HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Children with disabilities are highly at risk for low muscle mass, obesity or undernourishment, and eating issues. The $30,000 Amerigroup Foundation grant will support the Easter Seals Greater Houston’s, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, BridgingApps Program, which teaches children with disabilities about the importance of nutrition and physical activity on health. This generous grant will enable BridgingApps to create a program that leverages the power of mobile technology and apps to help improve the health of children with a range of cognitive and physical disabilities.
“We are proud to support the Easter Seals Greater Houston’s BridgingApps Program to ensure that Texans of all abilities stay motivated to eat healthy and increase their physical activity thru fun exercises so that they have a lifelong commitment to fitness,” said Tisch Scott, Amerigroup Texas president.
The BridgingApps Program will be led by a registered dietitian nutritionist as well as a therapist with nationally recognized expertise in the use of mobile technology to improve health outcomes of children with disabilities. The pilot group of 100 participants will use a combination of commercially available, low cost apps and mobile devices. In addition, there will be pre- and post-standardized assessment tools that the project’s leaders can use to determine the improvements on understanding the importance of health. The key metric of success will be children consuming two or more fruits and three or more vegetables daily.
Children with disabilities often feel that they lack control over their lives, and are often the “beneficiary” of healthcare services rather than an active participant. By learning how to use applications and incorporating mobile technology that they can understand, children become stakeholders in their health. The empowering independence that comes with seeing the impact they can make on their own lives will act as a positive reinforcement that will make their health improvements self-sustaining.
The learnings from the pilot group will be collected and disseminated through BridgingApps.org, which has 5,000 visitors every month and has collected a massive 2 million page views. Information gained, app reviews and training added to the website will impact families all over the United States and beyond. Huge thanks to The Anthem Foundation/Amerigroup whose generous grant will have immeasurable returns!
About BridgingApps
BridgingApps.org, a program of Easter Seals Houston, provides the access, education, and resources needed to effectively use mobile, touch-based devices to help people with disabilities communicate, exceed educational goals, and reach their fullest potential.
Web: www.bridgingapps.org
About Easter Seals Greater Houston
Easter Seals Greater Houston Easter Seals Greater Houston, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established to provide comprehensive services to individuals of all ages with all types of disabilities and their family members. For more information, visit www.eastersealshouston.org.
About Amerigroup Foundation
The Amerigroup Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc., and the largest corporation focused solely on meeting the health care needs of financially vulnerable Americans. Through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem to be America’s valued health partner by supporting strategic initiatives that aim to create a healthier generation of Americans. These focus areas include: cardiac mortality; cancer prevention and smoking cessation; maternal and newborn health; diabetes prevention and management; and childhood and elderly obesity. Many of the populations served also include financially vulnerable individuals and those with disabilities.