Westerville Parks and Recreation Department to receive gold Healthy Ohio-Healthy Community Award

Date: 09/17/2009
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For Immediate Release

September 17, 2009

Westerville Parks and Recreation Department to receive gold Healthy Ohio-Healthy Community Award

The City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Department will receive a gold Healthy Ohio-Healthy Community award Oct. 16 at the Ohio Society for Public Health Education Health Educator’s Institute annual meeting at Hueston Woods Conference Center in Oxford. City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Department is one of 18 communities to be honored by the Office of Healthy Ohio (OHO) in 2009.

“City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Department exemplifies Healthy Ohio and the state of living well,” said Ohio Department of Health Director (ODH) Alvin D. Jackson, M.D. “City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Department is a model for what all Ohio communities can be for their residents and visitors.”

Healthy Ohio-Healthy Community awards recognize communities’ outstanding achievements in implementing health-related policies and providing healthy community environments. The award recognizes communities’ efforts in encouraging and enabling employees, residents and visitors to make healthy choices including participating in physical activity, eating good, nutritious foods and avoiding tobacco.

Housed at ODH, OHO is part of Gov. Ted Strickland’s Turnaround Ohio initiative and consists of three core areas:  health promotion, disease prevention and health equity.

The Westerville Parks and Recreation Department currently manages over 559 acres of parkland with 46 parks and facilities and offers activities to residents and visitors of all ages. To find out more about Westerville’s quality programs, facilities, services and events, visit www.westerville.org or call the Community Center Hotline at (614) 901-6500.

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