April 11, 2017

PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that the Borough of Bellevue, Borough of Sharpsburg, Borough of East McKeesport, and the City of Duquesne were designated as Live Well Allegheny Communities and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is the newest Live Well Allegheny Workplace.

“I’m thrilled to see the Live Well Allegheny program continue to grow and expand,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “With today’s announcement, we now have 41 municipalities, 10 school districts, 35 restaurants – some having multiple locations, and 10 workplaces all committed to working together to improve the health and wellness of county residents. What’s even more excited is that we have room to welcome even more and encourage residents to learn more about the initiative.”

The Borough of Bellevue committed to action steps intended to improve the health of residents including promotion of wellness campaign events to employees and residents, developing indoor and outdoor wellness trails that are accessible to residents of all abilities and to offer incentives for employees who walk or bike to work. In addition, Bellevue will promote healthier options in vending machines with nutrient content listed and promote smoke-free building and perimeters.

“It is so exciting to see more and more communities and workplaces join our Live Well Allegheny effort,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “We are committed to engaging all 130 municipalities in this effort and we are well on our way. With this announcement, we have 41 Live Well Allegheny Communities. These efforts to surround citizens with healthy options can make a big difference in the health of our County.”

The Borough of Sharpsburg committed to several action steps in order to become designated as a Live Well Allegheny Community. The municipality will promote participation of employees and residents in wellness campaign events and activities. Sharpsburg is committed to multi-modal transportation for residents by providing facilities or adopting policies that encourage walking and bicycling. In addition, the community will disseminate health information about physical activity, nutrition, and smoking cessation using websites and social media and support local farmers’ markets and smoke-free spaces.

The Borough of East McKeesport has been designated as a Live Well Allegheny Community for committing to the health of residents. The community will utilize social media tools as a way of communicating health messages and promote participation in wellness events. East McKeesport intends in developing walking maps as well as indoor and outdoor wellness trails, which are accessible to residents of all abilities. The borough will provide employees incentives to walk or bike to work as a way to promote multimodal transportation and also host an OpenStreets event on June 3^rd, 11am-2pm. The community will support farmers’ markets and work with vending machine companies to add healthy food options. Smoke-free environments are a priority for the borough as well.

The City of Duquesne joins the Live Well Allegheny campaign by committing to partner with the Steel Valley Trail Council to promote the use of the trail by city residents as well as apply for funding to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access to the trail system. Duquesne will also promote and support farmers’ markets by partnering with the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and promote smoke-free buildings, playgrounds and perimeters.

The newest Live Well Allegheny Workplace, Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, PA) has already implemented many of the goals of the campaign as part of a workplace wellness program that started in 2013. Its mission is to provide opportunities for employees to engage in physical activity, attend educational classes on health and wellness and to access information on health and wellness during the work day. As part of its commitment, Phipps will expand their employee wellness program including the addition of on-site yoga and employee fitness center, expand programs which work within local communities such as Homegrown and Let’s Move Pittsburgh, Map a safe walking route starting and ending from the workplace or in vicinity and set up a walking group mid-day.

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 by County Executive Fitzgerald 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.

January 19, 2017

PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that the Township of Pine is the latest community to be designated as a Live Well Allegheny Community and Adagio Health, Babb, Inc., No Crayon Left Behind, and the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania are the newest Live Well Allegheny Workplaces.

The Township of Pine committed to action steps intended to improve the health of residents. Information about wellness events and volunteer activities are shared with the community to encourage the voluntary participation of residents. The community also promotes smoke-free buildings and perimeters. The Township of Pine will encourage physical activity by developing wellness facilities and programs accessible to all residents of all abilities and creating walking maps that measure the distance and encourage residents to meet goals and will encourage multi-modal transportation of residents by providing facilities or policies that encourage walking and bike riding.

Adagio Health (Pittsburgh, PA) committed to the following action steps to be designated as a Live Well Workplace: providing healthy food options during company meetings and functions including fruits and vegetables as well as gluten-free options, offering vending machines with healthy food options and water coolers are accessible on every floor of the office. Adagio Health is a tobacco, smoke-free environment and offers smoking cessation programs through their employee benefits program. The organization is also a proponent of breast feeding and they allow employees to pump at work in designated, private areas. Employees are offered comprehensive and affordable health insurance, which includes free dental and eye coverage, and all preventative co-pays are free. They also encourage employees to use the well-lit stairwells instead of elevators.

Babb, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) has been designated as a Live Well Workplace by committing the several action steps including strong leadership support, the company offers a robust wellness program for employees such as annual health risk assessments, weigh-ins, condition management programs, and biometric screenings. The office is equipped with a relaxation room with monthly chair massages, an on-site fitness center, and healthy snacks provided through the SnakWell Initiative. Babb, Inc. is developing a safe walking routes map for employees, encourages the use of stairs through visible prompts, and offers a membership to a local spinning/yoga studio. The company provides comprehensive health insurance with vision and dental care as well as employee flex hours for wellness activities. The organization also provides opportunities for financial wellness, tuition reimbursement for continuing education credits, and the Babb Gives Back program to support the Northside community.

No Crayon Left Behind (Sewickley, PA) has already implemented many of the goals of the campaign including provide a water dispenser for hot and cold water that is available to employees. The workplace also encourages the use standing desks, provides a communal fridge stocked with fresh vegetables, fruits, and cheeses that is for everyone at the office. In addition, the organization will bring in big batches of salad to keep in the fridge for employees to eat during the week. Walking meetings are used both as physical activity and stress relief. Employees are also encouraged to take breaks for stretching during the work day. Additionally, the workplace intends to begin yoga classes twice a month for all employees at a local yoga studio. The organization also aims to participate and sponsor fun-runs or team building physical activities hosted by the Borough of Sewickley. Lastly, No Crayon Left Behind intends on providing the office with a HappyLight to help employees that suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Veterans Leadership Program of Western PA (Pittsburgh, PA) The organization promotes physical activity by hosting yoga once a week in the office, encouraging staff to walk campus during lunch breaks, and encouraging participation in active events such as the Crucible and 335 Miles for Veterans. The Maintain Not Gain program during the holidays provides an opportunity for weekly weigh-ins and trading healthy recipes on an office message board. Monthly seminars on health topics such as stress management are held after staff meetings. In addition, the workplace is equipped with a kitchen for staff to bring in healthy lunch options and often staff will share items from their garden. Healthy choices, including several vegetarian and vegan options, are provided at company functions. Lastly, the organization offers a comprehensive healthcare plan with dental and vision coverage at a low cost to employees.

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.