UPMC Health Plan to Host We Can!(R) Regional Training Event

PITTSBURGH, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health Plan will host a two-day training session designed to teach community leaders about We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) April 27-28, 2010, at Marriott City Center Hotel, Uptown.

We Can! is a national movement of families and communities that promotes healthy weight in children ages 8-13 through improved food choices, increased physical activity, and reduced screen time (TV, computers, and video games).

We Can! was developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 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. Currently, more than 1,000 community sites across the country have registered to run programs.

NIH representatives will conduct the sessions, which are designed to train community leaders how to improve children's health by teaching them to make healthy food choices and to become more physically active.

Participants in the training session will learn how to plan and start a We Can! community program, how to implement the program's science-based curricula for parents as well as youth, and how to build and sustain successful We Can! partnerships with local organizations. Participants will also hear from local Pittsburgh organizations that will share their We Can! success stories.

"As an organization, we are concerned about childhood obesity in our community and we like to show our support for programs that help children improve food choices, increase physical activity, and reduce screen time in front of TVs, computers, and video games," said Diane P. Holder, President and CEO of UPMC Health Plan, a corporate partner of We Can! and a co-sponsor of the training session along with Subway® restaurants. "We Can! is the kind of program that can make a difference in our community."

The interactive training session is targeted toward people who work in parks and recreation departments, schools, after-school programs, youth-serving organizations, public health departments, hospitals and health systems, faith-based organizations, and worksites and will offer networking opportunities for all community members concerned about the growing problem of childhood obesity.

The training meets the requirements for Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing reaccreditation, and health care professionals who register for the course will be eligible for 0.9 continuing education units (CEUs) which equate to 9.75 contact hours.

Registration deadline is April 16, 2010. There is a $50 registration fee for the session, but some scholarships are available. For more information about the Pittsburgh training event or to register, go to www.wecantrainings.org.

UPMC Health Plan spearheads the We Can! Pittsburgh initiative, which includes other prominent Pittsburgh-based organizations as key partners: The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Children's Community Pediatrics, the City of Pittsburgh, H.J. Heinz Company, and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. These organizations are working together to develop programming that promotes healthy eating and active lifestyles for the youth of the region. As a result of this partnership, Pittsburgh was named a We Can! City, the fifth in the nation.

About UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, is owned by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (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 1.4 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.

We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition, We Can!, and the We Can! logos are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). © 2010 Doctors Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE UPMC Health Plan