St. Louis, MO – The Oasis Institute has received a $75,000 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The funding will bring the Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring Program to elementary schools in four Illinois communities: East St. Louis, Washington Park, Brooklyn and Centreville in the 2019-2020 school year.

“We are excited to receive additional support from Senior Corps RSVP,” said Paul Weiss, president of The Oasis Institute. “In St. Louis, we already have a strong relationship with RSVP through Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring, and we’re looking forward to building on that. This expansion grant allows us to serve older adults and early elementary age students in nearly every district in the metropolitan St. Louis area in communities and schools of greatest need. We’re thrilled to grow Oasis programs and volunteer opportunities East of the Mississippi.”

The Senior Corps RSVP grant to Oasis is part of more than $13.6 million in funding announced in March 2019 to support senior volunteer service in more than 150 communities across the country. The Senior Corps grants will both strengthen existing programs and establish new areas of service for the Senior Corps RSVP program.

“As more and more Americans reach retirement age, we are grateful that so many are choosing to make service a part of their second act,” said Deborah Cox-Roush, director of Senior Corps. “Senior Corps provides an opportunity to harness the experience and dedication of an entire generation – to ensure opportunity for generations that follow. With the grants announced today, we’re building upon the proven concept of senior service and delivering more opportunities for older adults to serve.”

Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring is a volunteer program that pairs older adults with children in grades K-3 to work one-on-one each week as their tutors, mentors and friends. Oasis tutors use a six-step approach to literacy designed by educators that emphasizes improved reading, speaking, listening and writing. Since 2014, St. Louis Oasis RSVP Tutors have served over 100,000 hours mentoring more than 2,000 children.

About The Oasis Institute

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in more than 250 communities through nine educational centers and over 700 community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org

About The Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs and leads the nation’s volunteering and service efforts. Today, Senior Corps engages approximately 220,000 Americans at 25,000 locations across the nation through its Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and RSVP programs. Established in 1971, RSVP engages Americans age 55 and older in citizen service that addresses the nation’s most pressing challenges — everything from fighting the opioid epidemic, reducing crime and reviving cities, connecting veterans to jobs and benefits, preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs, ensuring seniors age independently and with dignity, and helping Americans rebuild their lives following a disaster. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

St. Louis, MO– St. Louis Oasis, the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging and the Curators of the University of Missouri announce receipt of $1.5 million in Federal grants from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to support falls prevention and chronic disease self-management programs for older Missourians.

One in four adults age 65 and older fall each year and in Missouri, deaths from fall injuries for those over 65 is 31% higher than the national average. The new ACL grant will enable St. Louis Oasis, in partnership with the University of Missouri Extension program, to train new facilitators, instructors and staff at senior centers to provide Matter of Balance and Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention classes.

“Falls cost older adults their independence, their confidence and their quality of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Oasis Institute President Paul Weiss. “The Matter of Balance and Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention classes offered by Oasis and others in the community are helping older adults improve their balance, build their confidence and maintain their independence longer.”

By 2020, falls by older adult are expected to cost the economy approximately $67 billion. According to The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Matter of Balance program has saved over $2.1 million in healthcare costs since 2015.

The new ACL grants will also enable the University of Missouri School of Medicine Missouri Osteoarthritis Program to expand its evidence-based chronic disease self-management programs for older adults.

“Managing chronic illnesses and preventing falls are two of the most important things we can do to preserve our independence as we get older,” said Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator of the Administration for Community Living Lance Robertson. “ACL is proud to support these programs, which give people effective tools for remaining healthy and active throughout life, and we are delighted to help make it possible for more Missourians to participate.”

The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging will now offer chronic disease self-management classes in Spanish for older adults in senior centers thanks to the new ACL grants.

“As our communities become more diverse, our programs must follow suit. This is a simple and cost-effective way to promote significant health improvements in a growing part of our senior population,” said Catherine Edwards, Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

About The Oasis Institute

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in more than 250 communities through nine educational centers and over 700 community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org

About the Curators of the University of Missouri

The Board of Curators, the governing body of the University of Missouri, consists of nine members, who are appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

About the Missouri Area Agency on Aging

The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4) was founded in 1973 to serve as a statewide advocate and resource for older Missourians.  MA4 is comprised of the state’s 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), which were created under the 1973 amendments to the Older American’s Act of 1965.   For 45 years, these local agencies have been providing vital services, programs and information to millions of Missourians and their caregivers, including legal services, home-delivered meals, disease prevention and health promotion, transportation, public benefits counseling, senior center services and activities and in-home services. The 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provide a coordinated network of care which are designed to help older Missourians maintain their independence and give them a voice in articulating their concerns and changing needs.

About the Administration for Community Living

The Administration for Community Living was created around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities.  By funding services and supports provided by networks of community-based organizations, and with investments in research, education and innovation, ACL helps make this principle a reality for millions of Americans.

St. Louis, MO–The Oasis Connections Program was a winner in the 27^th annual National Mature Media Awards Program. The program, presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, recognizes the nation’s finest marketing, communications, educational materials and programs designed and produced for older adults.

Oasis was recognized with two awards: a Gold Award for the Connections technology literacy program and Silver Award for iPhone Essentials, a resource made available to participants of the program.

“We are delighted to take part in the Mature Media Awards Program this year, and were honored to be selected as a winner,” says Amy VanDeVelde, Technology Education Manager of The Oasis Institute. “Through the Connections program, Oasis is helping older adults transform technology from a barrier to a powerful tool that can combat social isolation.”

The entries were judged by a distinguished panel of mature market experts from across the United States for overall excellence of design, content, creativity and relevance to the senior market.

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 40 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org.

St. Louis, Missouri (July 18, 2018)—The Oasis Institute has earned the 2018 Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. By sharing metrics that highlight progress The Oasis Institute is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios.

“In accordance with our long-held belief in being transparent about our work,” said Paul Weiss, president of The Oasis Institute. “We are excited to convey our organization’s results in a user-friendly and highly visual manner. By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to the Platinum level, we can now easily share a wealth of up-to-date organizational metrics with our supporters as well as GuideStar’s immense online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers and the media.”

To reach the Platinum level, The Oasis Institute added extensive information to its Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar: basic contact and organizational information; in-depth financial information; qualitative information about goals, strategies, and capabilities; and quantitative information about results and progress toward its mission. By taking the time to provide this information, The Oasis Institute has demonstrated its commitment to transparency and to giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate the organization.

“I encourage you to visit our profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,” added Weiss. “We’re thrilled that our GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile and its associated benefits help us better communicate our organization’s exciting initiatives at a global scale.”

Read the updated GuideStar Nonprofit Profile here.

About The Oasis Institute

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 40 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org

About GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles

The GuideStar database contains a profile for every tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the IRS. GuideStar encourages every nonprofit to claim and update its profile at no cost to the organization. Updating allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with the more than 8 million people who visit GuideStar to learn more about nonprofit organizations each year. Updating also allows nonprofits to share information with the more than 200 philanthropic websites and applications that are powered by GuideStar data. To reach a given participation level, organizations need to complete all required fields for that participation level. The GuideStar participation levels, acknowledged as symbols of transparency in the nonprofit sector, are displayed on all updated participants’ profiles in the GuideStar database.

Arlington, VA (June 22, 2018) – Research published today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research demonstrates that a digital self-management program, known as Better Choices, Better Health® – Diabetes (BCBH-D), offered by Canary Health as part of a strategic partnership with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), can help health insurers save an average of $815 in health care costs per person with diabetes in the year after the program, realizing a return on investment (ROI) of $3 for every $1 spent on the workshop. The research showed similar cost savings for the in-person, community-based version of the program, which had an ROI of $2-$2.7 for every $1 spent, depending on local costs.

The study was conducted by researchers from HealthCore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, in partnership with Canary Health, NCOA, Oasis, and Stanford University where the Diabetes Self-Management Program was originally developed. One of the largest peer-reviewed studies of a digital and community-based diabetes self-management program, it tracked individuals who participated in the six-week workshop through their Anthem Health Plan.

Researchers compared participants’ health care utilization one year after completing the program against a comparison group of people with diabetes who did not participate in the self-management program. Canary Health managed the delivery of the online version, and Oasis managed delivery of the in-person, community-based version.

After controlling for relevant variables, program participants experienced significant reduction in all-cause utilization and post-intervention disease burden, as compared to the matched control cohort. Emergency Department visits decreased by 110 visits per 1,000 member years, and outpatient visits decreased by 2,350 visits per 1,000 member years.

These cost-savings findings build on prior research that showed the clinical effectiveness of BCBH-D. Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2016, that research demonstrated that workshop participants experienced a decrease in average blood sugar (measured by A1C) at 12 months of 1.27% for those with an A1C>9. Participants, regardless of baseline A1c, decreased hypoglycemia and depression symptoms, and improved medication adherence. The implementation and health outcomes research was conducted through grant support to NCOA from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Anthem, and Anthem Foundation.

Available online and in-person, the Diabetes Self-Management Program is a six-week workshop taught by two trained peer facilitators, many of whom have diabetes themselves. Participants set measurable goals to improve their health, including monitoring their blood sugar, food, medication, and exercise; gain support from their peers; and learn how to better communicate with health care providers. All information provided meets guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Diabetes Educators.

“One of the goals of the federal Healthy People 2020 initiative is to reduce the disease burden of diabetes and improve the quality of life for all persons who have the disease,” said Kathleen Cameron, MPH, Senior Director of NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging. “This research is further evidence that both the digital and in-person, community-based versions of the program activate people with diabetes and have the potential to achieve both of these goals for millions of Americans.”

Nearly 29 million Americans have diabetes, a chronic condition that is disproportionately expensive, especially when there are complications. Diabetes among American adults was estimated to cost the U.S. economy an additional $245.5 billion in 2017 in total health care expenditures, according to the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

“Billions of dollars have been spent without arresting the chronic condition epidemic,” said Adam Kaufman, PhD, CEO of Canary Health. “While devices and data are necessary, this study demonstrates that peer coaching and peer support add missing elements that weave together disconnected and disparate technologies to arrest the diabetes epidemic at scale.”

“This is a total program,” says Dr. George Mante, a participant with Type 2 diabetes for nearly 10 years who lost 40 pounds using BCBH-D. “It includes reading, discussing, questioning, and above all establishing goals and objectives in a systematic way that results in a healthier you. All 20 of my recent lab tests were normal. My diabetes and arthritis are under good control. Life can be so good!”

“These studies show that Better Choices, Better Health® – Diabetes is both effective and scalable to millions of individuals online and in the community,” said Kate Lorig, DrPH, Partner at the Self-Management Resource Center, Professor Emerita at Stanford University, and creator of the program. “The secret sauce seems to be giving people the confidence they can do things. The task now is to make it more widely available to improve people’s quality of life while lowering the cost of care.”

“By offering people with diabetes more than one way to manage their condition, we can make a meaningful impact on their health,” said Juliet Simone, MPH, MBA, national health and program director at Oasis. “We know that older adults who are engaged in pursuing healthy lifestyles are empowered to serve as agents of change in their communities. This is at the heart of the Oasis mission.”

“As part of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s catalytic philanthropy approach, we look to provide funding to front-edge innovators such as NCOA who not only develop and test health service interventions and delivery models to address health disparities, but who also simultaneously engage the real-world partners critical to sustainability and scaling,” said John Damonti, president, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. “The substantial findings of this study stand on the powerful cross-sector collaboration of NCOA with the partners at the Self-Management Resource Center, Anthem, Oasis, and Canary Health.”

For more information about BCBH-D, visit canaryhealth.com/bcbh.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a respected national leader and trusted partner to help people aged 60+ meet the challenges of aging. Our mission is to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. Through innovative community programs and services, online help, and advocacy, NCOA is partnering with nonprofit organizations, government, and business to improve the health and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

About Canary Health

Canary Health is the leading provider of digital health self-management programs which includes a CDC-approved online diabetes prevention program and a chronic disease self-management program in an exclusive partnership with the Self-Management Resource Center. Learn more at canaryhealth.com.

About the Self-Management Resource Center

The Self-Management Resource Center (SMRC), previously the Stanford Patient Education Research Center, is the culmination of 38 years of research and program development, all focused on the goal of helping people better manage their chronic health conditions. SMRC provides training and licensing for the suite of Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs.

About Oasis

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles, and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology, and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead, and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 42 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and community partners. Learn more at oasisnet.org.

[St. Louis, MO] – June 19, 2018 – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded The Oasis Institute a $15,000 grant to support Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring.  This local grant award is part of more than $8.3 million in grants awarded to more than 1,000 schools, nonprofits and organizations across the 44 states that Dollar General serves.

“We are thankful to be partnering in such a meaningful way with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation,” said Paul Weiss, president of The Oasis Institute. “This support will directly impact our ability to reach even more communities with a program that has made a profound difference in the lives of older adults and the children. In Missouri, we are working to expand our reach beyond counties in metro St. Louis area, with our sights set on rural communities, where the need is also great.”

Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring is the largest older adult tutoring program in the U.S., reaching more than 444,000 children since 1989. There are more than 5,000 Oasis tutors working one-on-one with children in grades K-3 in 664 schools nationwide.

In Missouri, Oasis tutors are working in St. Louis City, as well as St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Adair counties. Plans are in place to expand to the following Missouri counties: Cape Girardeau, Franklin, Jefferson, Knox, Lincoln, Macon, Perry, Pike, Ralls, Schuyler, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Warren and Washington.

“We are honored to fund literacy and education initiatives, which support our mission of Serving Others,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO.  “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2018 and a legacy of helping people improve their lives through literacy and education. Including this grant, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has provided more than $154 million in funding to help more than 10 million people. We believe these programs can have a positive impact on the communities we serve and we look forward to continuing to partner with organizations dedicated to making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $154 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 10 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.

About the Oasis Institute

Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 49 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and 700 community partners.  For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $154 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 10 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 14,609 stores in 44 states as of March 2, 2018. In addition to high-quality, private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted brands such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo.

The Oasis Institute, a thought leader in healthy aging, and Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., continue their partnership to offer free classes to older adults through the Oasis Healthy Habits program. With the support of the Foundation’s $267,000 grant, the Oasis Healthy Habits for Adults will provide more opportunities for older adults to learn healthy fitness and nutrition habits. The program consists of peer-led classes that teach older adults how making incremental adjustments in their diet and physical activity can have a big impact on their health.

“Ninety-two percent of older adults have at least one chronic disease including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer,” said Paul Weiss, president of The Oasis Institute. “With the support of Anthem Foundation, we are excited to be able to offer Healthy Habits for Adults classes for free in six communities across the country.”

The six cities involved in the program are St. Louis, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Tucson, AZ; Richmond, VA; San Diego and Los Angeles, CA.

“The Anthem Foundation is committed to supporting initiatives that can have a positive impact on the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Marc Russo, President of Anthem’s Medicare business. “Evidenced-based programs like Oasis Healthy Habits for Adults are vital for older adults who want to practice healthy habits to help combat chronic conditions; the collaboration between the Foundation and Oasis exemplifies our commitment to reduce health disparities while increasing access to quality services and information that can help older adults create and sustain a healthy lifestyle.”

Oasis Healthy Habits for Adults classes are based on concepts from the MyPlate of Older Adults program developed by Tufts University. Classes teach older adults how to limit salt, sugar and fat while increasing whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables in their diet. The hour-long interactive classes also include low-impact exercises and a healthy snack.

For more information on the program, visit the St. Louis Oasis Healthy Habits website.

About the Oasis
Oasis is a national education organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning and service. Offering stimulating programs in the arts, humanities, health, technology and volunteer service, Oasis brings people together to learn, lead and contribute in their communities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the headquarters of a national network that serves a broad audience in 42 U.S. cities through nine educational centers and community partners. For more information, visit www.oasisnet.org

About Anthem Foundation

The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These disease states and medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates’ pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.

The board of directors of the Oasis Institute has named Paul Weiss, PhD as the organization’s new president. Paul brings more than 20 years of education, program development, strategic planning, organizational growth and non-profit leadership experience to the position.

“The Oasis story conveys an inspiring message of successful aging,” Paul said. “The improvements in quality of life, interpersonal connections, stimulation, physical health and joy that Oasis brings to those who participate in its programs are incredible.”

“I’m excited about working with the staff across the country, board members and partners to execute the current strategic plan and develop an entrepreneurial culture that will inspire the next steps for Oasis.”

Matt Geekie, Marcia Kerz, Paul Weiss and Marylen Mann at a retirement celebration honoring Marcia.

Most recently, Paul served as the senior athletic director at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania where he oversaw the opening and programming of a $27 million, 100,000 square foot fitness and athletic center. While there he led a two-year strategic planning initiative that resulted in a new merit-aid system for athletes and other talented prospective students.

Before moving to Newtown, Paul served as chief program officer at Asphalt Green, a sports and fitness-focused non-profit organization in New York City. During his 12-year tenure, annual program revenue grew by nearly $5 million and community programs tripled in scope.

While at Asphalt Green, Paul developed an evidence-based senior fitness curriculum for the New York City Department of Aging. To implement the program, Paul and his team trained more than 250 senior volunteer peer-instructors. The curriculum included senior exercise training manuals and at-home books that are used throughout the city in more than 100 senior centers.

A native St. Louisan, Paul holds a PhD in Educational Research and Psychology from Washington University and assumed his position as President of the Oasis Institute on June 14, 2017.

About Oasis

The Oasis Institute is a national nonprofit organization that promotes healthy aging through lifelong learning, wellness programs and volunteer engagement. Founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1982, Oasis has a national membership of 360,000 adults and serves 52,000 people annually through partnerships in 40 cities. For more information, visit www3.oasisnet.org or call 314-862-2933, extension 291.

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 18, 2015 – The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program is awarding a grant of $223,501 to Oasis Institute to support its Get Pumped! program, which works to improve cardiovascular health in the community.

Get Pumped! aims to improve the health behaviors of adults living in nine high-risk ZIP codes in the St. Louis area who have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease (hypertension, physical inactivity or diabetes) by providing health screenings, education and exercise programs at community locations using mobile health and evidence-based programs.

“Despite a variety of community efforts to improve heart health, some areas actually worsened, while others improved. Seeing this, Oasis and the Urban League came together to address this disparity,” said Sarah Lovegreen, National Health Director at Oasis. “Over the course of a year we will track 240 enrolled participants to measure how their risk factors are impacted.”

“Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in the United States, which is why we must find new ways to help prevent and decrease the risks associated with this disease,” said James W. Blasetto, MD, MPH, FACC, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. “The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is proud to provide funding to Oasis Institute’s innovative program to help improve cardiovascular health in their community.”

The Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program annually awards grants to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations across the country. More than $2.6 million in grants to 13 organizations will be announced this year. More than $17 million in grants have been awarded through the program since its inception in 2010. In 2015, the Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM program will award grants from $150,000 to $180,000. Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. Applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 26, 2015.

About The Oasis Institute
The Oasis Institute is a national nonprofit organization that promotes successful aging through lifelong learning, health programs and volunteer engagement. The Oasis vision is to see that adults age 50-plus across the country have opportunities to pursue vibrant, healthy, productive and meaningful lives. Founded in 1982, Oasis has a national membership of 360,000 adults and serves 52,000 people annually through partnerships in 49 cities. The Oasis Institute in St. Louis is the national headquarters. For more information, visit www3.oasisnet.org or call 314-862-2933.

About AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation
Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes, including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose. Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca.

Media Inquiries
Public Communications Inc.: Colleen O’Donnell, 312-558-1770
Oasis Institute: Janice Branham, 314-862-2933 ext 229