Great news on the the funding front!! Michelle Obama was on hand via a live webinar this morning to announce awards of Recovery Act funds through the Department of Health and Human Services. The First Lady congratulated all of the states and programs selected through the very competitive process. In all, 44 communities were chosen out of 250 to receive either tobacco prevention or obesity prevention funds. King County was one of seven communities chosen to receive funds for both - $15.5 million for obesity prevention and $10 million for tobacco prevention.
Working with the City of Seattle, the Public Health department will soon implement several strategies for increasing access to healthy food and promoting healthy eating habits, along with increasing opportunities for more physical activity near schools and neighborhoods. Strategies will be selected through a request for proposals, for which schools, community agencies and local government will be able to apply. Details for the RFP will be made available at a community meeting on March 26. More information about the Public Health process is available at www.kingcounty.gov/health/cppw.
More information about the award and the communities selected can be found on the HHS website - http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/