Strong Health launches Project Believe

trong Health is pledging itself in a new way to meet the consumer demand for a health care partner and resource. Project Believe, which launches this month, represents the extension of Strong Health's mission--one that culminates in the goal of making Rochester the healthiest community in America by 2020.

"This is an ambitious goal, but one that we believe is truly attainable by working together with the community," said Jay Stein, Strong Health CEO. "It is the right thing to do, both in terms of improving quality of life and as the only ethical and sustainable way to temper the rise of health care costs."

Project Believe's three main elements are a focus on personal accountability, partnerships with Strong Health, and an emphasis on improving community health at large. Each of these themes will be realized through a variety of initiatives and articulated to the community through TV, print, and radio advertisements, beginning in mid-October.

"I think I can" expresses the first theme of personal accountability and speaks to the power individuals have to take the lead when it comes to their health and quality of life. "Anything's possible" speaks to the second theme and the potential that exists when people partner with Strong Health, which has at its core an academic medical center. Finally, the pledge to work toward making Rochester the healthiest community in America by 2020 is evidence of Strong Health's ongoing commitment to improving health status. The organization will continue to seek ways to reinforce community-wide projects such as those already under way through the Monroe County Health Action Initiative.

Project Believe will begin to take shape immediately with the introduction of community health initiatives. Each year for the next 20 years, one or two health issues of particular concern and relevance to the Greater Rochester area will be identified and addressed. In addition, Strong Health will keep pursuing other community outreach efforts. These will focus on health-risk assessments, educational programs, and health screenings with a concentration on underserved and at-risk populations.

"We are very much in the position to provide the resources and support that will help [individuals] to take control," said Suzanne Sawyer, Strong Health marketing director. "A better-informed, better-equipped population can only result in a healthier population over time. That is what we want and what we hope to cultivate through Project Believe."

For more information about Project Believe, visit the Web site at www.stronghealth.com.

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