The Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Cities & Towns Campaign was a past initiative by IPHI that worked with local governments in Maryland and Virginia to promote public health. The campaign provided free guidance and resources to city and town leaders to help them create healthier communities.

The project focused on three key areas:

• Education: IPHI staff helped local leaders understand how their communities’ physical and social environments impact residents’ health. They showed them how to implement policies that encourage healthier eating and more physical activity.
• Assessment: The campaign helped municipalities review their existing policies to identify how they affect community health. The project provided a menu of best practices and policies, from developing pedestrian-friendly streets to implementing healthy vending policies.
• Adoption: As a first step, towns and cities created a HEAL Resolution, which acted as a blueprint for improving their food and physical activity environments. The campaign then provided ongoing support, including in-person meetings, webinars, and training, to help them implement their goals.

Outcome:

At the end of the project, 65 local jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia, covering nearly 2 million people, had adopted resolutions and other policies and practices to shape their communities into places where it is easier for residents and employees to make healthy choices about physical activity and nutrition.

The HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign for the Mid-Atlantic was a part of a growing national campaign that included California, Oregon, and Colorado. IPHI embarked on this initiative in 2012 with funding from Kaiser Permanente, a founding partner, and a strategic partnership with the Maryland & Virginia Municipal Leagues.