WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY -
July 12, 2005
THE MANCHIN REPORT: Healthy Steps to a Healthy Start for West Virginia
![[Image: gov-joe-manchin.jpg (5256 bytes)]](images/gov-joe-manchin.jpg)
The Hon. Joe Manchin, Gov.
Governor of West Virginia
Charleston, WV (HNN) - During the past several months, West Virginia has made significant strides in its efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and establish a new path of wellness for West Virginians to follow in their daily lives and share with neighbors -- young and old in their communities.
I recently appointed a 13-member Healthy Lifestyles Coalition that will work to address the issue of obesity in West Virginia by promoting wellness techniques and encouraging healthy practices such as voluntary nutrition labeling in restaurants. Established with passage of the Healthy Lifestyles Act of 2005, the Healthy Start Coalition will play a major role in developing policy and programs to give West Virginia's children the skills they need to fight the growing epidemics of childhood obesity, Type II diabetes and heart disease.
While community stakeholders are laying the groundwork in our efforts to improve the health of all West Virginians, corporate partners are stepping forward to set the example for others to follow with their leadership on the wellness front.
On July 7, 2005, Charleston-based counseling firm beBetter Networks, Inc. announced that it had eclipsed its goal of creating 100 new jobs - nearly 18 months ahead of schedule. In addition to this wonderful economic news, beBetter Systems announced its acquisition of Partners in Corporate Health, a Morgantown-based wellness firm.
With this acquisition, beBetter Systems is moving to the forefront as a corporate leader in our efforts to combat the health and wellness issues that have increased the cost of doing business in our state and impacted the lives of past and future generations of West Virginians.
With the resources of this new partner, beBetter will now work aggressively toward its goal of establishing a global wellness model for businesses. Beyond the private sector, Partners in Corporate Health is already making a difference in the ongoing wellness efforts in West Virginia's public schools and state agencies through its partnership with more than 35,000 state employees through the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
These are great announcements for the Mountain State and, working together, I am confident that we will better the lives West Virginians, while encouraging smart eating habits and regular exercise.
Throughout the course of my campaign for Governor and during the first six months of this administration, I have spoken often of the Five Promises we should make to every child if we want them to grow into competent, caring adults. At the very core of those Five Promises is the commitment that we must make to ensure that every child in West Virginia has a healthy start.
We all know that the best health is preventive health, and working together we can make an important difference now in the lives of a future generation of West Virginians. We're taking giant steps toward ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our children and families.
