Hill Health Center News Release

For immediate release March 14, 2003

Information: Robert Kilpatrick

503-3276 (w)

245-4533 (h)

rkilpatrick@hillhealthcenter.com

www.hillhealthcenter.com

Hill Health Center Launches Program for Vision Health

To help protect the community’s eye health, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has awarded Hill Health Center (HHC) monies to promote eye health education, reduce visual impairment and foster collaborations to address the vision health challenges in the New Haven area.

According to Brenda Galvin, HHC diabetes educator, the project will focus on examining and improving the existing delivery system of eye care services for people with diabetes, raising provider and patient awareness regarding dilated eye examinations and risk factors for retinopathy, and increasing patients' use of dilated eye exams.

With over 1,000 diabetics being followed at HHC, diabetic eye care will be a big part of the Eye Clinic recently opened at HHC. This consists of screening patients with diabetes for signs of retinal disease related to diabetes.

An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes. All are at risk of developing severe vision loss or blindness from eye diseases that are common complications of diabetes. Though early detection and treatment can significantly reduce the risk of diabetic eye disease, many people who are at risk do not have their eyes examined regularly to detect these problems before they impair vision.

HHC was one of 523 organizations that applied for the award from NEI, which received applications from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. This year’s group of awards provides funding for 32 grants totaling more than $315,000. Applicants submitted proposals under the Healthy Vision 2010 Community Awards program, an implementation of the vision objectives component of Healthy People 2010, the nation’s health promotion and disease prevention agenda.

“Healthy People 2010 is a comprehensive plan to improve the health and well-being of all Americans,” said Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “Promoting eye health and vision care at the community level is a key component of this program. The Healthy Vision 2010 Community Awards program recognizes the commitment of local organizations to improve eye health and quality of life for the people they serve.”

The vision objectives of Healthy People 2010, referred to as Healthy Vision 2010, address visual impairment due to eye disease, encourage routine eye examinations for children and adults, support vision screenings for preschool children and promote injury prevention as well as vision rehabilitation.

The Healthy Vision 2010 Community Awards program and Healthy People 2010 also support Healthier U.S., a comprehensive public health initiative recently launched by President Bush that will be implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthier U.S. uses the resources of the federal government to alert Americans to the health benefits of modest improvements in physical activity, nutrition and behavior.

The Healthy Vision 2010 Community Awards program also helps community organizations nationwide develop and implement sound educational programs, according to NEI Director Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D. “These educational programs extend the availability of vision services to those who need them most. We believe that by working together at the national and local levels, we can encourage individuals and communities to focus on preventive and rehabilitative care and make eye health a priority.”

NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NEI’s research on eye diseases and disorders leads to sight-saving treatments and plays a key role in reducing visual impairment and blindness.

For more information on HHC, visit www.hillhealthcenter.com or call Robert Kilpatrick at 503-3276. More Information on Healthy Vision 2010 is available at www.healthyvision2010.org <http://www.healthyvision2010.org>.