Hello!
Welcome to the new members of Live Well Allegheny!
The campaign to make Allegheny County the healthiest county in the nation continues to grow! On February 14th, we announced four new Live Well Allegheny Restaurants that have committed to providing healthier options to customers and employees. The new restaurants include Spirit Restaurant, Apollo Café, Tender Bar & Grill, and Shab’s Grill.
On February 28th, Steel Valley School District became the latest school district to be designated as a Live Well Allegheny School. On the same day, Elizabeth Township, Glassport, McKeesport, Munhall, Port Vue, West Homestead and Whitaker announced their commitment to the Live Well Allegheny campaign.
We would also like to congatulate Etna Borough, a Live Well Community, for hosting its first successful Winter Skate Street event on February 25th!
Don’t forget that March is National Nutrition Month. The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics has a toolkit to help spread the word about developing healthy eating habits. The theme for 2017 is “Put Your Best Fork Forward.”
As the Live Well Allegheny community continues to grow, we would like to invite you to participate in the upcoming Learning Collaborative events. The workshops will provide up-to-date information on program implementation and grant opportunities. If you are interested in facilitating a workshop in the future, please reach out to Erica Bryson at (412) 247-7964 or erica.bryson@alleghenycounty.us.
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.
Karen Hacker, MD, MPH
Director, Allegheny County Health Department
Campaign Corner
Check out the latest Live Well Story!
Virtual Office Healthcare Solutions (VOWHS/VRS), a Live Well Workplace, shares their holistic approach for employee wellness. Please visit our website to read more or check out the workplace’s Live Well Allegheny letter of commitment.
Interested in highlighting a health initiative in your organization? Please reach out to Erica Bryson at erica.bryson@alleghenycounty.us.
What’s Happening in Public Health
In 2015, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to 42 million Americans including 13 million children.
In order to address food inequality, Feeding America developed HungerandHealth.org for professionals to access and share quality information, tools, and resources that tackle the root causes of food insecurity and social determinants of health.
HiAP is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all by considering the health implications of public policies across sectors.
Interested in learning more about how local health departments use this framework? Please read the HiAP Report released by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).
The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), in cooperation with the county’s 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 21, 2017. Please call the ACHD WIC Program at 412-350-4637 or visit the website.
Partner Information
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a national program of the USDA that provides FREE meals to kids during the summer months. Please join Chris West from Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to learn more about the program and ways to get involved. This includes becoming a Summer Food site at no cost, spreading awareness about this program, or helping to provide fun activities to kids at sites.
The Lunch & Learn will be hosted on Thursday, March 16th from 11:30-1pm at the United Way Offices.
Please consider attending Tobacco Free Allegheny’s upcoming meeting on Thursday, March 23rd from 1-3pm. The speakers will be discussing the new smoke-free policy rule by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which protects residents in public housing from the health risks of second and third-hand smoke. For more information, please contact Brittany Huffman at bhuffman@tobaccofreeallegheny.org or visit their website.
Join the American Diabetes Association on March 28th for National Alert Day®. The purpose is to encourage everyone to take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test and participate in workplace-friendly activities that will teach them about reversing the risk for diabetes.
Please download the free Alert Day e-toolkit for ideas, tips and activities your organization.
Action for Healthy Kids will be accepting applications for the 2017-2018 school year between February 6 – April 7, 2017. There are two school programs offered: Game On and School Breakfast grants. Approximately 600 schools will receive funding for physical activity and nutrition initiatives for Game On. An additional 500 schools will receive School Breakfast grant awards to support increased breakfast participation.
Attention Live Well Allegheny Schools!
The Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) is offering free EPA School Flag program that uses colored flags that correspond with the Air Quality Index to inform school students, teachers, visitors and surrounding communities about air quality conditions.
In 2009, Pennsylvania passed anti-idling legislation that regulates diesel powered vehicles (i.e. school buses) and mandates schools to post signs reminding drivers about the law. GASP is offering to provide your school district FREE “No Idling” signs.
Walkability is at the cornerstone of creating neighborhoods that are vital and vibrant, allowing all members of a community to enjoy health, social and economic benefits in a variety of forms.
Please join America Walks for a webinar, Advancing Neighborhood Change Through Equity and Inclusion, discussing the issues of gentrification and learn from individuals who are working on projects to tackle this challenge.
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 34 communities, 9 school districts, 152 community partners, 32 restaurants, and 9 workplaces united in our efforts!