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» Updating the transportation element of the city’s master plan.
» Expanding the Safe Routes to School program.
» Adding physical activity standards and limiting sweetened beverages in after-school programs.
» Increasing the number of healthy food options in the community by introducing healthy corner stores and a farm-to-school initiative.
When it comes to fitness, $5.7 million can go a long way.
And a grant of more than $5.7 million to be used for obesity prevention and nutrition education was awarded to the Douglas County Health Department on Friday.
Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said the grant was “like the Oscar for Douglas County.”
She described it as “probably one of the most significant steps toward improving health that our community is likely to see.”
The county is one of 44 communities awarded two-year grants as part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' initiative to support public health efforts.
“We are targeting obesity through physical activity and healthy nutrition,” Pour added.
“The time to change is now,” she said. “This grant provides an opportunity to start this change, and with making policy changes and infrastructure changes that are sustainable, we will see the benefits long after the grant is done.”
Mary Balluff, community health and nutrition division chief for the Douglas County Health Department, lauded the county's community partners, businesses and groups that have helped develop fitness and nutrition programs.
She said those groups “have worked so that children could walk or ride their bikes to school each day, so neighbors could garden together in shared space, so that our streets could accommodate all forms of transportation, so that our companies could offer employee wellness programs, and our faith-based organizations could support members with health concerns.”
Mayor Jim Suttle said the city would play a major role in implementing the grant program.
“The benefits that we are seeing in this ... translate into a better, healthier city for all of us, a better city and a better county for all individuals,” he said.
Contact the writer:
444-1074, john.keenan@owh.com
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