Healthy Community Partnership reviews response to COVID-19 | News, Sports, Jobs
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN — The Healthy Community Partnership-Mahoning Valley’s 2020 Year in Review highlights impacts of, and responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The partnership has three focus areas to achieve long-term, sustainable change: healthy food retail, active transportation, and parks and green spaces.
Funding partners are the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, Western Reserve Health Foundation, the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation, the William Swanston Charitable Fund and the Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.
The report asks: “What changed in 2020?”
It cites progress made in the areas of collaboration and leadership; communication and engagement; policy and advocacy; capacity and investment; and data and research.
Additionally, the year in review spotlights partnership members recognized for their COVID-19 relief efforts.
Overall, partnership members secured nearly $5 million in state and federal funding to support initiatives in Mahoning and Trumbull counties; multiple partners collaborated to provide more than 11,000 meals and 3,500 boxes of fresh produce for seniors and individuals vulnerable to the virus; the County Food Access Coordinators successfully engaged new community stores to offer fresh produce in their businesses; and multiple greenspace redevelopment initiatives have begun to improve parks and green spaces.
The partnership was also selected to be one of 14 coalitions participating in a national leadership program, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health. The partnership also is responding to local and national efforts to address racism as a public health crisis.
