For Immediate Release
April 29, 2019
Seven Maryland and Virginia Municipalities Receive Grants For Policy and Environmental Changes that Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living
Washington, DC – Through its Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Cities & Towns Campaign, the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI) and Kaiser Permanente, founding partner, has awarded a total of $45,125 to seven Maryland and Virginia municipalities to implement policies that promote access to nutritious foods and opportunities for physical activity. The awardees include:
- Town of Bel Air, MD – Improving bike safety and connectivity by designing priority cycling routes and installing signs and pavement markings.
- Town of Bluefield, VA – Installing a ¾ mile, 10 Station Fit Trail System in a local park.
- Town of Edmonston, MD – Connecting local bike lanes with the Anacostia Trails Area and local parks.
- Town New Carrollton, MD – Increasing access to a local park by improving water drainage and reducing flooding along a popular pedestrian path.
- City of Frederick, MD – Improving access to affordable, nutritious food by enhancing local community gardens, urban agriculture, and urban farming.
- Town of Lawrenceville, VA – Improving walkability by increasing sidewalk connectivity and implementing walking programs and events.
- Town of Middleburg, VA – Enhancing active living opportunities by building sidewalk extensions, implementing wayfinding signs, and developing a Walk Middleburg pamphlet and mobile app.
Since 2012, the Institute for Public Health Innovation has partnered with the Maryland Municipal League, the Virginia Municipal League, and Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States to provide technical assistance and training to local governments to help them create healthy, prosperous communities by adopting healthy eating and active living (HEAL) policies and practices that improve their communities’ physical activity and food environments. The HEAL Campaign for the Mid-Atlantic has 66 members across Maryland and Virginia.
In 2015, the HEAL Campaign launched the inaugural funding opportunity by awarding HEAL grants to ten local governments in Maryland and Virginia. This year marked the second opportunity for member cities and towns to apply for HEAL grant funding. All funding will be used to support an adopted HEAL policy that uses a policy, systems change, and/or environmental approach to increase access to healthy, affordable foods and opportunities for physical activity in communities across Maryland and Virginia. Funding was generously provided by HEAL Cities and Towns Campaign founding partner, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States.
About the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign:
The HEAL Cities and Towns Campaign provides free technical assistance to local government leaders to help them create healthy, prosperous communities by adopting policies and practices that improve their communities’ physical activity and food environments. HEAL is a project of the Institute for Public Health Innovation, in partnership with the Maryland and Virginia Municipal Leagues and funded by Kaiser Permanente, founding partner.
For more information, visit the HEAL website at www.healcitiesmidatlantic.org and contact HEAL Program Manager, Sydney Daigle at Sdaigle@institutephi.org,
About Institute for Public Health Innovation:
The Institute for Public Health Innovation develops multi-sector partnerships and innovative solutions to improve the public’s health and well-being across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Our work strengthens health systems and policy, enhances conditions that promote health, and builds community capacity to ensure equitable health opportunities for all. IPHI is one of over 40 public health institutes across the country and a member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes.
For more information on IPHI, see www.institutephi.org, and follow IPHI on Facebook and Twitter @InstitutePHI.
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