CHICAGO (October 23, 2008) – Prevent Blindness America has been awarded a 3-year cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with a first year grant of $1 million. The nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization will use the grant to fund its “National Vision Preservation Initiative,” a public and private collaborative effort designed to develop an integrative and pioneering approach to eye health promotion and vision loss prevention.
Prevent Blindness America will coordinate the program with participating organizations that include Duke Clinical Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and three Prevent Blindness America affiliates – Prevent Blindness North Carolina, Prevent Blindness Ohio and Prevent Blindness Tri-State.
The National Vision Preservation Initiative has four subcomponents, including funding to implement and evaluate a primary care vision screening program for adults in community clinics in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. In North Carolina, a program will focus on pediatric vision screenings in schools and pediatric office settings. A New York-based component of the program will involve the development of a statewide vision collaborative and the integration of vision health services throughout the New York State Department of Health. Finally, a comprehensive database for clinical and public health data that can be used to calculate the epidemiology of vision impairment as well as the utilization of vision care and eye health-related services will be developed.
“We want to thank the CDC for their substantial support of our sight-saving programs and hope these new projects will help us better serve our communities and work towards eliminating preventable blindness across the country,” said Jeff Todd, vice president of Prevent Blindness America.
From 2003-2008, Prevent Blindness America and its affiliates partnered with the CDC on a separate cooperative agreement which helped to expand the organization’s capacity to educate and screen older Americans and populations at greater risk of underserved vision problems, including those who may not have adequate access to eye care. Special focus was given to vision loss and related eye diseases, such as diabetes.
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Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, divisions and chapters, it's committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020.
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