June 30, 2016

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, County Council Member Jim Ellenbogen and Dr. Karen Hacker of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today designated the Borough of Green Tree as the county’s latest Live Well Allegheny Community during the borough’s Health & Fitness Fair. The borough’s participation raises the number of Live Well Allegheny communities to 25.

“It is thrilling to see so many communities in Allegheny County embrace the Live Well Allegheny initiative and its goals,” said Fitzgerald. “We know that we have seen improvements, generally, in the health of our county over the past few years and with so many communities joining us in this effort, I have no doubt that we will continue to see progress, and an even healthier Allegheny County moving forward.”

The Borough of Green Tree hosted its first Live Well Health & Fitness Fair at its Farmers Market at Green Tree Park. In addition to representatives of the Health Department and Human Services, the Food Bank and American Diabetes Association also participate in the event along with local health coaches, yoga instructors and others.

“I’m very excited to see another municipality from District 12 join the Live Well Allegheny program. With Green Tree’s commitment, all I commend their elected officials for taking this step to help the county become healthier,” said Ellenbogen. “The residents of Green Tree already have a large number of resources available to them, and I have no doubt that with their participation in this effort, we will continue to make progress.”

In its ordinance for Live Well Allegheny, Green Tree Council indicated that the borough has already implemented many of the goals of the campaign including:

• Promoting participation in a voluntary wellness campaign for the borough’s employees
• Sharing information on recreation and learning events with the broader community
• Developing and maintaining outdoor wellness trails accessible to residents of all abilities
• Developing and displaying walking maps and measuring the distances mapped to encourage residents to meet goals
• Offering and adding health foods offered in borough-owned concession stands

“We’re excited to see Green Tree join our efforts to make the county a healthier place. With the borough on board, we have engaged 25 communities in Live Well Allegheny,” said Hacker. “We’re going to continue our efforts until all 130 municipalities are part of the campaign.”

Moving forward, the borough has committed to:

• Developing incentives for employees who walk or bike to work
• Encouraging multi-modal transportation of residents by providing facilities or policies that encourage walking and bike riding
• Working with vending companies to post calories and nutrient contents and amounts for the foods offered in borough-owned vending machines and concession stands
• Expanding existing smoke-free zones in buildings, perimeters and parks

“Green Tree has many amenities, such as our walking track, trails, parks, pool and great recreation programs, that enable our residents to exercise – but we need to do more,” said Mark Sampogna, Green Tree Council President. “Joining the Live Well Allegheny program puts us on the right path with access to many other resources. It’s all part of providing a good quality of life for our borough residents.”

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.