Congratulations to Riverview School District and the Pittsburgh Juice Company for committing to make Allegheny County the healthiest county in the nation! In February, we designated Riverview School District as our newest Live Well Allegheny School, and the Pittsburgh Juice Company as our newest Live Well Allegheny Restaurant. With our wonderful partners, we can improve overall health and wellness in Allegheny County.

It is the beginning of March, which means spring is almost here! Springtime is the perfect time to focus on your health and wellness. We know that it’s easy to get off track during the colder months, so use the first days of spring to do something healthy. Enjoy the spring weather and take a walk in one of Allegheny County’s beautiful parks. Or cook a healthy meal for dinner with fresh foods from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Green Grocer truck. Healthy choices, however small, make a big difference!

Speaking of healthy choices, did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? This year, National Nutrition Month encourages people to “Go Further with Food,” by focusing on healthy eating and on reducing food waste. Preparing your meals in advance, storing food correctly, and shopping locally are ways to reduce food waste while maintaining healthy habits. Looking for more tips? Use this toolkit for more ways to celebrate National Nutrition Month. And check out this month’s Live Well Story to see how some UPMC hospitals celebrate National Nutrition Month year round!

Health and wellness of community members is top priority for the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). That’s why we are thrilled about our new STD-HIV/AIDS Clinic! The new clinic, located in the Blakey Center in the Hill District, opened on February 14th. ACHD provides free and confidential HIV-STD testing at the walk-in clinic. No appointment or insurance is necessary. Visit www.achd.net/std for more information. Also, check out the new Allegheny County Health Department Facebook page! Like us on Facebook to stay up to date on all the ACHD news.

Do you have an event coming up? Please let us know so we can add it to the Live Well Allegheny event calendar. Contact Marie Fontelo (Marie.Fontelo@AlleghenyCounty.US) with details. Please check the partner resources page of the web site for additional resources.

Karen Hacker, MD, MPH
Director, Allegheny County Health Department

Looking for ways to manage your stress? Join Live Well Allegheny for a Learning Collaborative Event! Live Well Allegheny is kicking off the 2018 Learning Collaborative Series with Stress Management & Health. The workshop will provide information on how stress impacts your health. Attendees will receive resources on managing stress for themselves, their consumers/constituents, and their employees. The purpose of the workshop is to provide resources, discuss best practices, and provide an opportunity for networking with other Live Well Allegheny partners. The workshop is on March 12th from 2:00-4:30 p.m. at the Hosanna House Event Center (807 Wallace Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15221).

Please RSVP to Kristen Rodack at Kristen.Rodack@AlleghenyCounty.US or 412-247-4520.

A parent from Deer Lakes School District, a Live Well Allegheny School, was recognized as a 2017 Healthy School Hero by Action for Healthy Kids! The Action for Healthy Kids Healthy School Hero Award is a national award that recognizes parents, teachers, students, administrators, and school wellness experts who work together to create healthier environments for students. Congratulations to Becky Rinker, a parent and wellness committee member, for her work in improving health and wellness for students at Deer Lakes School District!

Congratulations to Live Well Allegheny Community, West Homestead for piloting a new walking app, Let’s Walk! When it goes live, Let’s Walk! will be a social networking app connecting West Homestead residents with neighborhood walking partners. The mobile app will also encourage walking by helping residents map their routes and count steps.

Attention Live Well Allegheny Schools: Action for Healthy Kids is now accepting School Grant Applications for the 2018-2019 school year! Apply for a School Grant to receive funding for your school’s student wellness goals. Funding is available for schools to implement policies and programs that expose kids to more nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities.

The Allegheny County Health Department, in cooperation with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Program, is seeking nominations for its annual Breastfeeding Friendly Places Awards. The awards are presented to workplaces, public places, and other sites away from home that make an extra effort to help breastfeeding moms by offering a positive attitude and supportive environment. Nominations will be accepted until May 22nd.

To nominate an employer, public place, or other site, please call the Allegheny County Health Department WIC Program at 412-350-4637, or visit the Breastfeeding Friendly Place Awards page: www.achd.net/bfa.

Are you concerned about how the environment is impacting your health? Register for Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ 2018 One Health One Planet Symposium! This year’s symposium, Health Impacts: Chemicals of Concern in the Environment, will focus on chemicals in the environment and the health impacts of chemical exposure, with a special focus on endocrine disruptors. Opening reception and keynote on March 7th. Symposium is on March 8th.

You’re invited to the Steel Chef Cookoff on March 12th! The Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program, Focus On Renewal, and Ohio Valley Hospital have teamed up to coordinate the Steel Chef Cookoff, a live cooking competition that doubles as a job training program for teens. On March 12th six teams will battle it out chef-style in front of a live audience. Each team is comprised of two local chefs and three to four teens. Since January, the teens competing in the cookoff have had chef-led instruction, including basic cooking skills and culinary and food safety training, to develop the necessary skills to compete before a live studio audience.

Tickets for the event are $20. Attendees will enjoy tastings from Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants operating throughout the area. All funds raised from the event will help support future after school programming for teens in the StoRox community.

Are you interested in tobacco prevention advocacy? Join Tobacco Free Allegheny for their quarterly coalition meeting on March 15th. The meeting will focus on advocacy for tobacco prevention and control.

Join our friends from Just Harvest and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for their annual Empty Bowls dinner on March 18th! Empty Bowls is a simple community meal of soup and bread to help remind people of the one in eight residents of Allegheny County who are facing hunger. The dinner features soup cooked by some of Pittsburgh’s top restaurants, local personality soup servers, artisan pottery for guests to take home, a silent auction, and children’s activities. This year’s seating sessions are 1:00-3:30 p.m. or 4:00-6:00 p.m. Funds raised will benefit both organizations equally.

Save the date for Adagio Health’s inaugural health symposium, Transforming Women’s Health on March 22nd! The symposium, featuring keynote speaker Senator Barbara Boxer, provides opportunities to interact with experts in the fields of reproductive health, family planning, breast and cervical cancer, nutrition, and sexual and reproductive health education. Regular ($200), student ($30), and nonprofit ($100) tickets are available now!

Did you know that March is National Kidney Month? To celebrate the National Kidney Foundation is holding a free kidney screening! Kidney screenings aim to identify those who are at risk for kidney disease. The kidney screening includes a body mass index measurement, blood pressure check, an opportunity to speak with a healthcare professional, and a urine test to check for protein in the urine, which can be a sign of kidney damage. The screening will be held on March 26th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Federal Building (1000 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15222). As the screening will take place in a federal building, all participants must have a valid form of ID to enter.

For more information or to pre-register, please contact Rachael Masterson at 412-261-4115 (Ext: 757) or Rachael.masterson@kidney.org.

Does your business support locally sourced food? Make sure you are listed in Farm to Table Western PA’s Local Food Guide! It is free to list your business, and the guide will be distributed online and at events throughout Western PA. To add your business, visit farmtotablepa.com/local-food-guide.

Also, join Farm to Table Western PA for their annual Farm to Table Conference April 14th-15th! The conference, which provides consumers with two days of networking and educational opportunities, will include seasonal cooking demonstrations, gardening, and nutrition information about local food.

March is National Nutrition Month. Each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates National Nutrition Month by reminding people of the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy habits. This year, National Nutrition Month encourages people to “Go Further with Food” by focusing, not only on healthy eating, but also on reducing food waste. Preparing your meals in advance, storing food correctly, and shopping locally are ways to reduce food waste while maintaining healthy habits.

Use the toolkit below for more ideas on maintaining a healthy lifestyle while reducing waste!

Did you know, March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month? Colorectal Cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. It is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths each year. Fortunately, with regular screenings, colorectal cancer can be prevented! Everyone over 50 should be screened regularly. Concerned about your risk? Talk to your doctor today about ways to prevent colorectal cancer.

You can celebrate Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by encouraging everyone over 50 to get screened. Looking for more ways to make a difference? Check out the toolkit below for more ideas!

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has a new STD-HIV/AIDS Clinic! County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of ACHD, celebrated the opening of the new location with a ribbon cutting on February 14th.

ACHD provides free and confidential HIV-STD testing at the walk-in clinic. Patients are seen on a first come, first serve basis. No appointment or insurance is necessary. The clinic routinely tests for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Patients can receive treatment on site, but may also be offered additional testing, or referrals for medical care.

Visit the new clinic in the Blakey Center at 1908 Wylie Avenue. The clinic is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information about the clinic, please call 412.578.8081 or visit their website at www.achd.net/std.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking public feedback on bicycle and pedestrian safety. PennDOT has begun the process of updating the Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and invites the public to weigh in through an online survey. The plan, last updated in 2007, will outline a framework for improving walking and bicycling conditions in Pennsylvania.

Have you ever received inaccurate health information? Know the Science materials from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health can help you understand the science of health! Know the Science uses interactive modules, videos, and quizzes to provide accurate and engaging health information. Use the resources to better understand scientific topics and get the most accurate health information.

This is the latest Live Well Allegheny e-update. Please find a variety of information that will be helpful to you in your efforts, and can also be shared within your own networks. As always, you can find a great deal of information on our website at: www.livewellallegheny.com including partner resources which are available here: https://livewellallegheny.com/about-us/live-well-allegheny-participants/partner-materials/.

We now have 50 communities, 14 school districts, 167 community partners, 42 restaurants, and 14 workplaces united in our efforts!