6 Chattanooga Locations Chosen For Healthier Tennessee Neighborhoods Initiative

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Following last week’s announcement, the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness has expanded its Healthier Tennessee Neighborhoods initiative with the official launch of the program in Chattanooga. Six neighborhoods have been chosen as pilot communities that are now working towards the official “Healthier Tennessee Neighborhood” designation.

Local neighborhoods are convening residents to establish wellness councils and commit to developing and implementing a healthy-neighborhood plan.

The six neighborhoods include:

Belleau Woods
Belvoir
Boyce Station
Glass Farms
Shepherd
Southside

“With Healthier Tennessee Communities efforts underway in nearly every county in Tennessee, we are excited to launch our third urban program in the state here in Chattanooga,” Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness CEO Richard Johnson said. “This approach helps ensure that people in our state’s metropolitan areas – in addition to those in small towns and rural counties – will have the opportunity to benefit from an on-going grassroots program aimed at improving the health of all Tennesseans,” he added.

Additional Chattanooga neighborhoods will join the program in the coming weeks, with a goal of establishing the initiative citywide by 2020.

“I commend the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness on this exciting endeavor to improve our community health at the neighborhood level,” County Commissioner Katherlyn Geter said. “We’re all more inclined to participate when our peers do, and a great place to begin a healthier life is with our neighbors.”

Commissioner Geter, Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod and representatives from participating neighborhoods offered remarks during the Thursday morning announcement event at the City Council Building in Chattanooga.

Healthier Tennessee encourages citizens of Chattanooga neighborhoods across the city to join this local movement by emailing russell@healthierTN.org.

The Foundation launched the Healthier Tennessee Communities initiative in March 2015 with nine pilot communities. Today, nearly 100 communities, neighborhoods, and college campuses are engaged in the program, and 59 have already received the “Healthier Tennessee Community” designation.

More information about the program, including a list of participating cities and counties and other Healthier Tennessee initiatives, is available at www.HealthierTN.com.