Newswise — "Put down cigarettes, pick up a hobby." "Exercise your brain, take a brisk walk." "Take control of your calories, eat less." These are a few of the new messages that will be popping up on lamp posts throughout the Upper East and West Sides and the Greater Harlem community of Manhattan as part of a new campaign— Prescriptions for Healthy Living— just launched by The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The campaign, which runs through May of 2008, is designed to get residents and others passing through the neighborhoods to think about the importance of a healthy lifestyle to help prevent and manage chronic diseases.
The banners will be located in Harlem and the Upper East Side from East 72nd to East 116th Streets and on the West Side, from 57th to 116th Streets. While the campaign will last for seven months, the banners will change and include new messages every couple of months. There will be 300 banners in total and it is estimated that they will be viewed by millions of people daily. While other hospitals have had banners in their local communities, none have been part of a public health campaign to prevent and manage chronic diseases. "So many of the diseases prevalent in our neighboring communities, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, can be prevented and managed with changes in how we eat and how active a life we lead," said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. "We hope this new campaign will help to educate and encourage our neighbors to take control of their health." "The high visibility campaign is designed to reinforce Mount Sinai's positive presence in the communities we serve," said Jane Zimmerman, PhD, Chief Marketing Officer of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. "The research-based health messages convey healthy 'prescriptions' for daily living that are both practical and easy for New Yorkers to implement."
David C. Thomas, MD, Director of Ambulatory Care and Ambulatory Training in the Department of Medicine, says the banners are a unique way for doctors to communicate key health messages. "We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our patients and to inform the community about the range of high-quality services Mount Sinai provides to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness," Dr. Thomas says. "These 'prescriptions' may sound simple, but we know that they work, and that when practiced routinely, they can have very positive and lasting effects on people's health and lives."
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.
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