17th U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona and Canyon Ranch Institute Unveil 2007 Year of Wellness and Prevention.

Initiative to Promote Ways Individuals and Communities Can Become and Stay Healthy

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Canyon Ranch Institute president and 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006) Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS today announced the Canyon Ranch Institute's 2007 research and programmatic agenda: "The Year of Wellness and Prevention," which aims to empower all people to strengthen the body, mind, and spirit of themselves, their families, and their communities.

In 1979, Mel and Enid Zuckerman founded the acclaimed life-enhancement company Canyon Ranch. Their vision drives the Canyon Ranch Institute's mission to inspire people across America to make positive, healthy choices for themselves and their families. The Canyon Ranch Institute is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization.

"Canyon Ranch Institute is giving me the opportunity to continue my mission from my time as Surgeon General and use it in a real way to help real people," Dr. Carmona said. "As I've traveled around the nation, I've witnessed firsthand how poor health choices are hurting us all. Without good health, we have nothing. Health impacts every aspect of life. If a child is too sick to go to school, she can't learn. If a parent is too sick to go to work, he can't provide food and shelter for his family. Millions of Americans of all ages are suffering from completely preventable illnesses and injuries. Together, we must find ways to eliminate barriers to good health."

Dr. Carmona rolled out the Institute's 2007 agenda on Jan. 23, when he returned to his boyhood hometown, New York City, to confer the Surgeon General's Medallion on Dr. Richard Izquierdo, age 77. The Medallion is the highest honor that the Surgeon General can confer on an individual or organization. Dr. Izquierdo is the founder of the Urban Health Plan, which serves over 27,000 patients in the Bronx. Dr. Izquierdo was also Dr. Carmona's childhood doctor and has been his lifelong personal mentor.

"It's a privilege to award my mentor and friend Dr. Izquierdo the Surgeon General's Medallion," Dr. Carmona said. "It's fitting that my last Medallion would be given to my first doctor, and to a man who has guided my footsteps from the time I was a poor child running the streets, until today. Dr. Izquierdo is the embodiment of what we seek to accomplish at the Canyon Ranch Institute -- promote healthy living, train a new generation of health professionals, and provide ways for everyone -- regardless of income or socio-economic status -- to live healthier, happier lives."

At the event, Dr. Carmona also pledged 10 scholarships for staff members at Dr. Izquierdo's Urban Health Plan to participate in the weeklong Canyon Ranch Life Enhancement Program in Tucson, Ariz. These scholarships are the first to be awarded under the Canyon Ranch Institute's new Canyon Ranch National Wellness and Prevention Scholarship Program for health care professionals from community health centers. Additional scholarships will be available for health professionals from community health centers throughout the nation.

The Canyon Ranch Life Enhancement Program is a continuing medical education (CME)-accredited program that has been in place at Canyon Ranch for more than 14 years. Health professionals who receive scholarships will learn about integrative wellness and prevention, and then carry that knowledge back to their community health centers. More information about the Canyon Ranch National Wellness and Prevention Scholarship Program will be posted March 31 at www.canyonranchinstitute.org.

In addition to its National Wellness and Prevention Scholarship Program, Canyon Ranch Institute also made a number of other announcements to coincide with The Year of Wellness and Prevention. They are:

* The first-ever Surgeons General Public Health Policy Symposium, to be held in Tucson, Ariz., in conjunction with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona where Institute president Dr. Carmona is the Distinguished Professor of Public Health. Prior Surgeons General will participate in the 2008 gathering, working together as never before to address the most urgent public health issues.

* Canyon Ranch Institute Prevention Partnerships, to improve wellness and increase prevention as a way of life, particularly for minority populations and other targeted at-risk groups. These partnerships include initiatives with state and local governments, private corporations, health-focused organizations, the media, and academic institutions.

* Canyon Ranch Institute Prevention Pioneer Award, to recognize and honor individuals, organizations, and initiatives that serve as role models for effective ways to improve wellness, increase prevention, eliminate the scourge of health disparities, and improve health literacy at the individual, family, community, national, and global levels.

* The 17(th) Surgeon General's Task Force for Wellness and Prevention, which will advise Dr. Carmona on the development of the National Call to Action for Wellness and Prevention. The Task Force will be comprised of recognized health and wellness leaders.

About Canyon Ranch Institute:

The Canyon Ranch Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and educating people across America so they can make positive, healthy choices for themselves and their families. More information is available at www.canyonranchinstitute.org.

*** B-roll of the Jan. 23 Year of Wellness Agenda and Surgeon General's Medallion presentation will be available for press.