THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Prevention and

Public Health Champions of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Janine E. Janosky, Vice President for the Center for Community Health Improvement Akron, OH

Janine Janosky, PhD, serves as Vice President and Senior Fellow for the Center for Community Health Improvement at the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, Ohio (ABIA). The Institutes Accountable Care Community initiative is an integrated health and wellness model supported through a Community Transformation Grant from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund. Under Dr. Janoskys direction, ABIA aims to foster collaborations and shared responsibility among various sectors in the community to transform health in Northeast Ohio. In its first 18 months the program has focused on diabetes and seen more than half of participants lose weight and decrease body mass index. In addition, the average cost of care for individuals with diabetes was reduced and diabetes-related Emergency Department visits decreased. Previously, Dr. Janosky served as the Vice Provost for Research at Central Michigan University and as an Executive Director and Inaugural Leader for the Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research at the University of Pittsburgh. Erica Washington, Healthcare-Associated Infections Coordinator New Orleans, LA Erica Washington is the Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Coordinator for the State of Louisiana. As the HAI Coordinator, Ms. Washington works with acute care hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and other providers to combat healthcare-associated infections and meet national patient safety goals. Ms. Washington's notable achievements include the successful implementation of the first state-based National Healthcare Safety Network Data Use Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will improve Louisianas ability to track and prevent healthcare-associated infections. With support from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund, Louisiana has decreased rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections and continues to work toward a zero infection goal. Ms. Washington has served as the 2012 president of the Greater New Orleans Chapter of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and currently serves on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Hospital Advisory Committee and the eQHealth Solutions Advisory Committee. Andrea Hays, Director of the movement Initiative & Upgrade Campaign Evansville, IN Andrea Hays, MPH, is the Director of the movement Initiative and the Upgrade campaign at the Welborn Baptist Foundation in Evansville, Indiana. The overall goal of the movement Initiative is to promote changes in the community that make healthy living easier for all. The Upgrade campaign encourages residents to achieve health improvements by making small lifestyle changes such as taking the stairs or drinking water. Ms. Hays accomplishments include launching a corner store initiative bringing healthy food access to underserved neighborhoods, establishing the area's first bike

rental, expanding healthy meals at hospital and university campuses, and increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. In September 2012, Ms. Hays assumed the role of Project Director for a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Transformation Grant, which is funded through the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund and was awarded to the Foundation on behalf of the Healthy Communities Partnership of Southwest Indiana to support tobacco-free living, healthy weight, and preventing chronic disease across the lifespan. Marion Kainer, MD MPH, Physician and Epidemiologist Nashville, TN Dr. Kainer is an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist. She is the Director of the Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Tennessee Department of Health. She and her team work to make healthcare safer by reducing infections and preventing the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Her clinical acumen, epidemiologic skills, leadership and actions during Tennessees fungal infection outbreak in 2012 due to contaminated steroids protected the publics health and saved lives. Her teams efforts led to swiftly identifying this unusual infection and the rapid development of a communication and tracking system to monitor infections nationwide. Lives were saved not only by quickly determining the cause of the outbreak and halting the contaminated injections, but also by tracking down every affected patient and getting effective treatment to the sick without delay. The Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund supports Dr. Kainers work through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grant Program. Natalie Pawlenko, Director, Office of Local Public Health, NJ Department of Health Trenton, NJ Natalie Pawlenko is the Director of the Office of Local Public Health for the New Jersey Department of Health where she is leading a statewide effort to streamline and coordinate public health data collection and analysis. Through her work, State and local public health professionals will have real-time ability to make data-driven decisions to help prevent and respond to public health events. Ms. Pawlenko has spearheaded reform of the public health reporting system in New Jersey. With funding from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund, New Jerseys National Public Health Improvement Initiative has reduced the lag time between testing and reporting influenza results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2-to-3 weeks down to 2-to-3 days. With more timely information, local health departments are better prepared to address emerging health issues and prevent future issues. For the past nine years, Ms. Pawlenko has provided leadership in public health quality improvement, emergency preparedness and regional planning, helping New Jerseys 95 health departments work smarter on behalf of New Jerseys nearly 9 million residents. Ms. Pawlenkos efforts are helping to provide low-cost technical

solutions to New Jerseys local public health departments, allowing them to identify cost-effective ways to improve their public health services. Myriam Escobar, Community Outreach Worker at Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, FL Myriam Escobar is a Community Outreach Worker at Moffitt Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Ms. Escobar delivers a program in the Tampa Bay area in Florida, called Yo me cuido (I take care of myself). The program teaches and motivates Hispanic women to take care of themselves through early detection and by living a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on breast cancer prevention. To date, Yo me cuido has reached over 2,000 women. The program visits women in their churches, work sites, neighborhoods, support groups, apartment complexes, beauty salons, schools, and libraries. One marker of its success is that of the women Ms. Escobar works with who are age 40 and older, 48% have had the appropriate mammography screening. Ira Combs, Community Liaison Nurse Coordinator at University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE

Ira Combs, RN serves as Community Liaison Nurse Coordinator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, working with the Center for Reducing Health Disparities. Mr. Combs work emphasizes inspiring young African-Americans to become involved in public health. He created a youth organization, Youth Expressions of Health, which includes an annual Youth Summer Internship Program in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It has helped more than 45 young people prepare for and start college with a focus on entering the field of healthcare. Mr. Combs also coordinates health screenings and interventions for minority and underserved populations. He is the founding director of North Omaha Area Health (NOAH), an agency that addresses the needs of the underserved in Omaha, Nebraska. Working with a handful of dedicated community volunteers, he is helping to meet the needs of the community including producing health-oriented materials for kids and sponsoring and maintaining websites and social media networks that link the community with information about healthy living and health screenings.
Center

Elmer Huerta, Director of the Cancer Preventorium at MedStar Washington Hospital Washington, DC

Elmer Huerta, MD is the Director of the Cancer Preventorium at, MedStar Washington Hospital Centers Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, DC. Noticing that his patients with advanced cancer knew more about soap operas and soccer than cancer

prevention basic knowledge, he has dedicated 27 years to promote disease prevention and early detection to the public using the media. At his Preventorium, founded in 1994, he has seen over 32,000 people, mostly poor and uninsured Latinos, for prevention and early detection. Through multiple media interventions, Dr. Huerta, author of La Salud Hecho Fcil, is a trusted source of health information for Spanishspeaking people in the U.S. and Latin America. Dr. Huerta is also former President of the American Cancer Society. ### OH IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Janine Janosky as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Janine E. Janosky, Vice President for the Center for Community Health Improvement Akron, OH Janine Janosky, PhD, serves as Vice President and Senior Fellow for the Center for Community Health Improvement at the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, Ohio (ABIA). The Institutes Accountable Care Community initiative is an integrated health and wellness model supported through a Community Transformation Grant from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund. Under Dr. Janoskys direction, ABIA aims to foster collaborations and shared responsibility among various sectors in the community to transform health in Northeast Ohio. In its first 18 months the program has focused on diabetes and seen more than half of participants lose weight and decrease body mass index. In addition, the average cost of care for individuals with diabetes was reduced and diabetes-related Emergency Department visits decreased. Previously, Dr. Janosky served as the Vice Provost for Research at Central Michigan University and as an Executive Director and Inaugural Leader for the Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research at the University of Pittsburgh. ### LA IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Erica Washington as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections.

President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Erica Washington, Healthcare-Associated Infections Coordinator New Orleans, LA Erica Washington is the Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Coordinator for the State of Louisiana. As the HAI Coordinator, Ms. Washington works with acute care hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and other providers to combat healthcare-associated infections and meet national patient safety goals. Ms. Washington's notable achievements include the successful implementation of the first state-based National Healthcare Safety Network Data Use Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will improve Louisianas ability to track and prevent healthcare-associated infections. With support from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund, Louisiana has decreased rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections and continues to work toward a zero infection goal. Ms. Washington has served as the 2012 president of the Greater New Orleans Chapter of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and currently serves on the

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Hospital Advisory Committee and the eQHealth Solutions Advisory Committee. ### IN IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Andrea Hays as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.

The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Andrea Hays, Director of the movement Initiative & Upgrade Campaign Evansville, IN Andrea Hays, MPH, is the Director of the movement Initiative and the Upgrade campaign at the Welborn Baptist Foundation in Evansville, Indiana. The overall goal of the movement Initiative is to promote changes in the community that make healthy living easier for all. The Upgrade campaign encourages residents to achieve health improvements by making small lifestyle changes such as taking the stairs or drinking water. Ms. Hays accomplishments include launching a corner store initiative bringing healthy food access to underserved neighborhoods, establishing the area's first bike rental, expanding healthy meals at hospital and university campuses, and increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. In September 2012, Ms. Hays assumed the role of Project Director for a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Transformation Grant, which is funded through the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund and was awarded to the Foundation on behalf of the Healthy Communities Partnership of Southwest Indiana to support tobacco-free living, healthy weight, and preventing chronic disease across the lifespan. ### TN IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Marion Kainer as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and

Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Marion Kainer, MD MPH, Physician and Epidemiologist Nashville, TN Dr. Kainer is an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist. She is the Director of the Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Tennessee Department of Health. She and her team work to make healthcare safer by reducing infections and preventing the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Her clinical acumen, epidemiologic skills, leadership and actions during Tennessees fungal infection outbreak in 2012 due to contaminated steroids protected the publics health and saved lives. Her teams efforts led to swiftly identifying this unusual infection and the rapid development of a communication and tracking system to monitor infections nationwide. Lives were saved not only by quickly determining the cause of the outbreak and halting the contaminated injections, but also by tracking down every affected patient and getting effective treatment to the sick without delay. The Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund supports Dr. Kainers work through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grant Program. ### NJ IMPACT:

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Natalie Pawlenko as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Natalie Pawlenko, Director, Office of Local Public Health, NJ Department of Health Trenton, NJ

Natalie Pawlenko is the Director of the Office of Local Public Health for the New Jersey Department of Health where she is leading a statewide effort to streamline and coordinate public health data collection and analysis. Through her work, State and local public health professionals will have real-time ability to make data-driven decisions to help prevent and respond to public health events. Ms. Pawlenko has spearheaded reform of the public health reporting system in New Jersey. With funding from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health Fund, New Jerseys National Public Health Improvement Initiative has reduced the lag time between testing and reporting influenza results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2-to-3 weeks down to 2-to-3 days. With more timely information, local health departments are better prepared to address emerging health issues and prevent future issues. For the past nine years, Ms. Pawlenko has provided leadership in public health quality improvement, emergency preparedness and regional planning, helping New Jerseys 95 health departments work smarter on behalf of New Jerseys nearly 9 million residents. Ms. Pawlenkos efforts are helping to provide low-cost technical solutions to New Jerseys local public health departments, allowing them to identify cost-effective ways to improve their public health services. ### FL IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Myriam Escobar as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention

Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Myriam Escobar, Community Outreach Worker at Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, FL Myriam Escobar is a Community Outreach Worker at Moffitt Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Ms. Escobar delivers a program in the Tampa Bay area in Florida, called Yo me cuido (I take care of myself). The program teaches and motivates Hispanic women to take care of themselves through early detection and by living a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on breast cancer prevention. To date, Yo me cuido has reached over 2,000 women. The program visits women in their churches, work sites, neighborhoods, support groups, apartment complexes, beauty salons, schools, and libraries. One marker of its success is that of the women Ms. Escobar works with who are age 40 and older, 48% have had the appropriate mammography screening. ### NE IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Ira Combs as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change

WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Ira Combs, Community Liaison Nurse Coordinator at University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE

Ira Combs, RN serves as Community Liaison Nurse Coordinator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, working with the Center for Reducing Health Disparities. Mr. Combs work emphasizes inspiring young African-Americans to become involved in public health. He created a youth organization, Youth Expressions of Health, which includes an annual Youth Summer Internship Program in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It has helped more than 45 young people prepare for and start college with a focus on entering the field of healthcare. Mr.

Combs also coordinates health screenings and interventions for minority and underserved populations. He is the founding director of North Omaha Area Health (NOAH), an agency that addresses the needs of the underserved in Omaha, Nebraska. Working with a handful of dedicated community volunteers, he is helping to meet the needs of the community including producing health-oriented materials for kids and sponsoring and maintaining websites and social media networks that link the community with information about healthy living and health screenings. ### DC IMPACT: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2013 White House to Honor Elmer Huerta as a Prevention and Public Health Champion of Change WASHINGTON, DC On Tuesday, September 10th, the White House will honor eight local heroes who are Champions of Change for prevention and public health. These champions are inspiring healthy change at the heart of their communities by encouraging preventive screenings, reducing health disparities, promoting physical activity and healthy eating and fighting healthcare acquired infections. President Obama and his Administration have made prevention and public health a top priority, because they have lasting effects on the health of Americans. That is why the Affordable Care Act provides unprecedented resources through the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support community-based strategies to prevent chronic diseases, and to improve public health. The Affordable Care Act also created the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which provides federal leadership to engage states, communities, and private partners in creating a healthier America through the recommendations of the Surgeon Generals National Prevention Strategy a blueprint for improving Americas health. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is supporting projects to put the National Prevention Strategy into action, helping our health care system shift from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. During the Champions of Change event, White House officials will recognize the Champions hard work and lead a discussion about how to advance and expand a shared vision of wellness and prevention in our communities.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals, businesses, and organizations doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 10:00 am ET on September 10th. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Elmer Huerta, Director of the Cancer Preventorium at MedStar Washington Hospital
Center

Washington, DC Elmer Huerta, MD is the Director of the Cancer Preventorium at, MedStar Washington Hospital Centers Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, DC. Noticing that his patients with advanced cancer knew more about soap operas and soccer than cancer prevention basic knowledge, he has dedicated 27 years to promote disease prevention and early detection to the public using the media. At his Preventorium, founded in 1994, he has seen over 32,000 people, mostly poor and uninsured Latinos, for prevention and early detection. Through multiple media interventions, Dr. Huerta, author of La Salud Hecho Fcil, is a trusted source of health information for Spanishspeaking people in the U.S. and Latin America. Dr. Huerta is also former President of the American Cancer Society. ###