The Buffalo community is being encouraged to fight obesity. Independent Health hosted its second "Conversations for a Healthier Tomorrow" featuring former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. Purcell served as the vice chair of the committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Washington.
Purcell appeared Wednesday at the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo for the conversation, but first spoke with WBFO'S Eileen Buckley about creating a healthier community.
Community and business leaders from various sectors of Buffalo gathered Wednesday to hear Purcell and discuss creating a healthier community.
President and CEO of Independent Health, Dr. Michael Cropp, said they are trying to get the obesity epidemic in check, but that no one entity can solve it.
"If we can, as a community address the epidemic of obesity, we are going to be in such a better place," said Cropp.
Cropp says with skyrocketing health care costs, its evident obesity must be controlled.
"We want to reach them where they spend their lives, which is in school, at work, in the faith community and through other trusted relationships that they have, so we have reached out to all those other stakeholder groups to engage the," said Cropp.