January 17, 2017

PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) today announced that the Shaler Area School District is the latest school district to receive designation as a Live Well Allegheny School. The announcement was made during the district’s professional development day in front of all staff and employees. The district’s participation raises the number of school districts participating in Live Well Allegheny to nine.

“We’re thrilled to have another district join us in our efforts to become the healthiest county,” said County Executive Fitzgerald. “Schools play an important part in this effort because they not only can exhibit healthy actions, but can also teach them to our youth, making health decisions something that they do each day without thought.”

Shaler Area School District hosted a professional development day at Shaler Area High School for all 300 employees and staff including a wellness fair with 10 different vendors and a cooking demonstration provided by the food service provider.

“Live Well Allegheny is about surrounding Allegheny County residents with healthy choices and that means healthy options at school, at work and in local communities,” said ACHD Director Dr. Karen Hacker. “I am so pleased that the Shaler Area School District is extending their commitment to Live Well Allegheny to improving the health of students, staff and also their community.”

“I am glad that Shaler Area School District is taking the leadership to be designated as the first Live Well School in District 3,” said Council Member Kress. “By taking advantage of the resources offered by Live Well Allegheny they are taking steps to improve the health of staff and students.”

To be designated as a Live Well Allegheny School, Shaler Area School District has already taken many steps to support the health and wellness of its students and employees. They have committed to the following additional steps as part of their commitment:

• Encouraging staff wellness by providing a healthy cooking demonstration for staff, kicking off a 10,000 step challenge for all staff and conducting an employee wellness fair.
• Improving student wellness by encouraging healthy food snacks during class parties and reducing food waste through nutrition improvement efforts in the cafeterias.
• Focusing on community wellness by providing access to athletic fields and tracks during non-school hours to the community, hosting a community event to bring awareness about the prescription opioid epidemic and hosting a 5K race/walk for the community as a fundraising event for the Shaler Area Education Fund.

“Shaler Area School District is honored to be recognized as a Live Well Allegheny school district. We believe there is a strong connection between a healthy body and a healthy mind, and we are committed to creating and promoting a culture of wellness across our district,” said Superintendent Sean Aiken.

Students and employees 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.