Why We’re Here
The Healthy Belvedere Community Health Initiative is a neighborhood effort to bring about environmental and policy changes which support Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL). The initiative is a partnership between Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and the Belvedere community. Kaiser Permanente is investing a significant amount of funding into the Belvedere Community and The Community Foundation currently manages the initiative.
Vision
A sustainable community culture of Healthy Eating and Active Living.
Mission
To reduce health disparities associated with chronic illnesses through environmental and policy changes that support Healthy Eating and Active Living.
Healthy Belvedere is based in southeast DeKalb County, Georgia in metro Atlanta. The service area is formed on the north by Memorial Drive, Columbia Drive to the east, Glenwood Road to the south, and Candler Road to the west.
HEAL community strategies include:
Active Living: Walking Clubs
Healthy Eating: Community Garden
The Healthy Belvedere approach is grounded in resident/community engagement, interagency planning, partnership building, and leadership development.
Why Healthy Belvedere?
While many Americans continue to learn more and more about healthy living and to gradually improve their lifestyles, research shows that ours is one of many communities around the country that needs help. We have not historically had nearby access to adequate resources that support healthy lifestyles, although our residents are active and committed to doing what we can on our own to attract, build or support the healthy infrastructure we need to ensure a longstanding thriving community for our children and grandchildren.
Why Now?
There is no better time than the present. If we can do something now, why wait?
Why Here?
It’s simple. Nearly 1 in 2 Belvedere adults has been diagnosed with a chronic disease. That is more than enough people to fill the Rialto Center for the Arts to capacity four times.
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, on behalf of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, commissioned years of research to choose the most receptive and promising area in Atlanta with the greatest potential for making drastic positive changes in their lifestyles. The residents of the Belvedere area outlined on our home page were identified to be in great need of assistance and with the greatest potential for self-improvement and for successful lifestyle change.
There are seven similar healthy living programs in cities around the country that have gone through the transformation that we are just beginning. We will stay in touch with the leaders in those communities and learn from their experiences.
Why Should I Care?
“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have” Winston Churchill. We can make a difference. Healthy eating and active living is not an easy choice in today’s fast food, instant message and automated world. It is easier to grab a hamburger than a fresh salad – easier to pick up the remote than weights on a regular basis. Changing our eating and exercise habits will not only improve our lifestyles but there are many other benefits including more meaningful relationships with our families and neighbors and more vibrant sustainable communities for years to come.
