What is the Healthy Community Zones Initiative?

”There are assets and gifts out there in communities, and our job as good servants and as good leaders is not only just being humble, but it’s having the ability to recognize those gifts in others, and help them put those gifts into action.” - Michelle Obama

Healthy Community Zones Initiative is a new, comprehensive project from Broward Regional Health Planning Council’s (BRHPC) Partnerships Transforming Our Community’s Health (TOUCH) Initiative. It is an exciting and ambitious new program through which the TOUCH Initiative leverages years of experience in leading coalitions with multiple local partners and community organizations. TOUCH will oversee the planning, implementation and evaluation of numerous community health interventions, as well as empowering professionals, organizations and community residents to coordinate and scale their efforts in innovative ways and therefore maximize results.

A Healthy Community Zone (HCZ) is defined as a Broward County community which has been selected by TOUCH and an independent panel to form partnerships with existing organizations, resources and local residents in order to develop a shared vision of health, economic development and education for their neighborhoods. The Initiative will allow existing community efforts to scale up and become more effective, while positively impacting the well-being and health of the residents in each Healthy Community Zone.

After a rigorous selection process the following communities have been selected as the initial Healthy Community Zones:

• Dania Beach;
• Hallandale Beach;
• Lauderdale Lakes;
• City of Fort Lauderdale, Sistrunk Corridor;
• A section of unincorporated Broward County designated as the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD);

Each of the four HCZs, their existing community resources, as well local residents will join with TOUCH and our amazing Partners in envisioning, designing and implementing improvements in the four (4) TOUCH Focus Areas: Tobacco Free Living; Active Living & Healthy Eating; Healthy Built Environments; and Clinical and Community Linkages.

“These innovative Healthy Community Zone recipients will receive over $100,000 in technical assistance to energize their residents to take an active role in their health and the health of their community. By working together for a healthier community, these HCZ recipients will help reduce the leading causes of diseases, chronic conditions and early deaths affecting their residents.” – Michael De Lucca, President and CEO of BRHPC

HCZ's will benefit communities by:

• Providing more than $100,000 worth of in-kind Technical Assistance.
• Helping to improve the community’s health and wellbeing.
• Providing opportunities to partner and collaborate with TOUCH and leading community organizations.
• Fostering a shared vision of health, economic development, and education in Broward County.
• Envisioning and designing improvements for the community in the four TOUCH Focus Areas.
• Ensuring that each selected community is recognized as a Healthy Community Zone and showcased at the National level.