Partnership for a Healthier America
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is a nonprofit created in conjunction with - but separate from - First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity. PHA works with the public, private and nonprofit sector to broker commitments and develop strategies to address the epidemic. Obama serves as PHA's honorary chair, alongside honorary vice-chairmen former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and Senator Cory Booker.[1]
| Partnership for a Healthier America | |
|---|---|
 Making the Healthy Choice, the Easy Choice | |
| Type | Non-Profit |
| Focus | Health and Nutrition |
| Honorary Chair | Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States |
| Honorary Vice-Chairs | Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader Cory A. Booker, Senator of New Jersey |
| President and CEO | Nancy E. Roman |
| Founders | Alliance For a Healthier Generation The California Endowment Kaiser Permanente Nemours Robert Wood Johnson Foundation W.K. Kellogg Foundation |
| Website | http://www.ahealthieramerica.org |
The mission of PHA is "to end childhood obesity within a generation by serving as a nonpartisan convener across the private, non-profit and public sectors to accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and to facilitate commitments towards the first lady's national initiative."[2] Core activities of the organization include: (1) developing a strong membership of network leaders across sectors with commitment to scaling meaningful and measurable solutions; (2) convening members annually to affirm, align and announce commitments; (3) promoting broad understanding among all sectors about the role healthy food, physical activity and the environment play in reversing the childhood obesity epidemic; (4) facilitating and measuring the impact of members' commitments against clear and transparent targets; and (5) connecting potential partners in the private and nonprofit sectors to each other and to the correct points of contact in government to ensure efficient leveraging of actions, sharing of knowledge and lessons learned both at the community, state and national levels.[2]
Commitments and Partnerships
Current partnerships and commitment include: All-Clad, Birds Eye, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Bright Horizons, Brown's Super Stores, Calhoun Enterprises, The California Endowment's FreshWorks Fund, ChildObesity 180, Darden, McLane Company, Inc. The Fresh Grocer, The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Hyatt Hotels, Kaiser Permanente, Klein Family Markets, The Links, Inc., National Governing Bodies (NGB) of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), Produce Marketing Association, US Olympians Association, USA Cycling and USA BMX, US Paralympics, U.S. Soccer Federation, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Tennis, USA Field Hockey, USA Volleyball, USA Gymnastics, US Olympic Committee, New Horizon Academy, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, SuperValu, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and The YMCA.
The above list demonstrates current contributors to the objectives of PHA. Two examples of PHA partnering with these organizations: First, in 2012, PHA brokered commitments with several National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), US Olympians Association, and US Paralympics to increase physical activity among the nation's youth. Second, PHA worked together with 11 national sports organizations (USA Swimming, USA Tennis, et al.) to provide beginner athletic programming to more than 1.7 million kids in 2012.[3]
Partnership for a Healthier America also leads two influential behavior change marketing campaigns. The first, FNV (Fruits 'N Veggies) is a celebrity driven campaign that encourages Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables. Celebrities like Cam Newton, Steph and Ayesha Curry, Cindy Crawford, Rob Gronkowski, and others are supporters of the campaign. The campaign started in 2015 and is expanding to states and cities across the country. The second, Drink Up, is a campaign that encourages Americans to drink more water. The campaign is a proven driver of water consumption and contributed to water becoming the most popular beverage in the US in 2016.[4]
The PHA Annual Summit
PHA's annual summit "brings together private sector, government and non-profit leaders to end childhood obesity within a generation." Its purpose is to help ensure a coordinated and succinct national agenda around fighting childhood obesity. "The aim is to foster dialogue, forge partnerships, and streamline childhood obesity initiatives among the private, non-profit and public sectors." During the summit there are breakout sessions over the two-day event, which includes tracks to discuss making childcare healthier for children; creating opportunities for people to buy healthier foods in supermarkets; increasing physical activity; and working with schools to create a healthier learning environment.[5]
PHA held the inaugural Building a Healthier Future Summit in Washington, DC on November 29–30, 2011 and has held a summit every year since. The organization's Honorary Chair Former First Lady Michelle Obama has spoken at every summit to date. The 2017 Summit featured, in addition to a conversation with Mrs. Obama, speeches by former President Bill Clinton, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and actresses Gabrielle Union and Cindy Crawford.
See also
References
- "First lady Michelle Obama: 'Let's move' and work on childhood obesity problem". The Washington Post. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- Yancey, Antronette. Let's Move! and Partnership for a Healthier America: Opportunities for Employers. UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. Web. 10 Oct. 2012
- "Partnership For A Healthier America". ahealthieramerica.org.
- "The Drink Up Campaign Is Improving America's Health, One Water Bottle at a Time". www.nielsen.com. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2012-12-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)