CentraCare Recognized Nationally for Childhood Obesity Efforts

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today recognized the greater St. Cloud region in its release of an updated collection of stories and reports from a growing number of states, cities and counties that have measured declines in their childhood obesity rates.

In the St. Cloud region, the obesity rate fell from 17 percent in 2008 to 13 percent in 2015 among 12-year-olds, a 24 percent relative decline, thanks in part to the work of BLEND.

“We’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished here, but there’s absolutely no reason why this should just be a St. Cloud story,” said David Tilstra, MD, President, CentraCare Clinic. “Nothing would make us happier than seeing our success with BLEND replicated across America. If we take what we’ve learned here to scale and apply it from coast to coast, the sky’s the limit for our country and our kids.”

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report is already having an impact. On Tuesday, June 21, U.S. Representative Tom Emmer, 6th Congressional District of Minnesota, shared these the successes of BLEND on the House Floor. Watch the one-minute C-Span video: