We Can!™ Newcomer Applauds Acting Surgeon General

November 5, 2008

The South Dakota Discovery Center—a brand new We Can! site in Pierre, South Dakota—represented the We Can! program at a local round table conducted by Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven Galson on October 16.

Galson stopped in South Dakota on a coast-to-coast tour highlighting his efforts to help children maintain a healthy weight. Members of the Healthy South Dakota Initiative, including the Secretaries of Social Services, Health, Education, and Game Fish and Parks, as well as the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, described strategies that they're using to help kids live healthier, longer lives at the roundtable.

"Committed citizens from various agencies across the state had time to share their thoughts and ideas with the group," said Sue Douglas, education director at the South Dakota Discovery Center. "For me, it was beneficial to hear that everyone is on the same page when it comes to this epidemic, and know that there are so many resources that I can turn to."

It's no surprise that the Acting Surgeon General's message that preventive measures are critical in coping with the epidemic of childhood weight problems resonated with Douglas. It should have, because it is the foundation of the We Can! program—and We Can! is one of the Acting Surgeon General Galson's top programs to prevent childhood overweight.