancer Support Team, the Cancer Survivorship Program at Lawrence Hospital, the Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley, El Centro Hispano, Neighbors Link, Open Door Family Medical Center, the Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council, the Westchester Public Private Partnership for the Aging, and the Westchester Coalition for Better School Food. Through its Faith-Based Health Initiative, the Foundation is supporting programs conducted in places of worship, food pantries, and community centers that help residents become aware of their own health concerns through health information in a culturally sensitive context. These include presentations by health providers on chronic disease risk factors; screenings for high blood pressure, glucose, heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS; and promotion of healthy lifestyles through improved diet, regular exercise, and smoking cessation. Current grantees are Sister to Sister International and Hudson River HealthCare, which are providing services in Yonkers and Peekskill.
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Since 2004, Westchester Community Foundation has awarded more than $450,000 in grants to help make Westchester healthier.