Pittsburgh named We Can! City

UPMC Health Plan, in partnership with 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, launched We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition!). We Can! is a science-based national education program developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the growing obesity epidemic facing our nation’s youth, ages 8-13.

Eight cities simultaneously hosted We Can! events, including a media event in Boston, MA, featuring Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, the Acting Surgeon General. The other cities were Los Angeles; New York; Las Vegas and Carson City, NV; Memphis; Oak Ridge, TN; and Rockford, IL.

UPMC Health Plan will work with the partner agencies to develop programming focused on healthy eating and active lifestyles for the youth of Western Pennsylvania. We Can! was designed so that local civic groups, parent groups, churches, and others can implement activities in their communities. We Can! provides parents and caregivers in home and community settings with educational materials and activities, including a course for parents, a website, a parent handbook in both English and Spanish, several youth programs, and community events and projects.

“The We Can! program empowers parents in Western Pennsylvania with innovative resources to help their families maintain healthy lifestyles,” says Diane P. Holder, president of UPMC Health Plan. “We are proud to be part of this initiative to help youth in our region achieve better health.”