Solutions to combat chronic disease – America’s No. 1 cause of death, disability and rising healthcare costs – will be the focus of a free webinar discussion on March 24.
Sponsored in part by The Ohio State University, the webinar will focus on evidence-based approaches for preventing and managing chronic conditions and how academic institutions can implement these best practices on campus and throughout their communities. Additional sponsors include the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities (BHAC) and the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.
“The health of our country is in crisis,” said panelist and Ohio State's Chief Wellness Officer and Dean of the College of Nursing Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN. Melnyk is also founder and president of the National Consortium, an organization that shares its best practices to improve health and wellness outcomes across campuses nationwide. “With the alarming increases in obesity, chronic illness and mental health disorders, it is imperative that higher education institutions place high priority on wellness initiatives and prevention with a sense of urgency,” said Melnyk.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly 600,000 American deaths each year (one in four). An estimated one in three will have diabetes by 2050, and more than 75 cents of every U.S. dollar spent on healthcare is used to treat chronic disease. Melnyk also noted that one in four people suffers from some sort of mental health disorder, yet less than 25 percent receive treatment.
While cardiovascular disease is a popular topic of conversation, this particular webinar discussion will specifically address the value of screening and educating the public.
“What many don’t realize is that several of these conditions can be prevented and effectively managed through simple, healthy lifestyle changes,” explained Melnyk. “With 33 million people teaching, working, learning and living on college campuses in the U.S., academia has an incredible opportunity to influence national health policy and practices and ultimately help build a healthier nation.”
Building Health Academic Communities across the U.S. to Prevent and Manage Chronic Conditions: A Webinar Discussion
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 | 1-3 p.m.
Registration is free.
Panelists:
- William H. Dietz, director of STOP Obesity Alliance and director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University
- Terry Fulmer, university distinguished professor and dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University and incoming president of The John A. Hartford Foundation
- Bernadette Melnyk, university chief wellness officer at The Ohio State University and founder and president of the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities
- Catherine M. Stoney, program director of the Prevention and Population Sciences Program in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Kenneth Thorpe (moderator), chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
- Sarah Van Orman, president of the American College Health Association and executive director of University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Janet Wright, executive director of the Million Hearts® initiative for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
