Washington, D.C.--The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding of $6,988,538 in grants to New York State to help communities to combat chronic diseases while promoting health, Congressman Eliot Engel announced.

“This money will be used to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking - the four most important actions for combating chronic diseases and promoting health,’ Rep. Engel said. “It is one of the components in HHS’s comprehensive prevention and wellness initiative, Communities Putting Prevention to Work, which is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”

The goal said, Rep. Engel, who is a senior member of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, is to make healthy choices easier.

A grant of $3 million will be used for education on effectively implementing menu labeling in chain restaurants, the effects of trans fats and sugar sweetened beverages.

A third grant is for $2.2 million for efforts in nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco control. The third grant is supplementary, $1,788,538 to expand tobacco quitlines.

Rep. Engel said, “Obesity is becoming epidemic in America, and indeed throughout the world, and we have know the dangers of tobacco for years. They cause the great killers of Americans, heart disease and cancer, as well as diabetes and other diseases. These grants will help us to fight these clear dangers to our health. This ounce of prevention will give us many pounds of cure.”