image: Be Well™ Baytown
Credit: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
HOUSTON and BEAUMONT, TEXAS ― In an effort to improve public health and reduce cancer risk in East Texas, leaders in Beaumont are working with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to launch Be Well™ Beaumont through a newly announced $10 million gift from ExxonMobil. Community members, collaborators and representatives from MD Anderson kicked off the 10-year initiative today in Beaumont.
Be Well Beaumont aims to promote wellness and to lower cancer risk among community members by providing them with cancer prevention education and tools. This builds on Be Well™ Baytown, MD Anderson’s inaugural program that has been supported by ExxonMobil since 2016. That initiative has reached more than 80% of residents, providing wellness strategies that have been implemented by 20 local organizations.
“The Baytown initiative demonstrated what can be achieved through effective community partnerships led by two world-class organizations,” said Darren Woods, ExxonMobil chairman and CEO. “It is driving meaningful health and wellness benefits and we’re proud to team up again with MD Anderson to bring the same program to Beaumont in support of our neighbors and employees in that community.”
Be Well Communities™, MD Anderson’s place-based strategy for comprehensive cancer prevention and control, unites individuals, schools, workplaces, government agencies, health care providers and policymakers to plan and carry out sustainable, community-led solutions that make positive, long-lasting changes in people’s lives.
“Cancer prevention is a cornerstone of our mission to end cancer,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “We are grateful for ExxonMobil’s continued support to implement life-changing programs in communities like Beaumont and Baytown, where we can directly impact cancer risk reduction and provide tangible differences for countless families.”
Research indicates that up to half of cancer cases can be prevented through consistent healthy lifestyle choices, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, eating a balanced diet, maintaining an appropriate weight, protecting your skin from the sun, completing cancer prevention vaccines, getting cancer screening exams and discussing your family history with your doctor.
New initiative informed by proven model of impact
MD Anderson’s Be Well Communities are built on 100 years of best practices, literature and experience in healthy community initiatives. The model centers on working with community-based organizations to build their capacity to deliver and evaluate evidence-based interventions.
Together with ExxonMobil, MD Anderson aims to create strong community linkages, to advance professional and policy changes, to establish an active health coalition, and to create a sustainability plan to transition the initiative to the community.
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with leaders across Beaumont to implement collaborative change in the way people work, eat and play,” said Ruth Rechis, Ph.D., executive director ad interim of the cancer prevention and control platform at MD Anderson. “We are excited to get to know people in the community and cultivate strong and meaningful relationships.”
Program areas of focus for Be Well Beaumont may include:
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Healthy eating: increasing the amount of healthy food distributed and providing nutrition education
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Active living: increasing the percentage of students and adults engaged in physical activity and improving parks and outdoor spaces for safe physical activity
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Sun safety: providing sun-safety education and installing sunshades across the city
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Tobacco-free living: providing education on the harms of tobacco use and vaping
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Preventive care: increasing access to cancer screenings and HPV vaccinations
Through the support of ExxonMobil’s $10 million commitment, Be Well Beaumont will be implemented over the next 10 years; leadership will transition to the community in 2034. More information is available here.