Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/63045
6A Daily News – Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Vitalityfitness health BY JENNIFER GARZA McClatchy Newspapers SACRAMENTO — Last year, Michelle Bouchard and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the TV talk show host, visited Sacramento, Calif. They noticed the problem of childhood obesity here was similar to what they had seen in many cities across the country. They met kids who knew more about fast food than fresh fruit and spent more time playing videogames than ballgames. The prob- lem was typical. But Bouchard realized the com- munity was not. This is where we want to be, Bouchard told Oz. With that, Bouchard took the first step toward leaving New York City and making her home in Sacramento, where she oversees Health- Corps, the national organi- zation Oz founded to reshape kids' minds and bodies. from community leaders makes the city an ideal place to wage her campaign. "I love everything about Sacramento," Bouchard said. "It has a great food cul- ture and a great community for the kind of work we want to accomplish." But she knows there's a & Nonprofit founded by TV's Dr. Oz seeks to get Sacramento's youths off couches, into fitness Bouchard and Health- Corps are part of a move- ment to push back the rising tide of childhood obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama is planting gardens and teaching kids healthy eating habits. Oz promotes a healthy lifestyle on his show. And voters indicate they are willing to pay to address the issue: 62 percent of Californians said they would support a special tax on soda and soft drinks to fight childhood obesity, according to a Field Poll released last week. Bouchard believes Sacramento can be at the forefront of the fight. She said the combination of innovative thinkers, fresh food, location and support lot of work to be done. About 43 percent of Sacramento County fifth, seventh and ninth graders weigh more than is healthy, according to results from school physical fitness tests. About 28 percent of stu- dents in those grades have body compositions putting them at "high risk" for future health problems. There are other costs as well. The cost of hospital- izations in the U.S. related to childhood obesity rose from $125.9 million in 2001 to $237.6 million four years later, according to a study in the journal Health Affairs. HealthCorps aims to turn this around. The organiza- tion, named and modeled after the PeaceCorps, is comprised of young adults — future doctors and public health workers _ who work with schools to develop pro- grams that fit the communi- ty. The organization, which has an $8 million budget, is funded through corporate and individual donations. The program promotes nutrition, fitness and mental strength. Curriculum includes field trips to organ- ic farms, building commu- nity gardens, yoga and Zumba workouts, and health education. HealthCorps started in 2003 and is now available on 53 campuses across the country, including three in redbluff.mercy.org www.redbluff.mercy.org Auxiliary Spring Luncheon May 5th, 12 noon, Red Bluff Community Center. Call 824-6410 Cardiac Support Group Childbirth Class Community Diabetes Support Group 6:30pm-8:00pm 5/71st Monday Diabetic Education Grief Support Group Waterbirth Class Community Basic Life Support 6:00pm-8:30pm 5/14 2nd Monday Columba 527-5077 6:30pm-8:30pm 5/3 5/10 Thursdays 6:00pm-10:00pm 5/8 Tuesday 5:30pm-9:30pm 5/23 Wednesday Columba 529-8026 3:00pm-5:00pm 6:30pm-8:30pm 5/9 2nd Wednesday Columba 529-8026 www.redbluff.mercy.org Thursdays Coyne Center 528-4207 Columba 529-8026 Columba 529-8026 Columba 527-5290 MCT photo Kevin Huerta and Lang Thao follow the moves of Gloria Lozaro as she leads a fitness class for stu- dents from Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. the Sacramento area: Luther Burbank, Hiram Johnson and Sacramento Charter high schools. Oz is the pro- gram's visionary and leader. But day-to-day operations are overseen by Bouchard, who is president of the non- profit and runs it out of her midtown office. Corps can serve as a resource to help with the integration of private and public initiatives," Oz said in a statement. "We also felt that Sacra- mento is an ideal place in which to grow HealthCorps' mission." It's her job is to get word out about the organization and her calendar is filled with meetings with commu- nity leaders. She develops long-term strategy, travels to schools across the county and plans fundraisers. She is currently organizing two, one in New York and one in Sacramento on April 30. The "Inaugural Health- Corps Gala, Journey to Oz," will be hosted by Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa. "We believe Health- Restaurateurs Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney host- ed three dinners to introduce Bouchard to regional lead- ers. "We are one of the rich- est agricultural regions in the world," said Patrick Mulvaney. "Let's use our access to food and collabo- rate with each other to see whether we can improve the health of people who live here through diet." On a recent weekday morning, Chioma Enweasor spoke to 35 restless teenage girls in a health education class at Luther Burbank High School. If you have a question about marijuana, now is the time to ask, she said. And they did. Why do people get hungry after smoking? What chemical makes it addictive? Why do eyes get red? Enweasor, who will attend medical school next year, was friendly and mat- ter-of-fact with her audi- ence. positive presence on cam- pus," said Ted Appel, the school's principal. "Chioma does a lot of work, from the community garden to the health fair. She even pro- motes health among the fac- ulty." "HealthCorps is a very The idea for Health- Corps came after Oz per- formed a triple bypass on a 22-year-old patient. The young man and his family celebrated the successful surgery in his hospital room with McDonald's hamburg- ers and fries. At that point, Oz realized that "something had to be done or he would be seeing more and more young peo- ple with heart disease or in the morgue," said Bouchard. Bouchard is a longtime friend of Oz. She met his sister, Seval, while a student at Wellesley College and the two are still best friends. Bouchard was living in New York when Dr. Oz called. "He said, 'Will you be my guinea pig?,'" she recalled. Oz asked if she would participate in a program he was starting called, "You On A Diet." At the time, Bouchard was carrying around weight she had gained after the birth of her second child. She agreed to work with Oz and her weight loss jour- ney was chronicled on the Discovery Channel. "When I agreed, I didn't know it would mean having cam- eras around all the time," she said, laughing. Bouchard lost 30 pounds in three months and became an Oz success story. career, having worked as an actress, a model and in the business world. She was chief financial officer of a corporation charged with the redevelopment of a for- mer military base in New York Harbor when Oz asked her to take over Health- Corps. She has had an eclectic ALLERGIES? GOT "I knew what it had done to me, so I knew it could change lives," she said. "And as a single parent, I know the challenges parents deal with everyday." She would like to see more schools and agencies participate in the program, but her ultimate goal is to go away. "Unfortunately," she said, "there's a big need for us right now." LASSEN MEDICAL GROUP Expands Red Bluff Urgent Care to 7 days a week. www.lassenmedical.com 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive (530) 527-0414 James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances 528-1220 RED BLUFF 331 Elm Street 222-5115 REDDING 2138 Court Street Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114