MWSU gets in the G.A.M.E.

Missouri Western State University wants to help youth in the community get fit while having fun, so next month it will kick off “G.A.M.E. on Griffs,” a 12-week program for parents and their children between the ages of 8 and 13 designed to improve health and wellness. The free program is limited to 30 parent/child teams, and the deadline to apply is Sept. 1.

G.A.M.E. stands for “goal accomplishment through mentoring and exercise, and Western students will serve as mentors, working with the teams and helping them progress toward their goals.

The kickoff for the program will be from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 13 on Western’s campus and will include breakfast. Teams then will meet for activities in the M.O. Looney Complex from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday through Dec. 2, and a celebratory wrap-up event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Dec. 6.

Planned activities include swimming, hiking, scavenger hunts, Frisbee golf, Dance Dance Revolution, Nintendo Wii, video game bicycles and more. Those who complete the weekly curriculum and activities will be eligible for prizes, including a Wii, which will be given away at the Dec. 6 party.

For an application or more information, call 271-4492 or 271-4407.

Northwest Health Services observes Health Center Week

Northwest Health Services will observe National Health Center Week 2008 through Aug. 16. It is a national campaign dedicated to recognizing the service and contributions of America’s community health centers.

The special focus for this year’s week is a new health center plan to create more healthcare homes in the future for the medically unserved and to honor the healthcare heroes at existing health centers today.

These heroes are health center doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals who have chosen to serve in communities in need, helping to expand the reach of primary-care and preventive health services.

Events marking NHCW include newspaper advertisements, banners, radio advertisements and an open house at Northwest Family Dental.

The celebration comes as health centers nationwide launch a collective effort to reach the goals of a new plan called ACCESS for All America to serve 30 million people by the year 2015.

There are 56 million people nationwide — many of them with health insurance — who are struggling without access to basic health care because of a local shortage of primary care doctors, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. With the ACCESS plan, health centers, which now serve as the healthcare home for more than 17 million patients nationwide, can nearly double their reach and bridge the gap between the demand for primary healthcare services and the available supply.

Also, for the first time ever, NHCW sets aside two days to focus on special populations who are often left outside of the mainstream healthcare system. Health Care for the Homeless Day will be observed on Aug. 13, and the first-ever Farmworker Health Day will be observed on Aug. 14.

National breastfeeding month observed

Breastfeeding, and in particular, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, ranks among the most effective interventions for improving child survival and health.

During the month of August, to promote breastfeeding, the St. Joseph/Buchanan County Health Department, 904 S. 10th St., has several activities planned.

For more information about the benefits of breastfeeding or breastfeeding week activities, contact Cheri Lenz, WIC breastfeeding peer counselor, at 271-4880.

Lifestyles reporter Erin Wisdom can be reached at ewisdom@npgco.com.