Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Announces the Winners of 2011 Healthy Living Innovation Awards

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May 2012

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Announces the Winners of 2011 Healthy Living Innovation Awards

.Gov - - (July 15, 2011) - - Winners of an awards program that highlights innovative health promotion projects that have demonstrated a significant impact on the health of the community within the past three years were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The 2011 Healthy Living Innovation Awards winners will receive an award from the HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in Washington, D. C. The winners will also share information on their innovations by presenting at a national conference later this fall.

“The 2011 Healthy Living Innovation Awards represented an exciting chance to foster the spread of effective, community-based efforts that employ innovative approaches to promotehealthy weight, physical activity and nutrition,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Communities across the United States submitted creative, replicable and sustainable innovations that demonstrate outstanding leadership and promising results.”

The awards are a part of Secretary Sebelius’ Healthy Weight Initiative and HHS’ continuing focus on highlighting preventive health and recognizing organizations that implement innovative approaches to address chronic diseases and promote healthier lifestyles.

Nominated organizations had to have an innovative project in at least one of three health promotion areas: healthy weight, physical activity, and nutrition. Awards were granted based on the criteria of creativity and innovation, leadership, sustainability, replicability, and results/outcomes. The 2011 Award winners are:

Faith-Based and/or Community Initiatives: Taking the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program to Scale—YMCA of the USA, (Chicago, Ill.)
Health Care Delivery: Healthy Howard Health Coaching—Healthy Howard Inc (Columbia, Md.)
Healthy Workplace (Large employer): Shape up and Go!—Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio)
Healthy Workplace (Small Employer): Healthy Living Partnership Project—S2AY Rural Health (Corning, N.Y.)
Non-Profit: Healthy NC Hospitals Initiative: Healthy Food Environment Project—North Carolina Prevention Partners (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Public Sector: Exercise Your Right to Feel Better Minnesota—St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health (St. Paul, Minn.)
Schools (K-12): Mornings in Motion—Oak Ridge Schools (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Let’s Move Cities and Towns: Shape Up Somerville—City of Somerville Massachusetts (Somerville, Mass.)

“The eight winners of the Healthy Living Innovation Awards represent the most creative, innovative and effective ideas from around the country to promote health within communities,” said Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Sherry Glied, Ph.D. “We hope that these eight outstanding projects will serve as model programs for community stakeholders to encourage people in their communities to include healthy living activities in their daily lives.”

Winning nominations were chosen from among a competitive pool of 245 submissions by an HHS expert panel of judges, and was then put before the public for voting. Secretary Sebelius made the final determination of winners based on public votes and recommendations from the expert panel.

Visit http://healthylivinginnovation.challenge.gov/ to learn more about the Healthy Living Innovation Awards winners.

Courtesy U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Article's title edited)

Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin [LTGOFVB July 2011]