Healthy Neighborhood Initiative

Eating a healthy diet and staying active are important to overall health and well-being. Making healthy choices is easier when options are available nearby, but this is not always the case in rural areas. 

The Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative (HNI) works with communities, businesses and organizations to expand access to healthy foods and physical activity options so that all residents have the opportunity to make better choices for better health. 

• Healthy Foods:
  The HNI’s Better Choice Retailer program helps small locally-owned convenience stores offer healthier choices. Better Choice signs and shelf tags make the these choices easier for customers to find.
  
  
• Physical Activity:   
  The HNI works with communities to refresh parks and playgrounds, develop trails and create new spaces for physical activity, especially projects that make it easy to be active, regardless of age or ability. Residents are encouraged to share ideas  for physical activity opportunities with community leaders and get involved in making them happen.
  
  
• Linking Residents to Healthy Opportunities:
  Through a partnership with the United Way of the Adirondack Region, the HNI links residents to programs and activities that support healthy living. In 2015, HNI added a health improvement programs portal to the http://www.211ADK.org website. The HNI works with partners across the community to keep  the portal up to date with information about activities and events that support a healthy lifestyle.