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August 7, 2007
Alcoa Garvan community health partnership
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An innovative partnership between one of Australia’s leading medical research institutes and local aluminium recycler and manufacturer Alcoa has helped employees learn about the latest breakthroughs in health research and disease risk and management.
The Garvan Institute visited Alcoa’s Yennora plant to deliver special interactive presentations to workers about diseases such as prostate cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.
Alcoa machine operator and Fairfield resident George Wetton said the presentations were very popular.
“Most employees are male and middle aged so the information was very relevant. Men often aren’t keen to talk about their health or ask questions. The presentations have given them valuable information and practical suggestions on prevention that they can take home and share with their families.”
Garvan Institute of Medical Research Executive Director Professor John Shine welcomes the new initiative.
“Garvan is all about breakthrough medical research and delivering positive health outcomes to the community.
The Alcoa employee seminars have allowed us to build on this by extending our community outreach program off site and into the corporate sector.”
Minister for Science and Medical Research the Hon. Verity Firth officially launched the Alcoa Garvan partnership at the Garvan Institute Galleria in Darlinghurst on Tuesday 3 August.
An additional Alcoa Foundation grant supports the free 2007 Public Seminar Series held at Garvan in Darlinghurst. For more information, or to book your place, phone 9295 8110 or email foundation@garvan.org.au.
Contact details: Josephine Parrett 02 9681 9554 or 0404 800 542
Background
The Garvan Research Foundation is the marketing and fundraising arm of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. The Institute was founded in 1963 as part of the St Vincent’s Hospital precinct. The Garvan’s mission is to make significant contributions to medical science that will change the directions of science and medicine and have major impacts on human health. Garvan’s main research programs are: Cancer, Diabetes & Obesity, Arthritis & Immunology, Osteoporosis, and Neuroscience.
Public seminars to be held at Garvan in 2007 include Healthy Ageing, Breast & Ovarian Cancer, Auto-Immune Diseases, osteoporosis, the Ageing Brain and Mental Health Disorders.
The Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that actively invests in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide. With more than $410 million invested since our inception in 1952, Alcoa Foundation has positioned itself as a source of positive community change and enhancement. Out of that legacy has emerged a set of strengths and competencies that reflect community aspirations and needs around the world.
Alcoa ARP at Yennora is Australia's largest recycler of aluminium products, recycling over 70,000 tonnes per year, including 550 million cans. Recycling aluminium plays a critical role in addressing the global greenhouse gas challenge – it takes five percent of the energy required to recycle aluminium as it does to produce it. As a product, aluminium is also part of the solution for the greenhouse challenge. Alcoa researchers have forecasted that with global projections for the use of aluminium in cars and trucks and the numbers of vehicles in use, aluminium will increasingly become part of the global climate change solution with the industry reaching a climate neutral state by 2017. This means the global warming impacts of aluminium production will be fully offset by the amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved by the use of aluminium in the transportation industry. Today’s motor vehicles use aluminium in engine parts, panels, electronic systems and wheels. An average aluminium part is 40-50 per cent lighter than a steel part and every 10 per cent reduction in weight leads to a 6-8 percent improvement in fuel economy. Less fuel means less emissions and every kilogram of aluminium used in a car can reduce CO2 emissions by 20 kilograms over the life of the vehicle.
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