Improving health through collective impact

National Public Health Week reminds us of the work local communities are doing to improve health. Over 30 agencies are working with Healthy St. Lucie to build a culture of health in our community.  We are using our collective impact to promote eating healthy from birth, eating healthy for life, moving more, and feeling better.  Our plan:

Goal: More mothers breastfeed their babies
Strategies:

• Promote breastfeeding in Maternity Care Practices
• Promote professional education on breastfeeding
• Increase access to professional breastfeeding support
• Promote Peer Support Programs
• Promote support for breastfeeding in the workplace
• Promote support for breastfeeding in Early Care and Education settings
• Increase access to breastfeeding education and information
• Use Social Marketing to promote breastfeeding across the community

Goal: Kids and Adults eat a healthy diet
Strategies:

• Establish a Food Policy Council
• Ensure access to fruits and vegetables at workplace meeting and events
• Establish policies to incorporate fruit and vegetable activities into schools to increase consumption
• Include fruits and vegetables in emergency food programs
• Promote Florida Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards in Early Learning and Afterschool settings

Goal: Residents are physically active
Strategies:

• Initiate a community wide campaign promoting physical activity
• Advocate for street-scale urban design and land-use policies that support physical activity
• Promote access to physical activity in all places

Goal: Reduce Chronic disease
Strategies:

• Seek ways to increase access to health care
• Promote worksite wellness programs
• Promote evidence-based guidelines to manage chronic disease at health care practices
• Promote tobacco free policies and youth education