VENTURA, CA - Senior adults are invited to participate in a discussion about two newly funded grants that will impact the health of all residents of the city of Ventura - on Wednesday, May 16, from noon to 2 p.m. at Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N. Ventura Avenue. A healthy lunch will be provided by SCAN Health Plan and Kaiser Permanente. Seating is limited. Call 648-3035 to register.

Ventura County Public Health was awarded a CDC Community Transformation grant to collaboratively address the issue of chronic disease-related health disparities in the county. The project will help transform Ventura County communities by identifying opportunities for active and tobacco-free living as well as increasing access to healthy eating and quality clinical preventive services.

In addition, a grant was awarded to West Ventura to conduct a large-scale community event engaging healthy eating and active living, after school/home programs, encouraging more fruits and vegetables, and certification of health-promoting area restaurants.

"Seniors who want to be part of making these projects successful are encouraged to attend," said Steve Lehman, manager of the SCAN Senior Resource Center in Ventura. All residents of the city of Ventura are welcome.

Selfa Saucedo, MPH, of Ventura County Public Health, will lead the discussion. Saucedo is overseeing both of these grant-funded projects. She will share additional information about the projects and discuss the vital role residents can play in making them a success.

Sponsors include: City of Ventura Senior Services, Councilmember Neal Andrews, Kaiser, SCAN, Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, Ventura County Public Health and Ventura Senior Coordinating Council.

For 35 years SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of seniors and is now one of the country's largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans. The company currently has nearly 130,000 members in California and Arizona. Further information may be obtained at scanhealthplan.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/scanhealthplan.