GOWANDA — Healthy Community Alliance (HCA), in support of Erie 1 BOCES (E1B), has begun the implementation phase of the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant. This will focus on creating sustainable change in communities with high need populations and aim to reduce obesity by increasing demand for healthier foods and increased options for physical activity.

HCA has served as the subcontractor under E1B for the previous grant and was responsible for the successful achievement of the community strategies deliverables. The project is a five-year (2021-2026) public health effort to reduce major risk factors of chronic illnesses and is funded through the New York State Department of Health.

HCA will provide implementation efforts to meet the objectives for the community strategies of Food Service Guidelines in Worksites and Community Settings as well as Physical Activity and Nutrition in Early Care and Education Settings. The Community Wellness Coordinator is working on identifying worksites, community sites and early care and education settings, recruiting, and assessing them for needs, providing technical assistance in the development of policy and practices, and helping apply behavior design strategies to increase healthier food selection and physical activity. HCA will focus on those sites located in Springville and all of Cattaraugus County. If your organization meets the above criteria and is interested in learning more, contact Community Wellness Coordinator Jasmine Filkov at filkovj@hcanetwork.org

Healthy Community Alliance, Inc., located in Gowanda, is a Rural Health Network and is the CBO Consortium of Upstate NY Lead Agency. The mission of Healthy Community Alliance is to improve the quality of life in rural communities through broad-based, inclusive partnerships that support wellness and prevention. www.communityalliance.org.