Nemours Applauds Passage of Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill by House Committee with Support from Representative Mike Castle

Swift Passage by House and Senate Urged

WILMINGTON, Del., July 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nemours, one of the nation's largest children's health systems, applauds the House Education and Labor Committee for passing a child nutrition reauthorization bill that would make key improvements to federal child nutrition programs.  Importantly for Nemours, the bill would: authorize the USDA to implement nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools; strengthen school wellness policies; increase nutritional standards in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; and fund training and tools to help child care providers promote nutrition and wellness.

"On behalf of children and families, we thank Representative Mike Castle for his vote in favor of this reauthorization bill, which we believe establishes important policies for improving the health of our nation's children," said Debbie Chang, Vice President of Policy and Prevention, Nemours.  "Representative Castle has long been a champion of child nutrition and we especially appreciate his strong support for recognizing the importance of health promotion in the early years."

In order to "solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation," we must start with our youngest children, including the 12 million who spend time in child care settings nationally.  "Just as the school lunch program can promote health and reduce hunger in school-aged children, the subsidy program for meals in child care – the Child and Adult Care Food Program – can promote healthy habits in our youngest kids," Ms. Chang asserted.

Nemours also thanks Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman who joined with 51 colleagues in urging Senate leadership to pass the bipartisan bill that was approved by the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in March.  "We will continue to support the passage of bipartisan child nutrition bills without delay," said Ms. Chang. "The health of our nation's children depends on it."

About Nemours

Nemours is an integrated children's health system with operations in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. The organization's hub is the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, a 200-bed full service pediatric medical center in Wilmington, DE. The Hospital is the academic partner of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. Nemours operates 14 outpatient specialty sites in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and eight primary care sites in Delaware. In Florida, the Nemours Children's Hospital is under construction near Orlando and expected to open in 2012. Nemours offers outpatient pediatric specialty care at seven locations, including Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola.

Nemours provides health education through KidsHealth, the world's most visited web site dedicated to the health of children; health promotion and obesity prevention programs through Nemours Health and Prevention Services, and adjunct programs in detection and intervention such as the Nemours BrightStart! dyslexia initiative. The Office of Child Health Policy and Advocacy in Washington, DC, allows Nemours to advocate for improved health outcomes for all children, not just the patients it serves.

SOURCE Nemours