Riverside's Seniors Get A Boost Through Vitamin Relief USA

YMCA, Parks & Recreation, and Medical Clinic to Spearhead Innovative Pilot Program Providing Free Vitamins For Seniors

Riverside, CA --- Over 1,100 of Riverside, California’s senior citizens can look forward an extra boost to their health this year. A new pilot program from The Healthy Foundation (THF) begins this month called Vitamin Relief USA Senior Support that provides free daily multi-vitamins to seniors at Riverside YMCA, Riverside Parks and Recreation, and the Riverside Medical Clinic.

“Last summer, an article in The Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) recommended that seniors take daily multivitamins because seniors have a higher risk of inadequate of vitamin intake.” states Hyla Cass, MD, THF President. “This JAMA article supports the results of our work: that vitamins are critical for the elderly and other at-risk groups. In light of JAMA’s position on supplementation for seniors, we are pleased to begin Senior Support. We sincerely thank Wyeth Consumer Healthcare for their generous donation of a one-year supply of Centrum from A to Zinc vitamins which makes this pilot program for seniors possible.”

Senior Support™ comes to Riverside with the support of Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge and the Mayor’s Commission on Aging. “I am delighted that Riverside is a pilot city for a major health initiative for seniors. Vitamin are important for the quality of our health, and especially for seniors.” commented Mayor Loveridge. William Timmons, Vice-Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Aging also comments, “On behalf of the Commission, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to The Healthy Foundation for serving Riverside’s senior community. This represents an extraordinary gesture of concern for the physical welfare of our older citizens.”

The success of the pilot program will be measured in part by the results of an observational survey implemented at the 6th and 12th month of the program. In this survey, participating seniors report changes they notice in their health or quality of life since beginning Vitamin Relief USA Senior Support™.

The Healthy Foundation expects to expand this program for seniors beyond the Riverside, CA area to a national initiative by spring of 2004, making Senior Support™ The Healthy Foundation’s third national vitamin distribution program. Other programs include Children First™ and Operation IQ™ providing high quality, chewable multivitamin/minerals to over 13,000 at-risk children a day, in 40 states at over 250 collaborative partner distribution sites.

The Healthy Foundation’s partners include: K-12 public schools and school districts, Headstart and Healthy Start programs, Volunteers of America, Save the Children, Health Care for the Homeless Clinician’s Network, Rotary International, Arnold’s All Stars, homeless & women shelters, hospital outreach programs, public health departments, medical and nursing school community outreach programs, and countless other faith-based and community-based groups.

Program sponsors for Vitamin Relief USA programs include Tishcon Corp., Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, Longevity Science, The Jacob Teitelbaum Family Foundation, U.S. Congress, The U.S. Department of Education, Whitaker Wellness, Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA), New Hope Natural Media, Virgo Publishing, Christian Dior, Inc., U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), The Stranahan Foundation, The Threshold Foundation, The Karan-Weiss Foundation, The Vranos Family Foundation, Equivalent Pharmaceutical Industries Corp, Rexall-Sundown, Capsugel, Advanced Medical Conferences, Natural Factors, Rx Vitamins, Nutrition Formulators, Elan Intl., SETCO, Tim Plastics, Creative Image, Disc Graphics, MedCorps Intl., The Fetzer Institute, Phyto*Therapy, Best Label, Lear Family Foundation, Cosmo Pharm, Inc., Eckhart Corp., and Sigma Tau Health Science.

The Healthy Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501 (c) 3 non-profit foundation committed to improving the health status of children, adults and seniors through vitamin supplementation. To support The Healthy Foundation, or for further information, please call (909) 696-0552 or log onto www.nourishamerica.org.

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