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Annual Report 2017 : Teaming up to strengthen and support

Be Well Baytown engages the community to prevent cancer

In an effort to improve public health and lower the risk of cancer, Baytown community organizations are partnering with MD Anderson and ExxonMobil to launch Be Well Baytown™.

It’s estimated that more than half of all cancers can be prevented by diet, exercise, preventive care, UV radiation protection and tobacco control. Based on this evidence, Be Well Baytown’s aim is to promote wellness and lower cancer risk by applying the knowledge and tools available today.

MD Anderson is teaming up with Baytown schools, workplaces, social service agencies and others to launch the initiative, which is made possible by a $10 million gift from ExxonMobil. It is the most comprehensive community-driven health initiative focused on cancer prevention and control in the United States.

Be Well Baytown will provide the community with information, services and activities to promote healthy lifestyles. It plans to reach more than 70,000 residents and will include educational health events, community-wide walking clubs, and youth programming during and after school. More than 475,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables will be delivered to individuals in need over three years.

“By joining forces at work, in classrooms, and all around our community to make our health a priority, we can improve the lives of our families and neighbors,” says Dan Helgesen, ExxonMobil Baytown refinery manager.

Be Well Baytown is an initiative of MD Anderson’s cancer prevention and control platform, which is part of the institution’s Moon Shots Program™, an ambitious effort to reduce cancer deaths by more rapidly developing and implementing advances in prevention, early detection and treatment based on scientific discoveries.

Community organizations participating in Be Well Baytown include:

Baytown/West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation
Baytown Chamber of Commerce
City of Baytown
Communities In Schools of Baytown
Goose Creek Consolidated ISD
Harris County Public Health
Harris Health System
Hearts and Hands of Baytown, a ministry of Iglesia Cristo Viene
Houston Methodist San Jacinto
Lee College
Love Network of Baytown
Our Promise for West Baytown
United Way of Greater Baytown Area & Chambers County
YMCA of Greater Houston

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