LA Unified School District Superintendent David Brewer and LA County Board Supervisor Yvonne Burke will serve as honorary co-chairs of the National Advisory Board of Smiley’s Road to Health expo. Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke sponsored the resolution to declare Road to Health Day in Los Angeles, Friday, March 30, 2007.

The Road to Health tour will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 30 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Road to Health tour, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, is a two-day, multi-city health, fitness, and wellness expo featuring local and national celebrities, seminars for youth, men and women, dance and nutrition demonstrations, medical screenings, CPR certification training and a blood drive, cardio zone for kids, and a ¼ mile walk-a-thon.

Road to Health is the first traveling broadcast (radio and television) series aimed at communities of color to promote the benefits of health and fitness and to help communities of color develop healthier lifestyles. Smiley will moderate a symposium at the convention center Friday, March 30th at 10am on “Eliminating Childhood Obesity in Communities and Schools”. The symposium is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Road to Health is free and open to the public. All attendees must register online at www.roadtohealthtour.com or on site.

“I am excited that the City of Los Angeles has joined us to address health disparities in communities of color and to show that simple changes in diet and lifestyle can lead to a healthier life,” said Smiley.

“People often think an intervention has to be a new drug or something really high-tech and expensive in order to be powerful. They have a hard time believing that the simple choices that we make in our lives every day — what we eat, how we respond to stress, whether or not we smoke, and how much we exercise—can make such a powerful difference in our health, our well-being, and even our survival.”

"On behalf of the students and families of Los Angeles, I am proud to partner with Tavis Smiley, Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke and LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer III to serve as Honorary Co-Chair of the Road to Health Expo. in Los Angeles," said Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa." “Our shared objective is to promote health and fitness in underserved communities with the hope of eliminating preventable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and childhood obesity one person at a time. We do this with the ultimate goal of creating a healthier and more viable Los Angeles.”

"At the Los Angeles Unified School District, we are committed to improving the health and wellness of all our students," said LAUSD Superintendent David L. Bewer III. "Students make crucial decisions that will affect the rest of their school careers and beyond. That’s why it is so important that our children understand how healthy lifestyles lead to success in and out of the classroom. I want to challenge all LAUSD middle school students and parents, to get active, eat healthy, and continue down the Road to Health."

The first day of the expo is aimed at youth, ages 11–15, and will feature a variety of fitness demonstrations, workshops on meal and snack selection, seminars to build self-esteem, and activities designed to show how exercise can be fun. The activities will include a kids’ cardio zone featuring rock climbing, tennis, golf, boxing and interactive exercise video games including McDonald’s popular mini playground—“Passport to Play” with activities led by an American Olympian.

Nutritionists, fitness experts and health conscious celebrities will share their knowledge on how they make healthier life style choices every day.

The second day focuses on family health and fitness and is targeted to African American and Hispanic adults, ages 18–65. Featured seminar topics include HIV/AIDS, diabetes, exercise, diet and nutrition, senior health, and prenatal care.

Taking a holistic approach to family wellness, Road to Health offers seminars and exhibits tailored to natural and alternative approaches to healing the mind and body, and introduce new ways to use food for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Several workshops will feature Spanish-speaking instructors along with Spanish language materials. Smiley will lead a walk-a-thon on Saturday.

"Kaiser Permanente is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2007 Road to Health tour. African Americans and Latinos have a unique culture and a different set of risks for specific diseases. We want to address these needs in a meaningful way that resonates with cultural values and we want to offer tools for managing health and preventing disease," said Bernard Tyson, senior vice president of Health Plan and Hospital Operations, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Youth health day activities include a health industry career cafe that will provide advice from experts in the fields of nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and more. Mobile screening and testing units will offer screenings to youth on BMI, height and weight, pulse rate, vision health, asthma, and bone density. On both days, adult screenings will include blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, HIV/AIDS, dental, and glaucoma.

The expo includes interactive pavilion demonstrations dedicated to beauty and wellness, nutrition and cooking, fitness and exercise, and holistic health.

The tour concludes in Oakland May 11-12, 2007.

Road to Health is presented by Kaiser Permanente and supported by national partnerships with the American Red Cross, Action for Healthy Kids, McDonald’s, Department of Minority Health, Baltimore City Health Fair and media sponsor “The Tom Joyner Morning Show”. In each city, the “Eliminating Childhood Obesity” symposiums are sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.