RANGELEY — With grant funding provided by the St. Paul’s United Church of Christ of Westminster, Md., Foundation, the Rangeley Region Health and Wellness Partnership (RRHWP) is taking an active stance in improving the health of children in the Rangeley area.

“Our goal is to aid in the early intervention of medical issues in children and impact childhood obesity in our community,” said Executive Director Krista Perry.

A portion of the $9,000 grant is being used to support an existing program that subsidizes the costs of physical exams and vaccinations for children from birth to age 18.

“This program is designed to make sure children have access to necessary immunizations and physicals by offsetting the costs to the parents,” said Perry.

In addressing childhood obesity the Wellness Partnership is teaming up with Rangeley Family Medicine to use some of the grant funds to identify children at risk for obesity early on and assist parents in finding nutritional counseling for their child.

To further address the issue, the organization plans to use the grant funds to support the Children In Action (CIA) after-school program, which includes one hour of daily physical activity. Children are also taught how to prepare nutritious snacks and given educational materials about nutrition to take home.

“What we are really trying to do is promote healthy behavior,” said Perry.

For more information about the immunization and children’s obesity programs offered by the RRHWP, call 864-4397. For information about the Children in Action after-school program, contact Lindsay Richards at 864-3055.