December 13, 2006

WELLER CENTER PARTNERS WITH BERWICK HEALTH AND WELLNESS FUND TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS HEALTH RISKS IN STUDENTS FROM LUZERNE AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES

The Weller Center, located in Easton, PA, (www.wellercenter.org) is set to implement their first-of-its-kind health risk behavior survey among 2,500 students in Luzerne and Columbia Counties. Developed in 2005, the survey's purpose is to assist schools in identifying and addressing serious health risk behavior issues faced by students in grades seven through 12.

The Weller Center received a $46,441, three-year grant from the Berwick Health and Wellness Fund of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation (www.csgiving.org) to carry out the surveys along with two years of Weller programming in the Benton, Berwick and Northwest area school districts.

In-depth focus groups are underway with middle and high school students from the Berwick School District. Benton and Northwest will commence shortly. At the conclusion of the focus groups, a master's level health educator from the Weller Center, with help from Penn State University's Center for Organizational Research and Evaluation, will create a customized, thirty-question student survey for each school district that is implemented by school administrators. Topic areas can range anywhere from nutrition and physical activity to emotional health.

"Using the information gained during student focus groups, we're able to design a concise instrument that focuses on the most pressing issues," said Melissa Lee, President and CEO of the Weller Center.

Survey results will then be reported by the Weller Center to school district officials, parents and other interested parties who will be working together to determine a course of action to address the students' issues. Once an action plan is determined the Weller Center will work with the districts to implement two years of curricula-based student programming, funded through the Berwick Health and Wellness Fund, to address the most critical issues identified by the students.

The Berwick Health and Wellness Fund is the original and largest fund of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation. Its purpose is to improve the health and wellness of residents and communities of eastern Columbia and western Luzerne counties.