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    22Aug, 2016
    Woodland Hills and Five Communities Become Part of Live Well Allegheny

    August 20, 2016

    Live_Well_Woodland-Hills-SchoolsPITTSBURGH –Woodland Hills School District along with the Boroughs of East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, North Braddock, Rankin and Swissvale were designated as part of the Live Well Allegheny campaign at this morning’s Back-to-School event. With these additions, there are now seven Live Well Allegheny Schools and 31 Live Well Allegheny Communities.

    “Congratulations to these communities for banding together and making this commitment to the Live Well Allegheny campaign,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “It sends a strong message to our residents when a district and all of its communities are working cooperatively to make our residents healthier.”

    The Woodland Hills School District hosted the annual Back-to-School event at the Woodland Hills Jr./Sr. High School Campus. In addition to the Live Well Allegheny launch the event included a band concert, informational tables for students and their families, including health and wellness information, and food and drink.

    “We are excited to see the communities of the Mon Valley join our Live Well Allegheny campaign,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “Surrounding our residents with opportunities to live well is our goal. We applaud the communities, schools and workplaces that are stepping up and expanding their efforts to improve the health of the county.”

    Woodland Hills School District has begun several healthy living initiatives including: participation in the PA Department of Agriculture fresh fruit and vegetables program, Yoga in Schools as well as the Open Airways smoking prevention and cessation program. They were one of the first schools selected to be a part of an asthma program that is a partnership with Allegheny General Hospital, PA Lung Association and Duquesne University. The district provides health and wellness information annually at the Back-to-School event, which attracts 500 residents. The district has also participated in the PA Youth Survey (PAYS) and has a fully operational data sharing agreement with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.

    The Borough of East Pittsburgh pledges to share wellness information with community members, encourage involvement with volunteer activities, promote smoke-free buildings and perimeters and to utilize social media and web sites to provide health and wellness information.

    The Borough of Edgewood has committed to promoting youth and adult sport leagues, promoting farmer’s markets and encouraging multi-modal transportation in their community.

    The Borough of North Braddock will promote participation in a voluntary wellness campaign for community employees, share information on wellness campaign events encouraging residents to participate and provide health information focused on monthly or seasonal events.

    Rankin Borough will encourage multi-modal transportation, promote smoke-free buildings and also provide health information at events.

    The Borough of Swissvale has pledged to promote the Swissvale Farmer’s Market, promote and support events like the Swissvale Mile, encourage involvement with volunteer activities and to utilize the borough’s web site to share health and wellness information.

    These communities join Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Forest Hills, Turtle Creek and Wilkins Township, also from the Woodland Hills School District, which have already received the Live Well Allegheny designation.

    Live Well Allegheny was launched by the County Executive in January 2014 as a comprehensive, innovative strategy on wellness that embraces a broad concept of living well to include physical health, mental wellness, personal and community safety, prevention and preparedness, and much more. The effort is being led by the Board of Health and Dr. Karen Hacker.

    19Aug, 2016
    Live Well Allegheny Supports Increased Opportunities for Physical Activity in Allegheny County Municipalities

    etna_open-streetsAllegheny County continues to work together to meet the goals of Live Well Allegheny. Our most recent effort was a joint initiative by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) and Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) which helps communities increase opportunities for their residents to be physically active. With funding support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Active Allegheny Grant Program provided financial assistance to communities to develop plans and design transportation projects to increase residents’ opportunities for physical activity and provide connections to important local destinations and transportation systems.

    The Active Allegheny Grant Program had two cycles this year. The first was open to select municipalities with 46% percent or greater population of low-moderate income persons while the second cycle priority was given to municipalities with 25% or greater population of low-moderate income persons. Municipalities were encouraged to work together on projects extending beyond their boundaries. A total of $196,000 was awarded to fourteen municipalities. Following is a list of the projects that were awarded in year 1:

    • Millvale ~ Seavey Road Pedestrian and ADA Project $ 15,000.00
    • Etna and Sharpsburg ~ Open Streets Day Etna and Sharpsburg $ 7,500.00
    • Braddock, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock, Rankin and Turtle Creek ~ Feasibility Study to Develop a Walking/Bicycling Route through Communities $ 42,000.00
    • Carnegie ~ Open Streets Carnegie $ 5,000.00
    • Collier ~ Collier Township Trail Network Map and Guide $ 4,400.00
    • East McKeesport ~ East McKeesport Open Street Day $ 5,000.00
    • Harrison ~ Harrison Township Biking/Walking Corridor Planning and Design Project $ 49,600.00
    • Ross ~ Creating Connections for a Healthier Ross $ 33,500.00
    • Wilkins ~ Wilkins Township Active Transportation Master Plan $ 34,000.00

    activealleghenygrantprogram

    This funding also allowed the county to make significant progress in accomplishing the recommendations of Allegheny Places, the county’s land use and development comprehensive plan, and Active Allegheny, the county’s active transportation plan.  Both plans rely heavily on municipal participation to accomplish the plans’ goals.

    The Richard King Mellon Foundation has generously awarded funding for two more years of the Active Allegheny Grant Program. Municipalities will be notified when the next round of funding is available.

    15Aug, 2016
    Braddock Borough and Two Employers Commit to Live Well Allegheny

    August 13, 2016

    PITTSBURGH – LiveWellBraddockThe Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that the Borough of Braddock is the latest community to receive the designation of a Live Well Allegheny community. The announcement was made as part of the Braddock Community Day event held earlier today.

    “Live Well Allegheny encourages people to make changes where they live and work that will impact their health,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “I commend the newest members of Live Well Allegheny that are contributing to a healthier Allegheny County.”

    The Borough of Braddock hosted its annual community day at the intersection of Braddock Avenue and Library Street. In addition to visiting with representatives of the Health Department, attendees could also participate in Zumba, cardio boot camps, children’s games and a parade.

    “We are thrilled to have another community join our effort to become a healthier county,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “With the commitment from Braddock, we now have 26 municipalities which are actively working with the county to help their residents become healthier.”

    In its ordinance for Live Well Allegheny, Braddock indicated that it will:

    • Promote participation in a voluntary wellness campaign for the community’s employees
    • Share information on wellness campaign events with the broader community to encourage voluntary participation of residents
    • Develop indoor and outdoor wellness trails accessible to residents of all abilities
    • Offer incentives for employees who walk or bike to work
    • Encourage multi-modal transportation of residents by providing facilities or policies that encourage walking and bike riding
    • Promote and support farmer’s markets
    • Encourage involvement with community volunteer activities
    • Promote smoke-free buildings and perimeters.

    “I’m very proud that Braddock has joined this effort, and that the announcement of their commitment was made in such a public way as part of its Community Day celebration,” said Dr. Charles Martoni, the District 8 Allegheny County Council Member. “Braddock is the fourth municipality in my district to help us become a healthier county, and we are grateful for their efforts.”

    The borough has already set a strong example for how a community can help its residents become healthier.

    “The health of our residents is a priority. We host a 2-acre urban farm with Grow Pittsburgh to promote access to fresh produce and our Red Lantern Bike Shop provides kids free bicycles and repairs to encourage physical activity. I am excited that we are part Live Well Allegheny as it is great partnership to foster a healthy community in Braddock,” said Mayor John Fetterman.

    The event also provided an opportunity to announce that two more organizations have become part of the Live Well Allegheny Workplaces effort: Rankin Christian Center and Virtual Officeware (DE) LLC.

    The Rankin Christian Center (Rankin, PA) committed to action steps in four main focus areas to be designated as a Live Well Workplace:

    • First, the company will make changes in the building facilities and workplace environment including providing healthy food options during company meetings and functions, ensuring well-lit and safe stairwells, providing access to filtered water cooler dispenser, access to an on-site room for fitness activity, providing space for a workplace garden.
    • Second, it will integrate policy which will include providing employees with comprehensive health insurance including dental and preventative care with low copays.
    • Third, it will provide health education, screening and prevention services like onsite health fairs and screenings for staff and community members in collaboration with local health providers.
    • Finally, the organization leaders will actively demonstrate support for staff wellness and participate in wellness activities and programs.

    Virtual OfficeWare, (Pittsburgh, PA) indicated that it has already implemented many of the goals of the campaign including:

    • Creating an Employee Wellness Committee that has ongoing leadership support and participation as well as representatives from various departments
    • Providing Fitness Wearables (Jawbone Up Bands) in conjunction with a step challenge
    • Drafting a new company mission statement that supports employee well-being
    • Offering health screenings for Blood Pressure, LDL Cholesterol, and Glucose readings
    • Provide free healthy snacks such as fresh fruit in the breakroom
    • Access to in-site fitness center, workout room and outdoor bicycles for physical activity
    • Offering a reduction in insurance premiums, cash and extra PTO days to encourage participation in health improvement activities.

    Live Well Allegheny was launched in January 2014 as a comprehensive, innovative strategy on wellness that embraces a broad concept of living well to include physical health, mental wellness, personal and community safety, prevention and preparedness, and much more. The effort is being led by the Board of Health and Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker.