Health & Wellness Briefs

The Kaiser Permanente Get Active! Atlanta and Team Decatur Kickoff Event will be held at the Decatur Recreation Center on July 15 from 6 to 8 pm. Join Mayor Jim Baskett and race director and Olympian Jeff Galloway for this fun event which kicks off the free eight week training program offered through Sept. 10. There will be a fitness expo, drawings for prizes, and information on joining Team Decatur, the running and walking group formed to participate in the Kaiser Permanente Run/Walk 5k. Be sure to wear your fitness clothes to participate in jazzercise, tai chi, aerobics and more. For more information, visit decaturga.com/ teamdecatur.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has been ranked among the nation’s top pediatric hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 edition of Best Children’s Hospitals. Recognized as one of the most comprehensive listings of its kind, the report ranks hospitals for excellence in outcomes, program structure and national reputation in 10 pediatric specialty areas. You can find out more at usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

Atlanta has been ranked 16th in the American Fitness Index compiled by the American College of Sports Medicine. The report reflects a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, and community resources and policies that support physical activity. Atlanta’s score was 56.0 out of a possible 100 points. Washington D.C. ranked first.

Kroger customers in the Atlanta Division donated more than $232,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network during a recent two-week fundraising effort. Customers purchased $1 hotair balloon icons, known as “Miracle Balloons,” with all proceeds going to the charity.

Emory’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center has been awarded a five-year, $7.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to discover proteins altered by Alzheimer’s, in an effort to identify new therapeutic targets.