Munson Medical Center and Priority Health Teams to Help Curb Mic - Northern Michigan's News Leader

Michigan is among the most obese states in the nation, so Munson Medical Center and Priority Health are teaming up to start making a change.

Obesity is a key issue affecting our communities.

The Shape Michigan Expo kicked off the movement for a healthier Michigan.

Recently, Michigan was named the 5th most overweight state in the nation.

Paula Murphy, of Priority Health says obesity is, "...the leading cause for chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, emphysema, etc."

These are just a few of the many health risks that obesity poses; and its not just health risks, its a financial problem as well.

Murphy says, "Its costing our State over $75 billion a year in increased healthcare costs and that could be eliminated if people could just get within a normal BMI range."

The focus of Shape Michigan is to spread the word about things we can do to get healthy, such as diet, exercise, and overall healthier living.

And, its not just targeted at adults...its an initiative out to educate people of all ages.

Members of the community say they want to see our area and State as a whole, become a healthier place.

The Shape Michigan program will provide advisory councils in several cities, to help people come up with solutions to reach this goal.