Top federal officials are keeping a close eye on some Rochester area community health projects. That's what Dr. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered at a conference last week at the White House.
While there, Cook says he met with a senior USDA official, "He's aware of community assets that we have like people at RIT and people at Wegmans, and what they do with marketing food and advertising food. And it's good to know that things we take for granted these guys seem to be looking to for next steps, next ideas."
Cook says he was the only pediatrician at the White House event, which focused on cardiovascular disease. He is a noted expert on fighting child obesity which can be a factor in developing the disease.
Cook says good heart health begins very early in life, and he is pushing for federal legislation and funding to support that.
Click on the video box below to see Dr. Cook's appearance on WXXI-TV's Need to Know Rochester on Friday, March 2.