San Diego area hospitals are enlisting star power to bring attention to local health issues. Chargers runningback LaDainian Tomlinson will be promoting healthy living and disease prevention for the next five years. The record-setting football player says for him, the fight against disease is personal.
Tomlinson : It hits home to me because I've been affected by it with all these diseases that's going on. It's been affecting my family, so that's why I'm so serious about it.
The Project21SD partnership aims find solutions to childhood obesity, diabetes and cardiac disease.
Tomlinson's first job will to raise awareness for Dial Don't Drive, a homegrown program urging people to call 911 when they have heart attack symptoms.
The runningback will also support efforts to recruit more nurses and encourage young people to consider futures in healthcare.
The partnership is sponsored by Palomar Pomerado Health, a group of nonprofit hospitals in North County.
