St. Vincent’s Launches Education Program Promoting Vision Health
Village Recipient of Healthy Vision Community Award

   SAN DIEGO — St. Vincent de Paul Village has been awarded $9,978 by the National Eye Institute (NEI) to promote eye-health education and reduce visual impairment among members of the homeless population.

   President of St. Vincent’s, Father Joe Carroll, says vision problems associated with diabetes are common among many homeless individuals.

   "A large number of our less fortunate neighbors who access our medical clinic have gone a long time without prior diagnosis of their diabetic condition," Father Joe says. "For some of those individuals the untreated diabetes has resulted in problems with their vision.

   "The generous grant from NEI will allow us to treat individuals with vision loss and educate individuals who may be at-risk on how to maintain their eye health."

   St. Vincent’s was one of 523 organizations nationwide that applied for funding, which was administered through the NEI’s Healthy Vision 2010 Community Awards program. Of those agencies that applied for the grants, 32 received funding totaling $315,000.

   "Healthy People 2010 is a comprehensive plan to improve the health and well-being of all Americans," says Tommy Thompson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "Promoting eye health and vision care at the community level is a key component of this program. The Healthy Vision Community Awards program recognizes the commitment of local organizations to improve eye health and quality of life for the people they serve."

   The vision objectives of Healthy People 2010, referred to as Healthy Vision 2010, address visual impairment due to eye disease, encourage routine eye exams for children and adults, support vision screenings for preschool children and promote injury prevention as well as visual rehabilitation.

   For more information on St. Vincent’s NEI grant, call (619) 233-8500, ext. 3883. For more information on Healthy Vision 2010, visit www.healthyvision2010.org.

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