Secretaries Chair the Bipartisan Policy Center's Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative

Olympic Medalist Derek Parra, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, and Oquirrh Recreation and Parks District Director Brent Sheets to Highlight Programs that Encourage Physical Activity in the Community

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- All Americans deserve the opportunity to engage in safe, accessible physical activity, whether during work, school, or recreational time. However, barriers exist for Americans to be active. On Monday, August 8, 2011, former Cabinet Secretaries Mike Leavitt, Donna E. Shalala, Dan Glickman and Ann M. Veneman, who co-chair the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, will visit the Utah Olympic Oval and Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center to learn about the various programs helping to break the barriers and increase physical activity across all age groups in the Salt Lake City area. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 69 percent of adults and 33 percent of children are overweight or obese. The four commonly recognized barriers to physical activity, as outlined in the recent America's Great Outdoors Report, include: access, programs, inspiration, and infrastructure.

Tour locations:

9:15AM – 10:00AM - Visit the Utah Olympic Oval. Tour will be conducted by Derek Parra, Olympic champion and Outreach Director for Youth Sports Programs, and Marc Norman, Vice President, Utah Athletic Foundation. They will discuss how the Oval offers access and programming for kids in underserved communities, especially by hosting P.E. programs for local elementary schools and hockey training to four area high schools.  

Address:  5662 South Cougar Lane (4800 West), Kearns, Utah

10:00AM - 10:45AM – Cabinet Secretaries walk to the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center. Tour will be conducted by Oquirrh Recreation and Parks District Director Brent Sheets and include an explanation of the organization, facilities and free programs available through the "District," which serves more than 800,000 participants in every age group in the community each year. Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon will also attend the site visit and explain the unique programs available on the county level.

Address:  5624 South Cougar Lane (4800 West), Kearns, Utah

Following the morning site visits, a closed-door roundtable discussion with local leaders will be held at 11AM at the Utah Olympic Oval.  The discussion will cover a range of affordable and accessible physical activity programs in the Salt Lake City area. It will also focus on the importance of built environments and community partnerships.  

The Utah site visit and roundtable discussion is the second event of several to be held around the country by BPC's Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative. The Initiative was launched in March 2011 in Washington, DC. Throughout 2011, the co-chairs will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to highlight important elements of the national conversation around the issues of investing in children's health, creating healthy schools, improving the health of communities, and developing healthy institutions. They will work to promote federal, state, and local policies, programs, and best practices that can attract bipartisan support for legislative, administrative, and private sector action. Recommendations drawing on the information obtained throughout the year will be incorporated into a final policy report to be released in Spring 2012.

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:

Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a non-profit organization that drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue. With projects in multiple issue areas, BPC combines politically balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach.  For more information, please visit our website: www.bipartisanpolicy.org

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center

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