HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign 
for the Mid-Atlantic Newsletter
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Important News
Spotlight Cities & Towns
Featured Article
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HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign for the 
Mid-Atlantic is an initiative of 
in partnership with

and with generous support from Kaiser Permanente, founding partner
 June 2017 Edition

Important News! 
The Institute for Public Health Innovation's HEAL Campaign congratulates all our Maryland HEAL Cities and Towns for another great year bringing healthy eating and active living policies and practices to their communities! HEAL staff has just returned from the annual Maryland Municipal League Conference in Ocean City where we recognized 16 cities and towns for joining the Campaign and achieving HEAL goals. 

The goals achieved by this year's honorees include: the implementation of streets policies and adoption of bicycle and pedestrian master plans that promote bicycling and walking for pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages and abilities; the adoption of nutrition standards that ensure that
food and beverages provided at workplace meetings and city-sponsored events include healthy options; the provision of healthy options in vending machines in municipal buildings; the support and promotion of farmers' markets and community gardens; the planting of fruit forests in public rights of way; and the implementation of creative workplace wellness policies and programs.

We welcomed two new members of the Campaign -- the Town of Burkittsville and the City of Seat Pleasant. 

We also recognized HEAL cities and towns that advanced to a higher recognition level because of their HEAL achievements;
  • The City of New Carrollton and Town of Rock Hall received the Bronze HEAL Recognition for achieving one new HEAL goal.
  • The City of Laurel received the Silver HEAL Recognition for two new HEAL goals. 
  • The Town of Bel Air, City of Bowie, Town of Capitol Heights, City of College Park, Town of Colmar Manor, City of Frederick, City of Greenbelt, and Town of Ocean City received the Gold Recognition for attaining three new HEAL goals.
  • The Town of Edmonston, City of Gaithersburg, and City of Rockville received Platinum HEAL Recognition, the highest HEAL achievement award. Cities and towns that advance to the Platinum level have attained Gold status and provide evidence that their healthy eating and active living work reaches across government departments and is being evaluated and monitored. 
At the conference, HEAL staff also led two workshops. The first was a mobile session on walking meetings. Participants walked with HEAL staff and received tips on how to hold an effective walking meeting. They also discussed ways to hold a walking meeting to engage constituents or to keep employees active and refreshed during the work day.  Download Walking Meeting Tip Sheet, here. The second workshop highlighted HEAL policies and practices that promote older adult health. A fact sheet can be found  here. 

Congratulations again to this year's honorees in Maryland! Thank you to all our HEAL cities and towns for the continued commitment to working to create healthier communities.
 
For more conference highlights, check follow us on Twitter and check out more photos and info on the IPHI Facebook page! 


HEAL Cities and Towns Campaign Members at the 2017 Annual Maryland Municipal League Conference in Ocean Ocean, Maryland.
Spotlight Cities & Towns
Our new Spotlight Cities & Towns series continues this month on the HEAL website and features a brief article on Edmonston, MD and Crewe, VA. These monthly articles provide our HEAL cities and towns with an opportunity to learn about each other -  about the HEAL work being accomplished and strategies for success. Please be sure to check out our website  for the latest features! 

The July 2017 Spotlight Cities & Towns is now featuring:

Edmonston, MD
  • Edmonston was just awarded Platinum HEAL recognition, the highest recognition level, for their achievements bringing HEAL policies, practices, AND culture change to their community. 
  • Read how the Town developed an edible food forest, built a community garden, and started a local farmers market. Find the article here. 
Crewe, VA
  • Crewe joined the HEAL Campaign in 2012 as the first Virginia HEAL city or town. Crewe has now achieved Gold level recognition. 
  • Find out how Crewe is creating collaborative partnerships and facilitating community involvement to literally and figuratively build bridges to bring people closer to healthy lifestyle options. Find the article here.
Featured Article
HEAL Featured in The Diamondback 

The Diamondback , the University of Maryland's Independent Student Newspaper, recently released an article on the HEAL Campaign in College Park. This article highlights the City's efforts bringing environmental design changes through Complete and Green Streets policies

Read the full article here. 

Photo published in The Diamondback in June 2017. Article and photo by Jack Roscoe. 

Virginia Town and Country: HEAL and Older Adult
Health 

The May 2017 edition of the Virginia  Municipal League's monthly
magazine features an article on HEAL an d aging by Susan DeFrancesco and Clara Richards. The article looks at how we can adopt policies and practices to create community environments that promote the health and well-being of older adults. 

Read the full article here.  

Tools & Resources
SNAP/EBT at Farmers Markets: 
  • Wholesome Wave and the Project for Public Spaces offer a ready to use handbook on how to access SNAP and EBT benefits at farmers markets. 
  • Check out the handbook for ideas on how you can bring incentive programs like the Double Value Coupon Program to your market
The Healthy Comprehensive Plan Assessment Tool 
  • Review, assess, and implement your comprehensive plan with the Healthy Comprehensive Plan Assessment Tool (HCPAT) developed by ChangeLab Solutions. The Tool helps guide you through your city or town's comprehensive plan to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of heath policies. Read more! 
July 26 Webinar: Celebrating 20 Years of Making America a Great Place to Walk
  • America Walks is hosting a webinar on the growth of the walking movement throughout the past twenty years. Join America Walks founders and staff discuss how they're making America walkable. 
  • Register for the webinar here.
Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program 
  • Read how the LA City Council adopted an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program to encourage urban farming throughout the city. Can this be adopted in our Mid-Atlantic cities and towns? Learn more here. 
  
We welcome your comments about the Newsletter and any ideas for newsletter content. Please contact HEAL staff Julia Groenfeldt at 202-747-345 or at Jgroenfeldt@institutephi.org.

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