In June, we welcomed six new members to the Live Well Allegheny family: Moon Township, the Borough of Aspinwall, Eggs N’at Diner, Parkhurst Dining, Vanadium Woods Village, and Heritage Valley Health System (Sewickley). We’re thrilled to have these entities join us in committing to making Allegheny County the healthiest county in the nation!

It’s now July, and there continues to be plenty of opportunities to live well. Live Well Allegheny invites all Allegheny County residents to take advantage of the weather by getting outside and active with your family this summer. Biking, hiking, and swimming are healthy ways to enjoy the sun!

While enjoying summer days, protect yourself from insects like mosquitos and ticks which can often bear diseases. Wear repellant, check for bites, and contact your doctor if you get a fever or rash. Watch this video to learn more about these illnesses and combatting mosquito breeding in Allegheny County!

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 ([email protected]) with details. Please check the partner resources page of the web site for additional resources.

Make certain to like and follow the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) on Facebook to stay up to date on all the ACHD news.

Karen Hacker, MD, MPH
Director, Allegheny County Health Department

On June 16^th, United Way’s fitUnited organized volunteers to revamp McLean Park in the Borough of Homestead, a Live Well Allegheny Community. It was an awesome morning of painting, building playground equipment and landscaping. The project was fitUnited’s 2018 Day of Action. Day of Action brings United Way volunteers together to rebuild parks in underserved communities. By revitalizing McLean Park fitUnited hopes to build opportunities for children of Homestead to play and be physically active!

Looking for ways to highlight your health and wellness activities on social media? Live Well Allegheny has resources for you! Check out our website for templates, photos, and sample posts to help get the word out about what your organization is doing to live well!

It is now easier than ever to sign up to become designated as a Live Well Allegheny Restaurant and Workplace! Restaurants and workplaces can commit to Live Well Allegheny through our new electronic commitment forms that take just minutes to complete. Fill out the new form here to be recognized with the other restaurants and workplaces working to build a healthier Allegheny County.

Are you involved with procuring, providing, or planning food and beverages in your organization? The American Heart Association has a toolkit to help you make healthy changes! The Healthy Community Food and Beverage Toolkit helps communities and organizations improve their food environment and promote a culture of health. The toolkit includes practical action steps and suggestions for including healthier options in your organization.

WIC Farmers Market checks are now available! Allegheny County Health Department announced that its Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) has started distributing Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks. Each eligible participant will receive $20 worth of FMNP checks for the summer for purchasing Pennsylvania-grown fresh fruits and vegetables at any participating Pennsylvania FMNP authorized farm markets or farm stands. The vouchers are redeemable at nearly 80 locations in Allegheny County, along with any authorized location in Pennsylvania. To find a redeemable location, call your local WIC office, or visit the Health Department’s website for the complete list.

Planning on spending summer days riding your bike around town or on the trails? Check out Bike Pittsburgh’s educational videos on all things bikes! Watch the videos to ensure that you and your family are safe and prepared for all your biking adventures.

The Mon Valley Provider’s Council is seeking a host site for the Mad City Money financial literacy curriculum as well as volunteers for the simulation. The 2.5 hour simulation teaches 24-30 high school-aged students how to manage money. During the interactive simulation, students receive an occupation, a salary, and a family. Students purchase items from nine different merchants while trying to maintain a budget.

Potential hosts need to have a room for 24-30 students. If your agency is interested in hosting a simulation or would like more information please contact Elizabeth Fries at [email protected].

Did you know that plastic straws are not able to be recycled? The most recent estimates say that in the United States alone, hundreds of millions of plastic straws are disposed of every day (according to the Plastic Pollution Coalition). To bring local attention to the wasteful practice of using single-use plastic straws, Sustainable Pittsburgh is launching the Straw Forward project. From June 18 – July 16, participating Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants will be collecting used plastic straws, which will be turned into a work of art by a local artist. Three of the participating restaurants – The Apollo Café, Spirit, and Square Café – are Live Well Allegheny Restaurants. The finished project will be publicly displayed and then upcycled into another useful product.

Looking for ways to get outdoors and stay active with the family this summer? Check out the Summer 2018 Parks Program and Event Guide for Allegheny County Parks! Find information about all the great summer activities at the parks like the weekly Summer Concert Series and the Free Family Fun Nights at the Movies. Be sure to take advantage of the county’s online system to register for an activity, reserve a facility or shelter, or purchase membership passes to pools or golf courses.

Check out Let’s Move Pittsburgh’s Champion Schools Program Report! To boost health programming in early learning centers, pre-kindergarten, and elementary schools in Allegheny County, Let’s Move Pittsburgh created the Champion Schools program. It’s an opportunity to celebrate schools that encourage healthy lifestyles by awarding grant funds to support new or existing programs geared towards children’s health and wellness. Eligible projects focus on nutrition, physical activity, farm-to-table education, and sustainable citizenship. Read about the impact and reach of the programs from 2014-2018 in the report below!

Join Civically and the Allegheny County Health Department for a film screening and discussion about health and zip codes on July 11^th! The film, “Place Matters, where you live predicts your health,” will be played with a discussion about building healthy communities to follow. The film screening will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. at Community Forge in Wilkinsburg.

Summer is a great time of year to be outside! While spending your days outside, be aware of the risk of tick bites and Lyme Disease. ACHD is reminding residents to take necessary precautions to prevent Lyme Disease, as ticks are most active in warmer months. Be sure to follow these prevention measures to keep you and your loved ones safe: wear repellent, check for ticks daily, shower soon after being outdoors, and call your doctor if you get a fever or rash. For more information on Lyme Disease, please visit: www.alleghenycounty.us/Health-Department.

Did you know that since 1999 over 700 children have died from being left in a hot car? Almost half of these incidents were attributed to children being forgotten by their caregiver. There were also times where unattended children gained access to a vehicle.

Heatstroke Awareness day is July 31^st. The day raises awareness about hot car deaths. Here are some tips so that you can always remember your precious cargo: keep your keys away from a child’s reach, place a purse or cellphone next to your child in the back seat of your car, and always look before you lock.

If you are a bystander and notice that there is a child locked in the vehicle, don’t wait. Call 9-1-1 and notify the police of the situation immediately.

In 2015, ACHD, in collaboration with over 70 stakeholder organizations, produced the Plan for a Healthier Allegheny (PHA). Utilizing data collected through a Community Health Assessment, the plan identified five critical priority areas: Access, Chronic Disease Health Risk Behaviors, Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, Environment, and Maternal and Child Health. Each priority area has a series of objectives and actionable strategies for improving health in Allegheny County. As part of the PHA, ACHD has created Health Equity Briefs for each priority area. The Health Equity Briefs detail information about each priority area including disparity information, local action steps, and resources.

Income guidelines for the PA Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food and Nutrition Program increased on July 1. WIC is a federally funded program for pregnant women, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, infants and children under the age of 5. The 2018-2019 income limits for eligibility start with an annual gross income of $22,459 for a family of one; $30,451 for two; $38,443 for three; $46,435 for four; and $54,427 for five. Unborn children are counted when the woman is pregnant. For information about WIC and how to apply for benefits, please call the Health Department’s WIC Program at 412- 350-5801. If this number is a toll call or you live outside Allegheny County, please call the statewide toll-free number, 1-800-WIC-WINS, or visit www.pawic.com.

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 59 communities, 14 school districts, 167 community partners, 44 restaurants, and 18 workplaces united in our efforts!