Share |

Press Release

Independence Blue Cross celebrates Public Health Awareness Week

IBC's CEO and Department of Health Secretary part of live school fitness demonstration

Philadelphia, PA - April 5, 2010 - Highlighting the message that physical activity is one of the keys to good health, Independence Blue Cross will be demonstrating its commitment to children’s health and mark Public Health Awareness Week with an interactive fitness event coordinated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Independence Blue Cross president and chief executive officer, Joseph A. Frick, will be on hand as Secretary of Health Everette James and students at Owen J. Roberts Middle School demonstrate HOPSports, a multimedia physical fitness system that encourages movement through activities such as martial arts, yoga, and dance.

Owen J. Roberts Middle School is one of ten recipients of the Active Schools $15,000-per-school grant program funded in part by Independence Blue Cross. The statewide Active Schools program allows selected schools to put in place programs to reduce childhood obesity and encourage middle school students to engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. The funding is part of Independence Blue Cross’s broader commitment to keeping kids healthy and preventing illness. For more information, read the 2009 press release announcing Independence Blue Cross’s commitment to Active Schools.

What:

Public Health Awareness Week event
Multimedia circuit training exercises: participants, including 80 students, will demonstrate the HOPSports program, which will include 90-second intervals of jumping rope, doing bicep curls, jumping low (6”) hurdles, and lifting a stability ball in varying patterns.

Who: Attendees and participants include:
  • Joseph A. Frick, President and CEO of Independence Blue Cross
  • Everette James, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health
  • Russell C. Redding, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
  • Robert “Mitch” Akers, executive assistant to Secretary Gerald Zahorchak, Pennsylvania Department of Education
  • Joseph M. Torsella, president of the State Board of Education
  • Corrinne Caldwell, chair of the State Board of Education’s Health and Wellness Committee
Where:

Owen J. Roberts Middle School gymnasium
881 Ridge Road
Pottstown, PA 19465
Directions to Owen J. Roberts
When: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 1:15 p.m.

About Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.3 million people. For more than 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals.

Independence Blue Cross supports comprehensive health care reform that would extend coverage to all Americans, reduce costs, and improve quality. Learn more about our views on health care reform by visiting our website at www.ibx.com/about_ibc/health_care_reform.

Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Important information about links to other sites