New Balance puts $100K toward child obesity initiative in Maine

Courtesy / Google Earth Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor received a $100,000 grant to support pediatric weight management.

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By Staff

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor has received a $100,000 grant from the New Balance Foundation to support the hospital’s Way to Optimal Weight (WOW) pediatric weight management program.

The money will be used to strengthen WOW’s family-focused care of Maine children and expand its successful telemedicine program to rural and under-served areas of the state, according to a news release.

This is the first time WOW has received a grant from the Boston-based foundation, which serves as the philanthropic arm to New Balance Athletics.

New Balance Athletics has 700 Maine employees at manufacturing sites in Skowhegan, Norridgewock and Norway. The New Balance Foundation has supported Maine-based nonprofits for decades.

Obesity is a complex disease process that affects nearly 30% of Maine children and young adults.

“Our new partnership with the New Balance Foundation is an exciting opportunity to join forces and fully address childhood obesity through the successful prevention measures currently supported by NBF, as well as the expansion of access to treatment that WOW provides,” WOW director Valerie O’Hara said in the release.

“A focus of expansion is our TeleWOW services which bring comprehensive specialty care to our more rural communities. By combining the expertise of the New Balance Foundation, including tools developed by the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and our WOW program, we will improve the health of children and families throughout the state.”

WOW provides evidence-based comprehensive interdisciplinary care, led by an American Board of Obesity Medicine, certified pediatric obesity specialist for children, adolescents, and young adults. Patients are referred to WOW by either their primary care provider or other medical specialist.

WOW’s phased chronic-care model involves the patient and family with a team to implement individualized treatment protocols that best address the goals and needs of each patient. WOW patients also utilize the New Balance Recreation center at the University of Maine as part of their treatment with one-on-one support of personal trainers.

The New Balance Foundation mission is to prevent childhood obesity. Since 1981, New Balance Foundation has granted more than $100 million to charity, investing in research, and clinical, educational and community programs that promote healthy lifestyles, children's fitness and nutrition, and overall community wellness.