Providence part of new ‘Invest Health’ initiative

PROVIDENCE MAYOR Jorge O. Elorza said he is pleased that Providence has been selected to participate in the Invest Health program. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
PROVIDENCE MAYOR Jorge O. Elorza said he is pleased that Providence has been selected to participate in the Invest Health program. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Providence is one of 50 cities in the nation taking part in “Invest Health,” an 18-month initiative to improve health in low-income neighborhoods.
Providence is focusing specifically on transportation, with safety and environment a secondary focus. Improving walkability in city neighborhoods, as well as bicycle access, will be studied.
“We are excited to be selected to participate in the Invest Health program,” Mayor Jorge O. Elorza said in a statement. “I am committed to making Providence the fittest city in America and this opportunity will allow us to better support active transportation and improve the quality of life in Providence.”
More than 180 teams from 170 communities applied to be part of the initiative from the Reinvestment Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Those selected received a $60,000 grant.
Cities with populations between 50,000 and 400,000 were asked to form five-member teams including representatives from the public sector, community development and an anchor institution.
Providence’s team comprises representatives from the city’s Healthy Communities Office, ONE Neighborhood Builders, Brown University’s School of Public Health, state Department of Health and Lifespan Community Health Institute.
It will develop and implement strategies to “significantly and permanently improve the active transit environment in Providence’s neighborhoods,” according to a press release about the initiative issued by the city.

Amanda High, chief of strategic initiatives at the Philadelphia-based Reinvestment Fund, noted that the organization has “a long history in community development finance.”
“We are excited to help create a pipeline to channel capital into low-income communities through public and private investments,” she said. “Our goal is to transform how cities approach tough challenges, share lessons learned and spur creative collaboration.”
Providence, according to the release, also will engage a broader group of local stakeholders to encourage local knowledge sharing. Information about the project will be shared at investhealth.org.

Project teams will travel to Philadelphia for a kick-off meeting on June 7 and will meet regularly to share lessons learned throughout the project, the release said.

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