CareSource Donates More than $350,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition

The gift, totaling $361,000, will support the Center’s Primary Care Obesity Network

COLUMBUS, Ohio – CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan, announced today a $361,000 gift to Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition. The contribution will help fund and expand the Center’s Primary Care Obesity Network (PCON).

“CareSource understands the impact early interventions can have on reducing childhood obesity,” said Steve Ringel, CareSource Ohio Market President. “We’re proud to support Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition and the Primary Care Obesity Network so children and their families can receive holistic treatment options that are close to home.”

PCON’s goal is to implement evidence-based and accessible obesity care by establishing a sustainable multi-sector collaboration between primary care practices, a tertiary obesity care center and community organizations. CareSource’s gift will help PCON enhance its training, support, and resources within the network. Through PCON training, participating physicians and staff are trained and empowered to confidently manage their patients with overweight and obesity diagnosis in their respective communities. PCON also provides support to all participating practices, focusing on three areas – clinical decision tools, patient resources, and creating resource maps.

“On behalf of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, I want to extend our appreciation to CareSource for not only recognizing the PCON program, but also providing a financial gift that will help the network fulfill its goals,” said Ihuoma Eneli, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition.

There is a need for strong clinic to community linkages in managing childhood obesity, continued Eneli, who is also a professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. The defining feature of this model is that care is coordinated within the medical home, while integrating resources in the community, allowing for consistent messaging and care. Additionally, CareSource’s support will introduce the framework of the highly successful and well-recognized Project ECHO (Extension for Community Care Outcomes) to PCON.”

The benefits of community providers participating in PCON include improve outcomes of patients who are overweight, ongoing provider support and an opportunity to link patients to resources in the community to help families make healthier decisions. 

PCON’s care structure has been highlighted by the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute of Childhood Weight and by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR), a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

About Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-21 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.6 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.

About the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition

The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition offers a comprehensive approach to weight management in children, including programs for both prevention and treatment. The Center’s mission is to empower children and families to establish a foundation for healthy lifestyles through clinical care, education, research, community engagement, and advocacy.

For children already overweight, the Center offers family-based Medical Weight Management Programs covering everyday diet and fitness education to re-establish a healthier weight. Ultimately, some children’s complications may necessitate a surgical approach and the Center offers three options for those who meet the criteria. More information is available at The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition.