Pre-Registration for Commit to Fit! Six Weeks to Wellness Business to Business Challenge Begins April 1st

The Commit to Fit! Six Weeks to Wellness Challenge is a six week business-to-busines challenge that encourages employees to represent their organizations by practicing healthy behaviors and promoting health to others. It is available free-of-charge to all Genesee County organizations interested in bringing wellnes to the workplace and participating in a little “healthy” competition. 

Greater Flint Health Coalition Team Becomes Part of the Elite Group Participating in "Collaborate for Healthy Weight," a Groundbreaking Initiative to Improve Obesity Prevention and Treatment in Local Communities

With obesity levels in the U.S. at all-time highs, Genesee County healthcare leaders are working together to make local improvements through “Collaborate for Healthy Weight,” a national effort to reverse the epidemic through innovative local partnerships between primary care providers, public health professionals, and leaders of community-based organizations. Genesee County is one of 50 locations across the country that has been chosen for this groundbreaking program that will bring solutions to the local community and share strategies on a broader scale. The effort is being led by the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ), in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Commit to Fit! 3-Ton Healthy Weight Loss Challenge Reflects on its Achievements & Successes

The Commit to Fit! 3-Ton Healthy Weight Loss Challenge focused on celebrating healthy living and community unity in the New Year. Men, women, and families throughout Genesee County united in efforts to accomplish a single cumulative goal – total 3 Tons of healthy weight loss in a two month period. 

• 798 Participants lost weight during the challenge
• Average weight loss per participants was 2.88 Lbs
• 179 Participants lost 10 Lbs or more
• Over 500 Participants lost 3 Lbs or more

• The free Commit to Fit! Fitness & Nutrition classes were a great success in providing participants an opportunity to healthy activities in the winter months
• About 30 participants attended each class including Zumba, Resistance Bands, and Nutrition Education
• Stay tuned as these will return this spring as part of the 6 Weeks to Wellness Business-to-Business Challenge 

Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program grant boosts efforts to help Genesee County workers succeed in healthcare careers

The Greater Flint Health Coalition’s Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program, a Flint-area program designed to help workers embark on careers in the healthcare industry received an important boost recently, thanks to a one-year grant totaling $125,000 from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC). 

Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program holding Information Sessions for Applicants of April 2012 Healthcare Training Cycle

Are you interested in becoming a Pharmacy Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, or another in-demand medical professional? The next class of the Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program will begin April 5, 2012.

Commit to Fit! 3-Ton Healthy Weight Loss Challenge Registration Now Open

The first annual Commit to Fit! 3-Ton Healthy Weight Loss Challenge, a community-wide challenge that will take place from January 2nd – February 29th, is now open for registration.  The challenge, which is available free of charge to any resident who lives or works in Genesee County, looks to celebrate healthy living and community unity in the New Year via the promotion of healthy weight loss as well as fun, community activities.  This New Year, Commit to Fit! will help individuals attempting to reach a healthy New Year’s Resolution by encouraging all individuals and families to reach a single cumulative goal: a total of 3 tons of healthy weight loss together in two months.  It includes the following components to promote this goal:

For additional detail reference the 3-Ton Challenge flyer (3-Ton Challenge). Please distribute this information and share the flyer widely within your organization or to friends and family. 

The deadline to register and enter your starting weight is January 14th.

If you have additional questions or would like assistance, please contact Tony Cuttitta, Project Manager, Greater Flint Health Coalition at (810)232-2228 or gfhc@flint.org

Greater Flint Health Coalition (15th) Annual Meeting Dee Edington Presentation Slides Now Available

The Greater Flint Health Coalition held its 2011 (15^th) Annual Meeting of the Members on Wednesday, December 7^th, 2011. This meeting featured Keynote Speaker Dee Edington, PhD. on the topic of “Population Health as a Serious Business Strategy in the 21^st Century.” To view slides from this presentation, please click on the file below.

Dee Edington Presentation Slides

GFHC's 15th Annual Meeting with Keynote Speaker Dee Edington, Ph.D. to take place December 7, 2011 - RSVP Now

The Greater Flint Health Coalition’s 2011 (15th) Annual Meeting of the Members will take place Wednesday, December 7, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Riverfront Banquet Center in downtown Flint. Dee Edington, Ph.D. will serve as Keynote Speaker on the topic of “Population Health as a Serious Business Strategy in the 21st Century.” In addition to the feature keynote address by Dr. Edington, annual GFHC business will be conducted in accordance with GFHC bylaws. A reception will take place immediately following the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.

In celebration of the GFHC’s 15th year, this public annual meeting will be open to all GFHC members, partners, and friends, as well as interested community members. Attendance is free with a RSVP submitted before December 7, 2011. RSVPs can be submitted directly to the GFHC by telephone at (810) 232-2228 or email at gfhc@flint.org. For questions, please contact Jill Dempsey at the Greater Flint Health Coalition.

Keynote Speaker Biography: Dee W. Edington, Ph.D. is the Director of the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan and renowned author of "ZERO TRENDS: Health as a Serious Economic Strategy." Trained in mathematics, kinesiology, and biochemistry, Dr. Edington received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Michigan State University and completed his M.S. at Florida State University. He taught at the University of Massachusetts before coming to Michigan in 1976. Dr. Edington is the author or co-author of over 500 articles, presentations, and several books, including Biology of Physical Activity, Biological Awareness, Frontiers of Exercise Biology, The One Minute Manager Gets Fit and the 2nd edition, The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life. Dr. Edington’s teaching and research focus on the relationship between healthy lifestyles, vitality, and quality of life, as they benefit both individuals and organizations. He is specifically interested in how individual health promotion, worksite wellness activities, and programs within organizations impact health care cost containment, productivity, and human resource development. Dr. Edington and the Health Management Research Center studies the precursors to disease and vitality and serves as an innovative, world-class leader in driving towards information-driven decision making in the evolving new health care environment.

Commit to Fit! Healthy Holidays Challenge kicks off November 1st through December 12th - Join the MOVEment today!

Following the success of the Commit to Fit! Fall 4 Fitness Business-to-Business Challenge, the Greater Flint Health Coalition is pleased to announce the next opportunity to join the Commit to Fit! MOVEment in Genesee County with the Healthy Holidays Challenge.

A six-week, individual-based overall wellness challenge, the Healthy Holidays Challenge encourages individuals to practice simple, daily activities to be more active, eat healthier (a challenge in itself during every holiday season), and promote wellness to others. All individuals who live or work in Genesee County can participate at no cost by registering and tracking their activities at www.commit-2-fit.org. Those who complete the challenge goal will be eligible for a number of fantastic prizes.

The Commit to Fit! Healthy Holidays Challenge goal is for each participant to reach 5,000 or more Commit to Fit! Wellness Points during the six-week challenge period of November 1 through December 12, 2011. Wellness Points can be earned by incorporating simple healthy behaviors and activities into one’s every day routine. A detailed breakdown follows:

• 10 Points for each day with a Login
• 50 Points for every 2,500 Steps Logged in the 
Physical Activity Tracker
• 10 Points for every 2 Fruit & Vegetable Servings
• 10 Points for every 3 Hydration Servings
• 100 Points for every 1 pound of Weight Loss
• 50 Points for Starting a Team
• 25 Points for Joining a Team
• 10 Points for sending a Motivational E-Card
• 5 Points for Posting to Challenge Message Board
• 25 Points for Submitting an Event
• 10 Points for Each Day that you meet your 
“Daily Steps Goal”
• 25 Points for Submitting a Testimonial

All those who meet the challenge goal of 5,000 or more Commit to Fit! Wellness Points will be entered into a grand prize raffle for a number of great rewards. There will also be weekly prize drawings throughout each week of the challenge period.

For more information or to sign up, visit www.commit-2-fit.org, sign-in (or register if new to Commit to Fit!), and register for the challenge by visiting the “My Challenges” page to “Join Challenge – Healthy Holidays Challenge.”

It’s that simple. Register today – and tell a friend, family member, or co-worker to join the Commit to Fit! MOVEment with you today.

First Annual Commit to Fit! Fall 4 Fitness Business-to-Business Challenge Winners Announced

A first of its kind community-wide business-to-business challenge, the Commit to Fit! Fall 4 Fitness Challenge was an effort to engage employers to promote wellness in the workplace. Based upon the established model of Greater Flint Health Coalition members HealthPlus of Michigan and Citizens Bank’s annual business vs. business challenge, Fall 4 Fitness sought to offer a fun way to practice healthy behaviors in a competitive workplace challenge that was promoted community-wide.

In this first annual event, 50 businesses and organizations signed up to compete in Fall 4 Fitness with a four-week goal for each participant to practice 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Nearly half of the 4,500 participants met or exceeded the total challenge goal of 780 minutes. In total, over 3 Million minutes of physical activity was logged during Fall 4 Fitness. The Commit to Fit! interactive website – www.commit-2-fit.org – recorded over 27,000 individual log-ins during the challenge period.

On October 25^th, the Greater Flint Health Coalition and Fall 4 Fitness lead sponsor HealthPlus of Michigan announced the winners in the Small and Large Business Divisions of the challenge, as follows:

Small Business pision (Employers with 10-99 employees) 

Winners – Highest Average Minutes Per Participant:
1^st Place – Crim Fitness Foundation (1325 Average Minutes)
2^nd Place – Benefit Review Services (1181 Average Minutes)
3^rd Place – Greater Flint Health Coalition (1176 Average Minutes)

Winner – Highest Percentage of Total Employee Participation:
1^st Place – Benefit Review Services (100% Participation)

Winner – Highest Percentage of Participant Goal Attainment:
1^st Place – Benefit Review Services (93% Goal Attainment)

Large Business pision (Employers with 100+ employees) 

Winners – Highest Average Minutes Per Participant:
1^st Place – Genesee County Community Mental Health (1236 Average Minutes)
2^nd Place – Case Manufacturing (1228 Average Minutes)
3^rd Place – Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Company (1059 Average Minutes)

Winner – Highest Percentage of Total Employee Participation:
1^st Place – HealthPlus of Michigan (77% Participation)

Winner – Highest Percentage of Participant Goal Attainment:
1^st Place – Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Company (83% Goal Attainment)

In addition to the business winners, over 33 total cash prizes were awarded totaling $3,000 to raffle prize winners eligible for meeting their 30 minutes per day goal for the total challenge period.

For more information on Commit to Fit! visit www.commit-2-fit.org today, register, and join the movement for your first steps to a healthier, happier life.