(Lawrence, KS) — LiveWell Lawrence has been awarded a $23,525 planning grant through the Kansas Health Foundation’s Access to Healthy Foods Initiative. Douglas County is one of only five communities in Kansas to receive this funding, which will help assess the community’s needs regarding access to healthy foods.
While it’s well known that good nutrition and good health are connected, healthy eating can be challenging, especially when healthy foods are limited in availability and accessibility. The main goal of the Kansas Health Foundation’s Access to Healthy Foods Initiative is to help communities become more actively engaged in pursuing policies and practices that promote access to healthy foods to make it easier and more likely for Kansans to eat healthy foods.
As part of the grant’s work in Douglas County, focus groups will be held to help inform which types of policies would best fit Douglas County. During the grant’s planning process, policies from around the country documented to improve access to healthy foods will be identified. Grant funds will be managed by the Douglas County Community Foundation with work carried out by members of the grant’s leadership team — Dan Partridge, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department; Susan Krumm, K-State Research and Extension; Marilyn Hull, Douglas County Community Foundation; Gene Meyer, Lawrence Memorial Hospital; Rick Doll, Lawrence Public Schools; Bruce Passman, retired educator; Mike Gaughan, Douglas County; and Aron Cromwell, City of Lawrence.
“At the end of the year, we hope to have a platform agenda based on the evidence and science of how to improve access to healthy foods and the needs of this community,” said Partridge, director of the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, the coordinating agency for the grant.
“Consuming healthy foods and focusing on good nutrition carries benefits throughout a person’s entire life,” said Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “Through this initiative, we’re excited to partner with organizations and communities across Kansas to help develop sustainable plans to better create environments where healthy foods are accessible and affordable.”
The Kansas Health Foundation’s Access to Healthy Foods initiative is part of a broader effort to improve nutrition and increase physical activity among Kansans. In addition to the five communities receiving funding for the Access to Healthy Foods initiative, seven communities received $25,000 planning grants through the Healthy Community Design Initiative, which centers around helping communities become more actively engaged in pursuing policy, practice and environmental changes that support physical activity in public places.
For more information about LiveWell Lawrence’s efforts or to learn how you can participate, please visit livewelllawrence.org or contact Charlie Bryan, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department community health planner, at (785) 856-7357 or cbryan@ldchealth.org.
To speak with someone at the Kansas Health Foundation about this initiative, please contact Chase Willhite at (316) 491-8455 or cwillhite@khf.org.
- 30 -
