The Friday Five - Healthy Cities - HealthcareNOWradio.com

This coming Monday is the official launch of the Healthy NYC Initiative which will include digital media and a series of health events focused on providing health information that is relevant New Yorkers. Over the years, even dating back to the eighties with WHO’s Healthy Cities movement, cities around the world have created campaigns to help their citizens lead healthier lifestyles. This week’s Friday Five takes a look at some of the cities that are working to create a community of healthy residents within their city limits and beyond.

HEAL Cities Campaign
The Heal in Heal Cities Campaign stands for Healthy Eating Active Living (@healcities) and it is at the top of our list when it comes to healthy city initiatives. As with many of the health trends that begin in the US, this movement started in California back in 2008. The program works with city officials to support and create city environments that support and encourage health lifestyles. Think well maintained or built bike paths, sidewalks, parks, and open spaces as well as access to health corner stores, farmer’s markets, community gardens and urban farms. Since its inception several cities from California, Colorado, Oregon, Maryland and Virginia have joined the movement.

Healthy BR
Healthy BR (@HealthyBR) is part of Mayor Melvin L. “Kip” Holden’s Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative which began in 2008 to coordinate the efforts of a myriad of strong health organizations to encourage healthier eating habits and active lifestyle choices in the city. Healthy BR’s mission is “to foster a movement based on communication, coordination and collaboration that promotes a better and healthier life for all people in the great city of Baton Rouge.” Healthy BR uses a “be theme” as in be active, be nourished, be smart, be well, be involved to encourage its citizens and the movement continues to be strong under Mayor Sharon Weston Broome.

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— HealthyBR (@HealthyBR) July 5, 2017

New Jersey Healthy Communities Network
The New Jersey Healthy Communities Network (@NJHCN) brings together local, regional and statewide leaders to support communities in developing healthy environments for people to live, work, learn and play. The organization’s mission is to “foster healthy eating and active living by making the healthy choice, the easy choice.” Currently the network has 43 grantee communities across the state and each is working in its own way toward NJHCN’s mission.

Morgan Stanley’s Healthy Cities
In 2014 Morgan Stanley (@morganstanley) launched its own Healthy Cities program which focuses on bringing together the fundamentals children need for a healthy start – wellness, nutrition and play. Thus far Healthy Cities has worked with local and national non-profits in eight cities around the world helping millions of children.

Liuzhou Forest City
And last but certainly not least, the mother of all healthy cities is in the works in China. This city isn’t simply focused on implementing healthy programs or fixing up a few parks, its goal is to create the world’s first pollution eating forest city. Liuzhou Forest City, being built in southern China’s mountainous Guangxi area, will bring nature to an urban setting, with over 40,000 trees and 1 million plants covering every building.