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Published on June 28, 2023

Effort to Add 5 Years of Life Kicks off in Greensboro

An event will be the first to help meet Cone Health’s pledge to boost life expectancy in underserved areas.

 

Greensboro – The effort to close the gap in life expectancy for people in the communities Cone Health serves officially begins next weekend with Building a Better You: A Community Wellness Event. It is Saturday July 8, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., at Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA in Greensboro. 

Research from Cone Health has determined that there are areas where people live 15 years less on average than those who may live in an adjacent zip code. These are rural as well as urban areas throughout the Cone Health service area. The Cone Health Center for Health Equity has set a goal to close that life expectancy gap by 5 years over the next 5 years. It calls this effort “CATCH 5 in 5” which stands for Collaborative Actions Toward Community Health to add 5 years of life in 5 years. This is the first event under that umbrella.  Drawing of people with puzzle pieces on ladders

“How long you live is about so much more than health care,” says Dr. Olu Jegede, vice president of clinical care and health equity, Cone Health. “Life expectancy is influenced by housing, education, physical activity, the level of stress in your life and a host of other factors.
Cone Health cannot tackle these issues alone. But we can partner with others and collectively make an impact.” 

Others taking part in the CATCH 5 IN 5 wellness event this weekend include the City of Greensboro, Every Baby Guilford, East Greensboro Now, Guilford County Schools, Hayes-Taylor YMCA, NC Works, One Hand To Another and others. The agencies and organizations will form more than 20 wellness “hubs” connecting people to the services they need for long term wellness.

Cone Health is providing or bringing partners with information on: 

  • Health screenings
  • Mental health access
  • Medication resources
  • Transportation resources
  • Nutrition
  • Employment
  • Family services

Not all CATCH 5 in 5 events will be of this scale. Most will be smaller in nature and focused on the needs of people in specific communities.

Information about Catch 5 in 5 can be found at https://tinyurl.com/catch5in5