4-H Advances Healthy Living Programming with $1 Million Gift from Molina Healthcare

CHEVY CHASE, Md., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Molina Healthcare has announced its support of 4‑H's Healthy Living programs with a $1 million gift to fund initiatives to reach financially vulnerable youth and their families across the nation. The partnership with Molina will provide support for 4-H programs to help young people develop and implement new health and wellness programming in their communities.

"Given today's health crisis, the positive impact we can create through 4-H Healthy Living initiatives takes on even greater importance," said Donald T. Floyd Jr., president and CEO of National 4-H Council.  "Young people in 4-H today step up and take on real-life challenges like obesity, smoking prevention and local food deserts. They are creating significant positive change. Molina's investment will strengthen and expand these 4-H high-quality positive youth development programs that empower young people to create viable, long-term health solutions that benefit their peers, families, and communities."

Since its founding, 4-H has addressed national issues including nutrition, fitness and safety in its programs, as well as social and emotional well-being. 4-H Healthy Living programs encompass a holistic approach that includes healthy eating habits, physical fitness, the capacity to recognize and direct emotions, and the ability to develop and maintain positive social interactions and relationships.

"We are pleased to support 4-H," said Martha Bernadett, M.D., MBA, Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation at Molina Healthcare and member of National 4-H Council's Board of Trustees.  "Both 4-H and Molina Healthcare are committed to the same mission – helping our young people attain healthy lifestyles so they can become role models now and in the next generation.  By listening to youth's observations of their own communities' needs and developing solutions together, we will create healthier communities."

Molina spokeswoman Nancy Redd said, "As a Virginia 4-H All Star and former member of the National 4-H Council's Board of Trustees, I am thrilled to be the key contact for this partnership."

According to preeminent youth development scholar, Dr. Richard Lerner, and his team at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, 4-H youth – regardless of their background, socio-economic status, race, or gender – thrive through the health/safety education and experiences they receive through 4-H programming. Specifically, The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicates that when compared to their peers, 4-H young people are:

• 56% more likely to spend more hours exercising or being physically active,
• Less likely to have sexual intercourse by Grade 10,
• Shown to have had significantly lower drug, alcohol, and cigarette use than their peers, and
• 1.6 times more likely to be at the highest levels of positive development

4-H Healthy Living programs are developed and conducted by the 111 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System, and seek to address national issues including nutrition, physical fitness, substance abuse, safety, and social and emotional wellness. Currently, 2.5 million youth participate in 4-H Healthy Living programs.

About Molina Healthcare
Molina Healthcare, Inc. provides quality and cost-effective Medicaid-related solutions to meet the health care needs of low-income families and individuals and to assist state agencies in their administration of the Medicaid program.  Our licensed health plans in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin currently serve approximately 1.7 million members, and our subsidiary, Molina Medicaid Solutions, provides business processing and information technology administrative services to Medicaid agencies in Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, and West Virginia, and drug rebate administration services in Florida.  More information about Molina Healthcare is available at www.molinahealthcare.com.       

About 4-H:
4-H is a community of six million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA.  4-H programs are implemented by the 111 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System through their 3,100 local Extension offices across the country. Learn more about 4-H at www.4-h.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H.

SOURCE National 4-H Council