UPMC Health Plan and Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Announce Classes to Combat Childhood Obesity

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health Plan and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (JCC) are collaborating to help children and their families stay healthy through the We Can!™ (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) Energize Our Families Youth Wellness Program.

The JCC will offer eight-week sessions of the program in winter, spring, and fall 2010 at the Squirrel Hill facility, 5738 Forbes Avenue. The winter session is currently in progress and has been well attended. The spring session, for children ages 8 to 13 with a parent or caregiver, will be held on Sundays from 1:30–3 p.m., beginning March 14 and ending May 2. The cost for the program is $35 for a member family (parent and child) and $50 for a non-member family. Participation will be limited to 20 children and parents. Scholarships are available. To enroll or find out more about the We Can! Energize Our Families Youth Wellness Program, contact Marsha Mullen at the JCC, 412-521-8011 ext. 380, or e-mail [email protected].

"We are proud to support the JCC in its efforts to help children and their families live healthier lives," says Diane P. Holder, President and CEO of UPMC Health Plan. "The Health Plan believes that helping children make proper food choices and stay active will go a long way in keeping them healthy."

The We Can! Energize Our Families Youth Wellness program is an adaptation of the larger, national We Can! movement developed by the National Institutes of Health — part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — to help children ages 8–13 improve food choices, increase physical activity, and reduce screen time (TV, computers, and video games). We Can! is unique among existing youth obesity-prevention initiatives in its focus on reaching parents and families as a primary group for influencing young people.

"The JCC's exciting collaboration with UPMC Health Plan for the We Can! program helps impressionable adolescents and their families make healthy living habits part of their everyday lifestyle," says Brian Schreiber, President and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. "We Can! is well-matched with our century-old philosophy of meeting the health and wellness needs of our community."

UPMC Health Plan is a corporate partner of We Can! and has spearheaded the We Can! Pittsburgh initiative, which includes other prominent Pittsburgh-based organizations as key partners: the City of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Children's Community Pediatrics, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and H.J. Heinz Company. The JCC has been a longtime proponent of the We Can! program and has offered We Can!-related programs in the past. As a result of this partnership, the JCC has become a new partner organization with the We Can! Pittsburgh initiative.

About UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, is owned by UPMC, one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. The integrated partner companies of the UPMC Insurance Services Division – which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Work Partners, LifeSolutions (EAP), UPMC for You (Medical Assistance), and Community Care Behavioral Health – offer a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to nearly 1.3 million members. Our local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,600 physicians in a 29-county region. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.

About the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (JCC)

The JCC is one of the largest social service, recreational, and educational organizations of its type in the region, annually serving more than 25,000 individuals of all races, religions, and socio-economic means whose ages range from six weeks to over 100 years old. 

Now in its 115th year, the JCC fosters the same growth and advancement of its members and visitors as it did more than a century ago, addressing the needs of vulnerable populations who depend on the Center for service: the young, the elderly, and people with special needs. JCC activities are designed to meet the dynamic needs of a diverse community with a multitude of needs. Comprehensive programming includes day care and preschool in the Early Childhood Development Center, after-school programs, day and overnight camping, adult activities, fitness and wellness programs for all ages, special needs services, arts and culture activities, including a nationally accredited Jewish museum, and scores of community-wide programs. The JCC currently associates with over 140 community organizations through program partnerships and collaborations and is a founding member of the United Way and the United Jewish Federation.

SOURCE UPMC Health Plan