Partnership for a Healthier America Marks Two-Year Anniversary
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 9, 2012) – This week, as the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)—which works with honorary chair First Lady Michelle Obama and the private sector to solve the nation’s childhood obesity crisis—marks the two-year anniversary of its founding, PHA President and CEO Larry Soler issued the following statement:
“Two years ago, PHA was created to engage private companies in the childhood obesity fight. Today, 19 of the nation’s leading private sector organizations have made meaningful commitments to help put an end to this epidemic. We couldn’t be more pleased with the efforts of our partners. Commitments from leading industry retailers, grocery store chains and childcare centers are resulting in healthier options on children’s menus; access to fresh fruits and vegetables for people living in underserved communities; healthier options on store shelves; more active environments in early childhood education centers, and much more. We look forward to continuing this work with our current partners and with new corporations that are committed to helping make the healthy choice the easy choice for busy parents and families.
“The support of PHA’s honorary chair, First Lady Michelle Obama, and honorary vice-chairs, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, MD, has been essential in helping PHA achieve our mission over the last two years. Their determination to solve this problem is remarkable and the spotlight that the First Lady, in particular, has shined on this crisis through her work with Let’s Move! and PHA is invaluable. But none of our work would be possible without the vision and ongoing support of PHA’s founders: The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, Nemours, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“We will continue to work together in this fight until our collective goal is achieved: to end childhood obesity within a generation.”
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.