Georgia Piedmont Technical College launched its signature health and wellness initiative "Be ACTive: A GPTC Lifestyle" during a health symposium Sept. 12 on its Newton Campus located at 8100 Bob Williams Parkway in Covington.
"Be ACTive" is a comprehensive, college-wide community engagement program that encourages staying active as a way to maintain excellent health and achieve a better quality of life. The program promotes taking personal responsibility for achieving better health which, in turn, will improve the quality of life for individuals as well as communities.
During the symposium, the HBO documentary, "Weight of a Nation," was screened. The documentary presented the sobering details of the obesity epidemic in America and the challenges in combating this issue.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Nisha Simama, wife of GPTC President Dr. Jabari Simama, and featured local health and wellness professionals and community leaders.
Panelists included:
• Adriane Strong, MPH, Director of Health Education, NE Health District Morgan County Health Department
• Kenna Glick, Registered and Licensed Dietician/Nutritionist, Diabetes Education and Nutrition Services, Newton Medical Center
• Terrence Artis, Executive Director, A. R. "Gus" Barksdale Boys & Girls Club, Rockdale
• Capt. Diane Loos, Certified Personal Fitness Expert, Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Instructor, GPTC Law Enforcement Academy
"Screening ‘The Weight of the Nation' on our campus was a big first step for us as we launch the Be ACTive program throughout our campus communities," said GPTC President Dr. Jabari Simama. "We plan to offer our voice and use our platform as a college to bring attention and awareness to the benefits of healthy living and spread the message right here in our community."
For more information regarding Be ACTive, contact Cynthia Dorsey Edwards, Vice President of Community Outreach and Engagement, at edwardsc@gptc.edu or 404-297-9522.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, has nine centers of learning in DeKalb, Newton, Rockdale, and Morgan counties. Georgia Piedmont Technical College currently has more than 4,500 students enrolled in diploma or degree programs and more than 7,000 in adult education classes. For more information, go to www.gptc.edu.
