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NEWS RELEASE

August 12, 2009

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Howard County Partners with Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

“Quick Tips for Health Living” provides top five things you can do to stay healthy

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is pleased to announce that Howard County Government will be the first local jurisdiction to pilot a web content syndication project with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). The content, called “Quick Tips for Healthy Living,” was developed by ODPHP for its website, www.healthfinder.gov. Through this partnership, the content is now available directly on Howard County’s Wellness Works website.

“Our internal Wellness Works program has been enthusiastically received by our county employees. This new partnership adds another dimension to the program and makes a wide range of national resources with well-tested wellness strategies available to both our employees and the community,” said Executive Ulman.

Ulman launched Wellness Works – the wellness program for employees of Howard County Government and participating allied agencies – earlier this year to help employees enjoy the maximum level of personal wellness and costs savings along the way. Wellness Works is an integral part of the County’s mission to become a model public health community.

Through this unique partnership with ODPHP, reliable and up-to-date health information and tips are available to employees and the public through the County’s Wellness Works website. These “Quick Tips for Healthy Living” focus on the top five things you can do to say healthy, including how to:

• Eat healthy
• Get active
• Watch your weight
• Get screenings
• Quit smoking

Each section has easy-to-use information with tips and tools to help readers achieve a healthy lifestyle. Additional topics from healthfinder.gov may be added in the future. To access the Wellness Works website, simply visit the County’s homepage, www.howardcountymd.gov and click on the Wellness Works button on the right hand side; once on the website, click on the “Quick Tips for Healthy Living” link on the right.

Healthyfinder.gov is an award-winning Federal Government website featuring trusted prevention and wellness information and tools.

For more information about this partnership between Howard County Government and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, please contact Phyllis Madachy, Howard County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, at (410) 313-2050 or pmadachy@howardcountymd.gov.