Danica Patrick to continue as spokesperson for Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare's 'Healthy Driven' initiative

Race car driver Danica Patrick has extended her partnership with Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare and will continue to serve through early 2016 as the spokesperson for the system's "Healthy Driven" initiative, which is designed to help people move their health forward.

Beginning in September 2015, Patrick will take part in a Chicago area media campaign to mark the beginning of the next phase of Healthy Driven that will concentrate on disease prevention and health screenings. She'll also be a guest blogger on Edward-Elmhurst's new system web site, EEHealth.org, which will launch in the fall of 2015, and she'll donate $10,000 to Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare to support health screenings for women.

Patrick, a native of Roscoe, Illinois, helped Edward-Elmhurst launch Healthy Driven in December 2014 with a marketing effort that included TV and radio commercials, full-page newspaper and magazine ads, billboards, and a presence at public transportation centers and on public transportation vehicles.

"This is a perfect fit. We're made for each other because Healthy Driven is exactly how I lead my life," says Patrick. "I'm excited to continue encouraging people to make their health the number one priority in their lives."

"We're thrilled that Danica is leading the way to spread the Healthy Driven message," says Pam Davis, System CEO, Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare. "She's certainly a role model with the take-charge approach she has for her own health and fitness."

Patrick is also featured on www.HealthyDriven.com, where consumers can take part in the Danica Patrick Healthy Driven Challenge, in which participants have an opportunity to select challenges from three categories – nutritional, physical and emotional – to help them take charge of their health. Afterward, they can share their challenge on social media, receive a personalized photo with Patrick and be eligible for valuable prizes.

Patrick, the most successful woman in the history of American auto racing, is currently 21^st in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings, driving the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing. In 2016, Nature's Bakery, a maker of on-the-go snacks that complement health-conscious living and active, everyday lifestyles, will be Patrick's primary sponsor.