What is Healthy Central Florida?

Healthy Central Florida (HCF) is a community-based partnership established to transform our community into the healthiest in the nation. Its aim is to get people moving more, eating healthier, feeling better, and enjoying a more vibrant, energized life.

Specifically, we encourage people to:

Get active. Walk, bike, turn off the TV and play with your kids — simply get moving
Eat healthier. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less processed foods
(high in salt, fat, sugar)
Get happy/get connected. We're social beings and when we're connected to neighbors, friends, family and community organizations, well-being and happiness increase.

Research shows these simple actions can transform a life — and the health of a community. If we all make small, incremental changes, it would have a huge impact.

Why a Healthy Community Matters —

What You Can Do

A healthy community benefits all of us. From attracting world-class employers to providing a world-class education for our children - healthy communities which promote and encourage walking, biking, and active lifestyles have an economic advantage. Children do better in school. Healthcare costs go down and happiness and well-being increase.

But it's about more than economics - it's about saving lives. Roughly one in three children is now obese and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and many cancers are skyrocketing. We can change our trajectory. It doesn't have to be this way in Central Florida. We have the vision, the community leadership and the partners to start now to make our community the healthiest in the nation! Join us to make Central Florida the healthiest community in the nation.

Click here to contact us to learn more or get involved in our work.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Florida Hospital and the Winter Park Health Foundation recognized the alarmingly high rates of obesity, inactivity, smoking and mental health challenges facing residents in our communities. These problems drain precious limited resources from businesses, schools and hospitals and have a profound impact on the quality of life for children and adults in Central Florida. To create large and small-scale change and a "culture of well-being", a coordinated community effort was needed. Healthy Central Florida was founded to lead this effort.

Research shows that behavior is impacted by environments - workplace cultures, family dynamics, school settings and community-level conditions. The more we can do to promote health and make the healthy choice the easy choice in every setting, the healthier and happier our residents and the entire community will be.

Therefore, HCF is working with partners from all sectors to implement strategies proven successful in other communities, including using a model developed by the CDC (the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention). Community leaders representing various sectors will focus on policy change in the environments where we live, learn, work and play. Policies help create lasting change which can lead to new healthy social norms (not moking, taking the stairs, walking). This approach is known as social marketing and uses a public health model with the end goal of behavior change.

Respected leaders in health and wellness, Florida Hospital and the Winter Park Health Foundation are the founding supporters of HCF and will be working closely with the mayors and key leaders in government from Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville. Additionally, key partners such as the YMCA, the Winter Park and Maitland Chambers of Commerce, Publix, Whole Foods, Bike/Walk Central Florida and representatives from education, health, faith, business, restaurant/food service and the community at large will be working together to shape policy and make our community healthier. Everyone has an important role to play and all are invited to join the team.

Clearly an ambitious goal of "improving health" won't be achieved overnight. This is a marathon and not a sprint. Therefore, a sustained effort over many years, along with the dedication and commitment of individuals and organizations working together will be needed to achieve long-term success. Leadership teams from our initial target communities were convened and trained in November 2011. A public launch for the broader community, featuring Dr. Mehmet Oz took place on February 6, 2012. Since then, we've formed and supported community walking groups in all three communities; held a walk and bike-to-school workshop and helped pass Smoke Free Parks Resolutions in all three communities. A Complete Streets Resolution to make roads safer and friendlier for pedestrians was also passed in Winter Park. We continue to work with our partners on policies and programs that will make our communities the healthiest in the nation.

HCF is working with the University of Central Florida, which will be conducting research and evaluating our progress at regular intervals. Success will be measured in relation to the major Healthy Central Florida goals: increase activity levels; increase consumption of fruits and vegetables/ better nutrition; and improve happiness, engagement and a sense of well-being. Progress reports will be issued regularly to let stakeholders, community members and media know where the community is making strides and where we still have work to do.

What's the vision?

Our vision for our residents:

Active children and adults who walk, bike, exercise regularly, and live healthy, productive lives
Residents who reach/maintain a healthy weight and are free of chronic diseases associated with obesity, such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart disease
Residents who don't smoke or use any tobacco products; children are not exposed to second-hand smoke
Residents who feel connected and content
Neighbors who know one another and have a sense of belonging, who participate in civic or local activities and care about their community

Our vision for the community:

Safe routes for children to walk and ride bikes to school
Safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians with clearly marked crosswalks
Sidewalks along most streets where residents can walk for exercise, walk to the store, or walk to a bus stop and feel safe
Fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods served frequently at school, work, home, and public gatherings
Healthy menu alternatives offered at area restaurants
Public spaces free of cigarette smoke
Zero tolerance for smoke around children, who are the most susceptible to second-hand smoke
A connected, healthy-conscious, friendly community where healthy living is the norm and the healthy choice is the easy choice