TIS THE SEASON FOR WELLNESS:

The holiday season is here -- a time to eat, drink, and be merry. But while it can be fun to indulge in the abundance of treats, it can be easy to overdo it with one too many sugar cookies or glasses of eggnog. This holiday season, try doing something a little different by encouraging your office to eat and drink a bit healthier -- trust us, you'll all be more the merrier.

Kick off a season of wellness by introducing a workplace wellness policy that includes nutrition standards and requirements to serve healthy food and beverages at all office or municipally sponsored events. Need some inspiration? Check out this example policy from the Town of Warrenton, VA or the City of Astoria, OR.

Next, take your wellness goals to the next level by introducing holiday health activities. Introduce wellness topics through a weekly Lunch-and-Learn or host physical activity classes like yoga or pilates to help staff stay active during the cold winter months. To help curb those holiday munchies -- consider providing healthy snacks in the office break room or reduce the cost of healthier vending items as a special holiday treat.

For more ideas, visit our website and download our workplace wellness resources, including Worksite Wellness: Be a City with a Healthy Workforce! and Physical Activity, Nutrition, & Breastfeeding: Policies for the Municipal Workplace. For all other questions or resources, email the HEAL Campaign and let us know how we can help support your workplace wellness goals this holiday season.
SPOTLIGHT COMMUNITY:

This month, we're reissuing our Spotlight article on the City of New Carrollton, Maryland. Since joining the HEAL Campaign in 2014, this HEAL City has been working hard to implement healthier policies in the workplace. Read how this HEAL city recently achieved Silver HEAL recognition for passing two new policy goals!

Interested in having your city or town featured in an upcoming Spotlight article? Please send a request to Sydney at  Sdaigle@institutephi.org.
TOOLS & RESOURCES:

Resource | Understand and Identify Root Causes of Inequities -- This guide from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps focuses on understanding how inequities in communities impact health. While some of these issues are easy to see, others, known as root causes, are less clear. Once you can identify these root causes that impact health, you can begin to develop strategies to address them so that everyone in your community is afforded a fair and just opportunity for good health.

Webinar | Complete Streets for Healthy Living (12/05, 1-2 PM EST) -- This webinar from National Complete Streets Coalition and Trust for America’s Health will share how active transportation policy can improve the health of all Americans. Panelists will discuss the relationship between chronic disease and physical activity and provide a brief overview of the social determinants of health. Learn concrete examples of how multisector approaches to active transportation/active living policy can improve health.

Article | Walking into a Better Future -- This article published in Stronger Towns discusses new research that demonstrates that kids growing up in walkable neighborhoods have higher levels of upward mobility. This encouraging evidence supports ongoing research on the myriad benefits of walking and walkability.

Resource | Health Equity Report Card -- Salud America has launched a new tool to help you understand health equity in your county. The Health Equity Report Card generates local housing, transit, healthcare, and other data to help you understand how health inequities impact your residents and community members.

Resource | Building Healthy and Prosperous Communities -- This guidebook from Transportation for America shares best practices from communities around the country that have made walking and biking a safe, convenient, and enticing choice. Learn how these communities have implemented projects to improve pedestrian and bike safety and change the norms around how we move from place to place.

Resource | State of Childhood Obesity Report -- Recently, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a new report - State of Childhood Obesity: Helping All Children Grow Up Health. This report includes updated data on national and state childhood obesity rates, policy recommendations to address the epidemic, and best practices from communities throughout the country.
GRANTS & FUNDING:

Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities – This program will award seven communities $12,500 to implement Safe Routes to Parks action plans through tailored technical assistance based on the Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework. The framework provides a structured process by which communities can increase safe and equitable access to their parks and green spaces. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations working closely with parks and transportation decision-makers. Applications are due by December 16th, 2019. Learn more.
ABOUT THE HEAL CITIES & TOWNS CAMPAIGN:

HEAL is a project of the Institute for Public Health Innovation in partnership with the Maryland and Virginia Municipal Leagues and funded by Kaiser Permanente , founding partner.

For more information on the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign, please visit the website, www.healcitiesmidatlantic.org  or contact HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign Manager, Sydney Daigle at Sdaigle@institutephi.org .