Ride for Roswell Raises $3.7 Million

In its 17th year, the 2012 Ride for Roswell annual fundraiser held on June 23rd raised $3.7 million, which is $500,000 more than the amount raised for 2011’s Ride. The event which began at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus had over 10,000 supporters. With more than 8,000 cyclists who took one of the ten route options, participants had a great time at the event. Pictures from The Ride show a range of cyclists showing their support.
Over time, millions of dollars have been raised to support cancer research and patient care at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). This year’s funds will support 25 lifesaving cancer research studies and 30 patient care programs, bringing RPCI closer to its goal to fully fund a new building that will house a new breast center and chemotherapy clinic.

For the first time, an opening ceremony kicked off the event on June 22nd. The opening ceremony honored and celebrated cancer patients, survivors and those who have lost a battle with cancer. The event featured remarks by cancer research advocate and former Buffalo Bills linebacker Chris Spielman and a live concert by Grammy winner Rick Springfield.

 

Canvassing in the BNMC Surrounding Neighborhoods

Canvassing is taking place in the Allentown, Fruit Belt, Linwood and downtown Buffalo neighborhoods because of each community’s proximity to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The canvassing will conclude October 2012. Go Buffalo-a partnership between the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Buffalo CarShare, and GO Bike Buffalo- is looking to learn how residents are getting around.
Five canvassers have been recruited to help spread the word about how residents can use alternative modes of transportation that are environmentally friendly and healthy. The different transportation options include biking, walking, public transit and car sharing.

In addition to sharing more sustainable ways to commute, the canvassers will share information about how local residents can find out about job openings and job training opportunities for future positions on the campus.

GO Buffalo will have a table at the Allen West Festival June 9-10, the Juneteenth Festival June 16-17, and the Fruit Belt Coalition’s National Night Out August 7.

For more information or if you would like to become a GO Buffalo Champion (a leader in sustainable transportation) please call Holly Hutchinson, Street Team Leader, at 716.566.2314.

 

Check out testimonials from people who cycle, use Buffalo CarShare, or walk to various destinations.

Buffalo Green Code Open House Meetings

Buffalo Green Code open house meetings for the community will take place June 4 until June 9. Through the City of Buffalo’s new zoning ordinance, a land use plan that was created last year will be improved upon as specific and detailed laws will govern development that takes place throughout the city.
The open house meetings will offer community members the opportunity to learn more about how the zoning ordinance will work and benefit their neighborhoods. There will also be Youth and Family Sessions. The BNMC and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) partners have organized and will lead the family sessions at the meetings. Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Buffalo will help kids and parents provide input into the process and fully understand the zoning initiative.

HKHC Blog.

Visit the Buffalo Green Code website for more information.

Community
Date
Time
Location
Address
West
Mon, 6/4
6-8:30 pm
Lafayette HS
370 Lafayette Ave.
Northwest
Tue, 6/5
6-8:30 pm
Riverside HS
51 Ontario St
South
Tue, 6/5
6-8:30 pm
South Park HS
150 Southside Pkwy.
Ellicott
Wed, 6/6
6-8:30 pm
Montessori School #32
342 Clinton St.
Northeast
Wed, 6/6
6-8:30 pm
Bennett HS
2885 Main St.
North
Thurs, 6/7
6-8:30 pm
North Park Academy
780 Parkside Ave.
Central Morning
Fri, 6/8
8-10:30 am
Central Library
1 Lafayette Square
Central Afternoon
Fri, 6/8
Noon-2:30pm
Central Library
1 Lafayette Square
E. Delavan-Masten
Sat, 6/9
9-11:30am
East HS
820 Northampton St.
East
Sat, 6/9
1-3:30pm
Matt Urban Center
1081 Broadway Pkwy.

Roswell Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology to Speak at BUILD of Buffalo Convention

Dr. Kunle Odunsi will give the opening address at the BUILD (Build Unity, Independence, Liberty & Dignity) of Buffalo Convention. The convention will take place June 1-2. The theme for the event is “Closing the Gap: Healthcare is a Civil Right…Not a Privilege” which will explore access to health care, employment, education, economic development.  He is the Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Director of the Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Dr. Odunisi earned his medical degree from the University of Ife in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He completed his postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. After completing a research fellowship in molecular oncology, he earned a doctoral degree at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories overseas from the University of Oxford. He also completed a residency at the Yale University School of Medicine, and a clinical fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Roswell.

BUILD of Buffalo’s two-day event will mark its 18th annual convention. The address will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, June 1, at the Friends Inc. Center located at 118 East Utica Street. Dr. Odunsi will discuss his path toward a career as a physician and researcher working to develop vaccine therapies to treat cancer, and give perspectives on how to close the gap on healthcare disparities.

Having partnered with Roswell before to promote health and improve the quality of life for the region’s residents, BUILD now looks to tackle another joint initiative that supports responsible tobacco retailing by limiting the advertising of tobacco products in delis and convenience stores. BUILD has also partnered with Roswell Park’s Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research to bring awareness of cancer screening and treatment programs to the minority community.

Additional 2-day event speakers:

LaVonne Ansari, PhD, of the Community Health Center of Buffalo

Rev. George Franklin Nicholas of Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church

Charley H. Fisher III, BUILD President.

For more information and to register, call 716-650-8889.

Registration (breakfast included): $20 for individual attendees, $50 for families (up to five people) and $100 for groups of six or more.

 

BNMC Becomes a Tobacco-Free Zone

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus continues to promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable environments, on July 4 the Medical Campus will officially be declared a tobacco-free zone across its 120 acre footprint which spans from Goodell Street to North Street and east-west from Michigan Avenue to Main Street. The tobacco-free adoption wp-contentlies to all of the BNMC’s employees, visitors, patients, vendors, contractors and will not be permitted on any of the BNMC properties.
Many of the member institutions such as the Buffalo Medical Group, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University at Buffalo have already declared that their sites are tobacco-free zones. Working with the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, BNMC created a tobacco-free plan that included data from campus employees about their receptiveness for creating a tobacco-free campus. There was a great deal of support from many of the employees who took the survey since a major reason mentioned for choosing to work at one of the medical and research institutions was to help create healthier environments.

This adoption will affect more than 1 million patients and visitors, as well as the 12,000 employees and students. Secondhand smoke is a dangerous contributor to tobacco-related health issues. Residents that live near the BNMC will be influenced by this change as well, ceasing the litter that builds up on neighboring properties. To continue to show dedication to becoming a good neighbor promoting healthy communities, a detailed implementation strategy will be established in order to promote and enforce the initiative.

For information about tobacco cessation resources, please visit the NYS Department of Health Tobacco Control Program and the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition websites.

Read coverage about the adoption below:

City Hall Looks to Broaden New Tobacco Ban on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is Now Smoke Free

Medical Corridor Snuffs Out Smoking

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Going Tobacco-free

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to Ban Smoking

Medical Campus Wants to Expand Smoking Ban

Smoking Banned at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

Reduce the Risk Factors as You Walk on Wednesdays

Did you know that walking can help prevent many chronic and cardiovascular diseases? On the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus we are encouraging healthy lifestyles through our Healthy Communities, Wellness, and Transportation initiatives, all created with the goal of improving your quality of life in mind.

Begin your commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle right where you live and/or work. Walking for 30-40 minutes each day can ultimately have a positive affect on your life expectancy. Join the Walking on Wednesdays group as they meet at Roswell Park Cancer Institute‘s Kaminski Park every Wednesday starting May 23 until September 26 from 12:10 – 12:50 p.m. Every week, there will be a different route and giveaways as the walks take place in rain or shine.

Need more motivation to begin walking while on the BNMC or walking in general? Check out all of the great benefits of walking every day as you add Walking on Wednesdays into your daily activity routines. Walking can:

  • Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)
  • Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
  • Manage your weight
  • Improve your mood
  • Help you stay strong and fit
  • Burn up at least 100 calories of energy if you walk one mile (1.6km). Walking two miles (3.2km) a day, three times a week, can help reduce weight by one pound (0.5kg) every three weeks.
  • Risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also often risk factors for other chronic diseases. Many risk factors are related.
  • Reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases associated with physical inactivity. Risks for cardiovascular disease associated with physical inactivity are similar to that of cigarette smoking.

For more information on how walking can increase your health, take a short 10 minute break to watch the video below by the University of Toronto’s Dr. Mike Evans, who is a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health for the university.

GO Bike Buffalo

GO Bike Buffalo strives to create healthy, environmentally sustainable, community friendly transportation options in the City of Buffalo. Through an array of advocacy efforts and various community programs, GO Bike Buffalo is working to make Buffalo a bicycle friendly city.
GO Bike Buffalo programs include:

* Community Workshop – a place where volunteers and members can go and learn to repair and maintain their bicycles.

* Recycle-A-Bicycle –  in Buffalo public schools 18, 27 and 77 and others, students have learned about bicycle repair and maintenance, as well as safety, health and the environment, while building their own bicycles from refurbished parts.

* Bicycle Benefits Program – a program designed to reward individuals and businesses for their commitment to cleaner air, personal health, and the use of pedaling energy in order to create a more sustainable community.

* Safe Routes to School – a program supported by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school.

And much more.

Website: www.gobikebuffalo.org