The West Virginia University -Greater Morgantown Safe Communities Initiative has been selected as one of the HealthyCommunity50 members in the national Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. The program will receive a $10,000 community seed award and is in the running to receive an additional prize that will support its local programs.

The Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties, launched in April during National Public Health Week. The Challenge will award $1.5 million in prizes to small and midsized cities, counties and federally recognized tribes that are able to show measurable change over several years working with cross-sector partnerships to implement health innovations and data-driven solutions. Hundreds of city governments, local municipalities, health departments, educational institutions and other public/private entities applied to be a part of the Challenge.

The HealthyCommunity50 were chosen based on plans to improve the health of their communities in at least one of five domains: healthy behaviors, community safety, built environment, social/economic factors and environmental exposures.

Through the Challenge, the WVU-Greater Morgantown Safe Communities Initiative wants to address several areas that will make the community a safer place to live. The project comes at a critical time for Monongalia County, the city of Morgantown and WVU as they move forward to develop programs to reduce violence, pedestrian injuries, alcohol-related behavior and the impact of drugs in their community.

“Our community has many dedicated, passionate individuals who want our community to be a safe and healthier place for all to live and thrive,” Dr. Daniel Shook, director of the WVU-Greater Morgantown Safe Communities Initiative, said. “Through the collaborative efforts of being a Safe Community, we will have a significant effect on the health and safety of our community by developing and implementing programs and strategies that are evidence based – in other words, programs that work.”

The proposal that was submitted was titled “A Mountaineer Community Collaborating to Improve Safety and Wellbeing.” Four areas of focus for improvement were violence education classes taught by the WVU Police Department, alcohol prevention education taught by the Partnerships for Success�- Monongalia County Prevention Coalition, harm reduction programs administered by Milan Puskar Health Right and the installation of pedestrian crosswalk technology to reduce pedestrian accidents through the City of Morgantown Department of Public Works.

“At the Aetna Foundation, we’re seeking to reward innovation for communities implementing new ways to improve health outcomes,” Dr. Garth Graham, president of the Aetna Foundation, said. “We want the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge to serve as a catalyst for collaboration in local communities around the country working to move the needle in combating health disparities.”

An expert judge panel will visit all HealthyCommunity50 members to ask questions, understand the community’s approach to the project first-hand and speak with the members of the cross-sector team and key stakeholders. At the end of the Challenge, the programs most able to show measurable change will be eligible for prize awards ranging from $25,000-$500,000. Participants will be judged on their own progress and will not be competing against each other.

For more information, visit www.healthiestcities.org.

-WVU-

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