Livingston and UWA invite community for ‘Healthy Places’ planning Sept. 25

Livingston and UWA invite community for ‘Healthy Places’ planning Sept. 25

Healthy Places for Healthy People two-day workshop bringing EPA and other officials to Livingston

The City of Livingston and the University of West Alabama are partners for a two-day planning event on the topic of supporting healthier people and neighborhoods, revitalizing downtown, and strengthening the local economy. The community is invited to bring ideas to a workshop on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at Livingston Civic Center.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) recently selected Livingston for the Healthy Places for Healthy People technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening the community and economy and promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyles.

A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join with the local community to conduct a two-day workshop in Livingston that begins with the community gathering.

Community members are encouraged to participate and bring knowledge of the local area to help make this event a success. The workshop will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan primarily around, but not limited to, these goal areas:

• Use healthy, active living to revitalize downtown and support the goods, and services, and character needed to draw students, visitors, and newcomers to Livingston.
• Improve the delivery of health care to residents and students by coordinating university and community resources and facilities.
• Enhance inter-organizational communication and build capacity to move key projects forward and to identify/share resources efficiently.
• Develop the technology and infrastructure needed to improve access to information, support high quality health care facilities, and enhance the delivery of health care services in Livingston.
• Create a sustainable partnership model leveraging the collaborations and outcomes of HP2 Livingston into actions making a positive impact on the entire Black Belt region.

The workshop will include presentations on community livability and economic development, and the roles that health and healthcare partners can play in supporting it. The event will also include small group working sessions and discussions on the community’s vision and goals and specific actions for reaching them. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.

To know more about the community meeting or to RSVP, contact Dr. Tina N. Jones in UWA’s Division of Economic Development and Outreach by phone at 205-652-3828 or by email at tnj@uwa.edu. Participants may also RSVP online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HP2Livingston.