What Happened?
LiveWell Greenville was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to build out its healthy play and healthy foods initiatives. The organization works with other public and private organizations to create healthier communities.
Goal
LiveWell Greenville in South Carolina is a local agency dedicate to promoting daily exercise and healthy food options for residents. The agency received a $1.4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Partnership to Improve Community Health program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. LiveWell Greenville plans to use the federal funding to improve access to healthy foods and expand recreation activities with parks projects, Greenville Online reported.
LiveWell Greenville will not achieve these goals alone, however. The organization is partnering with five local agencies:
- City of Greenville
- Greenville County Schools
- Good to Go/Mill Village Farms
- Gardening for Good
- Greenville Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department
The CDC’s grant will fund LiveWell Greenville’s programs targeting food deserts and play deserts. Food deserts refer to areas in the community with limited to no access to nutritious food. Play deserts are areas where residents do not have safe areas for recreational activities. The organization hopes to fill these deserts with amenities to support healthy living.
CDC Grant Program
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Partnership to Improve Community Health program offers financial support to public health initiatives working to:
- Reduce chronic diseases
- Promote healthier lifestyles
- Reduce health disparities
- Control healthcare spending
The Partnership to Improve Community Health program is designed to support community initiatives to implement practice-based strategies that address community needs and combat chronic disease and other health concerns. The recipients of the grants must implement strategies with a broad reach and significant impact on chronic disease risk factors including:
- Tobacco use and exposure
- Poor nutrition
- Physical activity
- Lack of access to chronic disease prevention, risk reduction and management opportunities
The selected initiatives must target priority populations at a disproportionate risk for chronic diseases or conditions. The CDC has awarded grants to 39 recipients this year.
The Need
According to the CDC, the treatment of chronic diseases accounts for 75 percent of our nation’s healthcare spending. Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability, with the most common conditions including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Arthritis
In 2012, 117 million adults reported one or more chronic health conditions, while 25 percent had two or more conditions. In addition:
- About 70 percent of deaths in 2010 were caused by chronic diseases, and 48 percent were attributed to heart disease and cancer alone
- 78 million people were categorized as obese in 2010, while 20 percent of youths between 2-19 were obese
- 53 million adults have been diagnosed with arthritis
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of adult blindness
The CDC has determined that correcting four health risk behaviors can greatly reduce chronic disease prevalence: exercise, nutrition, tobacco use, alcohol consumption.
Healthy Funding
Gov1 has reported on a variety of health-related grant opportunities helping communities connect residents to nutritious food and healthy lifestyle decisions.