NEWS UPDATE
September 2020
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE REFLECTS ON SUCCESSES AND IMPACT 

TCI Culminates Four Year Initiative
Since 2016, the Healthy Montgomery Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) set out on a mission to address key drivers of community health impacting Montgomery County with the goal of reducing obesity and promoting tobacco free-living. Through the TCI, Trinity Health invested in partnerships that engaged stakeholders across public, private, and non-profit sectors. As the TCI culminates, we can look back with satisfaction and see the results of our collective work as partners and public health advocates and champions.

Throughout the initiative's four year run, TCI was able to truly transform communities in Montgomery County by bridging the gap between local safety-net health systems and nutrition assistance, implementing policies to address food insecurity, raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21, implementing an anti-vaping campaign, establishing local school wellness councils, and improving walking and road conditions for youth. We are proud of this program and the incredible impact it has had on our communities.

Thanks to our partners including, Holy Cross Health, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Healthy Montgomery Steering Committee, Montgomery County Public Schools, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, the Montgomery County Food Council, the Primary Care Coalition, the American Lung Association, and our technical assistance provider Community Catalyst for their commitment to work collaboratively to create a healthier Montgomery County. We would also like to thank our funders who provided critical match dollars to the TCI including the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission,The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the Healthcare Initiative Foundation.

Although the TCI has ended, the work of our partners continues as does the need for continued support and partnership. Click on the links below to learn about the impact of our work and how you can support each of these organizations and their respective initiatives.
Bringing Hope Through Nutrition and Wellness Assistance

Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County 

The links between diet and diabetes are clear - good nutrition is an effective form of prevention and balanced, predictable meals are essential to diabetes management. In Montgomery County, over 60,000 residents are food insecure - meaning they lack reliable access to sufficient and nutritious food.....

Community Advisory Board Engages County Residents to Address Food Security Needs in Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Food Council

Since its founding in 2019, the Montgomery County Food Council's Community Advisory Board (FSCAB) has been a vessel for engaging the voices of county residents who are currently, or have in the past, experienced food insecurity....

Montgomery County Public Schools Launches First School Wellness Council Toolkit in the State of Maryland  

Montgomery County Public Schools 

New Online Portal Aims to Inform Students and Families About Walking and Bicycling Routes to and From Schools 

Montgomery County Department of Transportation 

As part of the TCI, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation launched a brand-new, online-based web application also known as a Story Map aimed to be used as an informational resource for the County and its schools. 

Montgomery County Anti-Vaping Campaign Announces Finalists From PSA Contest
  

Montgomery County DHHS & MCPS

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the TCI are excited to share the finalists from their anti-vaping PSA video contest for students.... 


 

Our sincere thanks to you for following along in this incredible journey to ensure our communities are safe and healthy. We look forward to continuing to improve health and wellness in our communities from other fronts. 

 

With gratitude,


Evelyn Kelly, MPH
TCI Project Director
Institute for Public Health Innovation 
About the Transforming Communities Initiative: 

The Healthy Montgomery Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) is a partnership between the
Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI), Trinity Health affiliate Holy Cross Health, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and numerous other government and community partners.  Montgomery County, Maryland is one of eight locations selected by Trinity Health for investment through their national TCI grant program.

TCI is an innovative, collaborative funding initiative established by Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Grant recipients, in collaboration with a community coalition(s), implement and support evidence-based and innovative policy, systems and environmental change strategies to reduce obesity, promote tobacco-free living and address social influencers of health. TCI leverages health system funding, community partnerships, local match dollars, capital loan dollars, and national technical assistance resources to improve community health. Funding is also provided by the Maryland Community Health Resources CommissionThe Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundationand the Healthcare Initiative Foundation 

For more information regarding the Healthy Montgomery TCI, visit