Garrison Institute on Aging Receives Texas Department of State Health Services Grant

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Garrison Institute on Aging has received a $434,000 Transforming Texas grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) the Healthy Lubbock Coalition projects.

The grant will allow Healthy Lubbock to expand its resources in Lubbock and Hale Counties. The various projects will focus on educating worksites on tobacco cessation, implementing a healthy eating and active living-safe infrastructure and increasing the use of high impact quality clinical preventative services.

The purpose of Transforming Texas is to improve the health and quality of life for individuals, families, organizations and communities by creating healthy and safe communities, improving access to and integration of community prevention services and clinical services and to eliminate health disparities.

TTUHSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., said the Garrison Institute is representing Lubbock and TTUHSC well with its commitment to health.

“This is the third grant the institute has received this year,” Mitchell said. “We are extremely gratified that our efforts are being recognized by the state.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas is slightly over the national average for the number of adult smokers (18.5 percent of the population). The Healthy Lubbock Coalition will use DSHS funds to implement a plan that will foster a change in worksite smoking policies. This plan will benefit the health of smokers and also will have a positive impact on the health of non-smokers by reducing their exposure to second-hand smoke.

“Our goal is to make this area a healthier place to live,” said Paula Grammas, Ph.D., Garrison Institute on Aging executive director. “To help battle these problems, education will be provided to increase the use of high impact quality clinical preventative services. In addition, training will be provided to health care professionals focusing on motivational interviewing, targeting educational counseling that improves patient awareness and readiness to change. The end result will be an improvement of health care services in Lubbock and Hale Counties.”</P.

Another component of the grant includes collaborating with health care providers. Common health problems in Texas include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Most of these incidents are a result of unhealthy eating combined with little or no physical activity.

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