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    15May, 2017
    Wellbridge Health and Spectrum Charter School Commit to Live Well Allegheny

    May 13, 2017

    PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced Wellbridge Health is the newest company to be designated as a Live Well Allegheny Workplace. Also, announced was Spectrum Charter School, the latest to receive designation as a Live Well Allegheny School. That announcement was celebrated at the BEE Well Family Expo at the Gateway # 4 Fire Hall in Monroeville.

    “With each new Live Well Allegheny commitment we are closer to our goal of surrounding Allegheny County residents with healthy choices where they live, work and learn,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “Employers and schools have an important role in encouraging healthy behaviors and I commend the newest members to join the campaign.”

    Spectrum Charter Schools has committed to the following action steps to be designated as a Live Well Allegheny School. First, the school district will provide body mass index (BMI) data with the Allegheny County Health Department. In addition, Spectrum Charter will host Touch a Truck—Bee Well EXPO, which is a family event to encourage active living and nutrition. They are committed to increasing fresh fruit and vegetable intake among students by offering fresh organic fruits on Mondays and Taste It Tuesdays as an opportunity for students to try new foods. In addition, the school is pursuing a Healthy Relationship curriculum. During the 2017-2018 school year, they will have a garden on-site and implement lesson plans in conjunction with the garden.

    Wellbridge Health, a care management solutions company, prioritizes preventative healthcare for their clients and employees. As a Live Well Allegheny Workplace, Wellbridge Health is committed to creating a healthy, mindful, and active environment for employees. The organization will establish an Employee Wellness Committee to facilitate wellness in-services and host healthy pot-luck lunches periodically. In addition, they will encourage employees to incorporate more whole foods in their diets, consume 64oz/day water and avoid junk foods. Wellbridge Health will also increase activity by initiating a walking club, encouraging workplace exercise and implementing wellness challenges. With a focus on preventative care, Wellbridge Health encourages all employees to have regular primary care and dental visits, as well as offering regular blood pressure screenings. The organization promotes mindfulness by promoting activities such as yoga practice, meditation, and stress management.

    Participants in the Live Well Allegheny campaign work with Health Department’s staff. While monetary resources are not part of the initiative, participating workplaces can receive materials, information and collateral items to promote the campaign and their individual efforts to live well.

    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.

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    2May, 2017
    A Small Borough Making Life a Little More Walkable

    November 2,2016

    PITTSBURGH– Braddock Hills, a Live Well Allegheny Community, is a small borough that is approximately eight miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. The Borough Secretary, Cheryl Sorrentino, shared more about the initiatives Braddock Hills has been developing to make its borough one of the healthiest and most active communities in Allegheny County. In 2016, the borough decided to partner with Live Well Allegheny in order to develop areas in the borough to be walking and exercise friendly. They hope that by partnering with the campaign it will allow them access to ideas that will improve the health and well-being of their residents.

    Currently, Braddock Hills is working on a walking track initiative. They want to turn a currently underutilized field space and create a public park and a walking track. This will be an area that is not directly located near residential property to ensure privacy, but close enough to encourage residents to utilize the space. This is an initiative that the borough believes will greatly improve the well-being of their residents, since there are very few sidewalks in this area making its walkability far below where they would like it to be.

    Additionally, Braddock Hills collaborates with other Live Well Allegheny partners as well as neighboring boroughs to find activities and events that are occurring nearby. The borough posts these events on the website to promote engagement and activity of residents.

    Braddock Hills is doing a lot to promote and develop health and well-being within the borough. In the near future, Braddock Hills will be a very walker-friendly area. The borough believes if it is an example of showing it cares about the health of its citizens, it can be a bigger part of Allegheny County’s goal to be the healthiest in the United States.