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Funding Priorities |
FIT TOGETHER NC (Obesity Initiative) - Fit Community
Map - 2007-2010 Fit Community Designations
List - 2007-2010 Fit Community Designations
List - 2007 Fit Community Grants
Map - 2006 Fit Community Designations and Grants
List - 2006 Fit Community Designations
List - 2006 Fit Community Grants
Background
Alarming high rates of obesity in NC and beyond are resulting in increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and several types of cancer. The CDC estimates that obesity-related expenses in NC add up to more than $2.1 billion, with just over half of that coming at the expense of taxpayers via Medicare and Medicaid. National expenditures on obesity-related illnesses are now measured in the tens of billions of dollars annually, and rising fast. Killing nearly 400,000 people per year, unhealthy weight is positioned to overtake tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
Objective
HWTF Commissioners sought to address this growing epidemic with a comprehensive program that would promote and help implement proven and innovative interventions to increase people's physical activity and improve nutrition choices. HWTF partnered with BlueCross and BlueShield of NC to launch Fit Together in 2004, a statewide campaign designed to raise awareness around the dangers of unhealthy weight and to equip individuals and communities with the tools they need to address this serious health concern. To date, the program consists of 21 community-based and statewide grants totaling more than $8 million as well as a mass media campaign that includes a content-rich Web site, www.FitTogetherNC.org.
Program
In November 2005, the HWTF / BCBSNC partnership unveiled its next phase entitled Fit Community, a program to recognize and reward municipality and county-wide efforts to promote physical activity, healthy eating and tobacco-free programs, policies, environments and lifestyles. Fit Community designations and grants reward communities for creating and implementing a sustainable action plan to avoid or remedy preventable chronic health problems in their area of North Carolina. A Fit Community award is a public acknowledgement of a town's livability and commitment to improving the quality of life for its residents. The designation can help boost economic development, promote tourism, serve as a recruitment tool for Chambers of Commerce, and more. It can also strengthen a municipality or county’s eligibility for other grants and federal programs.
Fit Community Designations
Dozens of applications have been received from across the state; each was judged based upon objective criteria collected from peer-reviewed studies and national programs. The number of designations awarded is determined solely by the merit of the applications. North Carolina's first class of eight Fit Communities was named at a ceremony in Raleigh on May 10, 2006. A new class of Fit Community designees will be awarded on June 7, 2007 in Raleigh; recipients will provide strong incentives for other NC municipalities to take a leadership role in promoting and providing health and active living opportunities for their residents. Please click here to learn more about the 2007-2010 designees.
Municipalities and/or counties designated as Fit Communities receive:
Fit Community Grants
To complement this designation initiative and to support implementation of strategies at the local level, two phases of grant funding were made available; each offering two-year grants of up to $30,000 annually. In an effort to encourage collaboration from diverse stakeholders in a given community, only one designation and grant application is accepted per municipality, and each application required approval from the local Mayor or County Commissioner’s office. Phase I grants totaling nearly $500,000 were awarded to eight NC communities in May 2006. An additional $500,000 in Fit Community grant funding was made available in December 2006; applications were due on February 23, 2007 and Phase 2 grantees will be announced in mid-June 2007.
Partners / Technical Assistance
Active Living by Design (ALbD) is providing technical assistance for the Fit Community initiative. ALbD is a national program, housed at the UNC School of Public Health and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote and support active living environments. Their expertise in this field makes them uniquely qualified to support the HWTF / BCBSNC partnership and to provide technical assistance to the grantees.
