Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Fall River and Cambridge were among six cities nationwide to receive $25,000 Roadmaps to Health awards in February from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Fall River was recognized for its “Partners for a Healthier Community” program, which originated in 2003 and received an MMA Innovation Award in 2005.
According to Dr. David Weed, the program’s coordinator, Healthy City was developed with funding assistance from the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation and strong community participation.
“We created a vision and a plan for the city that came directly from the residents,” he said. “And we took them at their word. They wanted less crime, cleaner streets, better parks.”
Aggravated assaults in the city have declined by 37 percent over the past four years, according to Weed. There’s also been a 14 percent decrease in smoking, thanks in part to the role that teenagers played in building support for an ordinance that bans tobacco products from city drugstores.
Fall River has also benefited from the Department of Public Health’s “Mass in Motion” program, which promotes nutrition and exercise and discourages smoking.
Cambridge was honored for its plan, implemented by the Public Health Department, to boost the health and well-being of lower-income residents.
The city’s goal is to ensure “that a child born in one of the city’s housing developments has access to the same opportunities to lead a healthy and successful life as a child born in one of the city’s more affluent homes,” according to a statement from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.