FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Matt Grebil
Phone: (877) 931-8003
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Website: www.triwellnesstoday.com

Carlsbad, CA (May 18, 2011) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that over $100 million in grant funding has been made available through the Affordable Care Act to help promote preventive care and health improvement in communities across the U.S.  The goal of these funds is to target chronic disease and chronic disease risk factors in order to improve health, reduce health disparities, and lower health care costs.

The projects funded by the grant money will focus primarily on five priority areas: (1) tobacco-free living; (2) active living and healthy eating; (3) evidence-based quality clinical and other preventive services, specifically prevention and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol; (4) social and emotional wellness, such as facilitating early identification of mental health needs and access to quality services, especially for people with chronic conditions; and (5) healthy and safe physical environments.

State and local government agencies, tribes and territories, and state and local non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for these grant funds.  Successful applicants will ensure that their community projects and activities have broad population impact and that they use evidence-based strategies to help address health disparities.

“The fact that the government is finally making these funds available to community groups is fantastic,” says Bucky Markus, Founder and CEO of Tri Wellness.  “We’ve worked with community-based groups in the past and one of the key issues is always the budget; where are they going to get the funding?  Local organizations, especially, are in a unique position to have a significant impact on their communities.  Many already have great ideas and great plans for community-based health programs.  With this funding now available, these communities will have the resources to see results from their programs.”

Applications for grant funding are due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2011, with the awards announced sometime near the end of the summer.  Grants are expected to run for five years, with projects growing over time as resources allow.

To get more details about applying for this grant, go to www.grants.gov.  Click on “Find Grant Opportunities,” click “Basic Search,” then search by CDFA number 93.531.  For more information about the grants, you can also visit http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/grants05132011a.html or http://www.cdc.gov/communitytransformation.

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About Tri Wellness:

Tri Wellness is a national provider of comprehensive Workplace Health Management Solutions that helps companies reduce health care costs through improved employee health.  They are experts at assisting employers and their employees control or reduce health care costs by identifying, addressing, and reducing health risks before they turn into considerable medical expenses. The result is a healthier workforce and a healthier bottom line.

Tri Wellness is a privately held company located in Carlsbad, California, 30 miles north of San Diego.

About the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.  HHS represents almost a quarter of all federal outlays, and it administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined.  HHS works closely with state and local governments, and many HHS-funded services are provided at the local level by state or county agencies, or through private sector grantees. The department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. In addition to the services they deliver, the HHS programs provide for equitable treatment of beneficiaries nationwide, and they enable the collection of national health and other data.