Prince William Health District Receives National Healthy Community Grant
Community partners work to make Prince William a healthier place to live, learn, work and play!
The Prince William Health District has been selected by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to become part of the Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental change (ACHIEVE) program. An initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ACHIEVE brings together concerned citizens to create healthy communities and provide local leaders with education and resources to solve specific health problems.
Prince William Health District is one of 15 newly selected communities in 17 states that will develop and implement local activities focused on preventing chronic disease through building partnerships and raising public awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity.
For the first time, the program includes a mentoring component, which will contribute to the sustainability of local efforts. Each community is paired with a mentor that has shown success in producing policy, systems and environmental impact to help replicate that success in the 2012 ACHIEVE community.
The Alexandria Health Department will mentor the Prince William Health District to work to decrease child and adult obesity rates through becoming a breastfeeding friendly community, and increase access to healthier foods and beverages in vending machines and at institution-sponsored meetings and events. These obesity prevention strategies will build upon partnerships and initiatives already in place in the Prince William Health District.
ACHIEVE communities are joined in a movement to create healthier places where people live, learn, work, and play. Since 2008, NACCHO, along with CDC, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, National Recreation and Parks Association, Society for Public Health Education, and YMCA of the USA, has collaborated to provide training, technical assistance and support to the now 149 ACHIEVE communities across the nation.
The initial partners that applied for this ACHIEVE grant include the Prince William Health Partnership, Prince William Health District, Alexandria Health Department and the Northern Virginia Health Foundation.
For more information, please visit the ACHIEVE website at www.achievecommunities.org or CDC’s Healthy Communities Program’s website at www.cdc.gov/healthycommunitiesprogram.