Prevent Blindness Tri-State Partners with the New York State Department of Health

Sept. 23, 2011 - PRLog -- In 2008, Prevent Blindness America, through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant, provided funding to both PBTS, (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut’s oldest and only non-profit organization that is solely dedicated to vision preservation), and the NYSDOH to integrate vision preservation activities and strategies into existing NYSDOH programs and those of New York’s vision related external agencies and community organizations by creating the  Vision Health Integration and Preservation Program (VHIPP).  In a model intended to be useful for other states, VHIPP has engaged leadership from state agencies as well as community-based organizations to communicate the important benefits of an integrated focus on vision and eye health.

   “This project represents an exciting opportunity to exercise creativity in learning how to collaborate around vision issues,” said Dr. Nirav R. Shah, New York State Commissioner of Health.  “At the same time, the VHIPP has elevated vision to the public health agenda by creating a greater awareness about how chronic diseases and the environment can impact vision health, and how the status of one’s vision can impact their overall health.”

    Blindness and vision impairment are major public health problems causing a substantial human and economic toll on individuals and society.  Recent data from the New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2006-2008) indicate that adults aged 40 years and older with moderate or extreme vision loss were more likely than those with no vision loss to have a chronic health condition such as diabetes (17.2% vs. 10.2%), cardiovascular disease (16.7% vs. 9.5%) and arthritis (46.9% vs. 35.9%).  Vision loss is also associated with risk factors such as obesity (30.7% vs. 25.1%) and physical inactivity (35.0% vs. 23.2%). Understanding the relationship between chronic diseases and certain health behaviors can encourage people to make behavioral changes to prevent vision problems and get regular checkups to detect and treat vision issues early.  

   The CDC grant promotes a unified approach utilizing a public-private partnership to emphasize prevention and early detection of vision and eye health issues, eye safety and injury prevention, the development of vision and public health focused education for health professionals, and quality of life and rehabilitation for people with vision disorders.  “This successful, landmark project will serve as a model of collaboration. We are honored at Prevent Blindness Tristate to have been a part of the team that tested the viability of the vision integration approach. You can say we passed the test with flying colors and have come away with valuable lessons learned to apply in the future”, says Kathryn Garre-Ayars, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness Tri-State.

These activities include:
• An awareness campaign delivered through pharmacies regarding the many complications of diabetes, which includes information about vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.  
•A “Smoking Causes Blindness” print media campaign, adopted by the VHIPP from Australia, launched in Buffalo, N.Y., and linked to the NYS Tobacco Control Program’s statewide television, radio, and Internet campaign.  VHIPP’s campaign consisted of billboards, bus sides, bus shelter, metro rail, airport, and storefront posters.  Both campaigns urged consumers to contact the NYS Quitline for help.
•Education about vision preservation and rehabilitation for health professionals in New York State including public health professionals. Modules for vision rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists and occupational therapists are also being created.
•Fact sheets developed for the public and for health professionals, such as “Diabetes and Vision Impairment: 5 Key Messages”, “Look to Fruits and Vegetables for Good Eye Health”, and “Smoking Can Lead to Vision Loss or Blindness” which are available on the PBTS website, http://tristate.preventblindness.org/ and the NYSDOH website, www.nyhealth.gov.

“We are proud of the amazing work that the collaboration between the New York State Department of Health and Prevent Blindness Tri-State has produced,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America.  “On behalf of Prevent Blindness America, I want to thank the CDC for providing us with the opportunity to save sight through these creative and effective community programs in the state of New York.  We hope to expand these types of activities to other communities across the country.”

For more information about the VHIPP program or general eye health and eye conditions, please contact Prevent Blindness Tri-State at 1-800-850-2020 or http://tristate.preventblindness.org/

About Prevent Blindness Tri-State:

Since 1908, Prevent Blindness Tri-State (PBTS) has worked to prevent vision loss and preserve sight by providing innovative vision screening services, information and education programs, and advocacy at the state and national levels.  PBTS serves communities in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, with its headquarters in New Haven, CT.  PBTS is an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, the country’s second-oldest national voluntary health organization.