Posted on November 18, 2012

Clinton Foundation Launches Clinton Health Matters Initiative

In partnership with General Electric, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and Verizon, the William J. Clinton Foundation has announced the launch of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative.

Building on the Clinton Foundation's efforts to advance global health, the initiative will work to advance community health by improving indicators of health and well-being, reducing rates of preventable diseases and associated healthcare costs, closing gaps in health outcomes, and focusing efforts in underserved areas.

To that end, the initiative has launched an online platform to encourage individuals to lead wellness efforts in their communities, including programs such as free exercise classes or walking groups, the extension of farmers' markets to so-called "food deserts," and sponsorship of tobacco cessation programs. CHMI also will work with corporations and nonprofits to institute business practice changes or community investments that benefit the health of their employees and the larger community.

"Our nation's rising tide of preventable health problems is alarming because it is ruining the quality and length of life for millions and driving up healthcare costs in a way that can't be sustained," said former president Bill Clinton. "The Clinton Health Matters Initiative builds on my foundation's work to address global health crises and the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States by engaging not only with individuals but also with the systems and places that affect individual health."