Our vision for Yellowstone County is to create a community that embraces a culture of health and well-being. Healthy By Design is a collaborative effort working to create a better community to live, work, and play. Our membership includes organizations from a variety of disciplines, all working together toward the same goal. Our Plan to Improve the Community’s Health (PITCH) includes programs, policy initiatives, and advocacy efforts focused on the key attributes of a healthy community.
Available and affordable nutritious food
Access to affordable healthy food options is critical to a healthy community, because access equals consumption. Community gardens, neighborhood grocery stores, and low-fat and low-calorie options in restaurants and vending machines are just a few ways to make nutritious food accessible to everyone.
Community connectedness
Involvement in community activities is an important aspect of a person’s overall well-being and health. A healthy community is one that reaches diverse populations to connect community members to events, activities, programs, and their environment, whether those connections are through neighborhoods, workplaces, places of worship, or public spaces such as parks.
Safety
A safe community is one in which people feel secure in their environment and can conduct their daily activities without fear of crime or violence.
A functional, interconnected transportation system for all users
Healthy communities encourage and accommodate all modes of transportation. An interconnected transportation system encourages physical activity in everyday life, reduces traffic volume, and promotes healthy living.
Worksite wellness
People spend a significant percentage of their adult lives at work. A healthy community is one in which employers embrace and promote health in the workplace. Employers that support healthy lifestyles and an active workforce have been shown to have better productivity.
Smart growth
A healthy community deliberately plans its growth to ensure that expansion is efficient and takes health impacts into consideration. A healthy community strives to reduce noise pollution and actively promotes recycling.
To achieve the vision of a community that is Healthy By Design, we need your support. Consider health in everyday life, and help us make the healthy choice the easy choice.
