Stafford Again Wins 'Healthy Town' Title

STAFFORD, NJ — For the second year in a row, Stafford Township has been designated a “Healthy Town” by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.

The Mayors Wellness Campaign “Healthy Town” winners for 2024 go above and beyond to improve health and wellness in their communities through innovative programs in areas such as exercise, healthy eating, and mental health education and awareness, according to a news release.

The Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC) is a program of the Quality Institute in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. In addition to a record-breaking thirty-two Healthy Town winners, another sixteen towns were designated as 2024 “Healthy Town to Watch,” and seven were designated as 2024 “Healthy Town Up-and-Coming.”

"It’s incredible to see the MWC Healthy Town designations keep growing year after year. It’s proof that New Jersey’s community leaders aren’t just talking about health and wellness; they’re making it," said Mike Cerra, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. "From small towns to big cities, these leaders are showing up for their residents and building healthier, more vibrant communities.”

New this year for Stafford, in partnership with the National Fitness Campaign, the Township built an adult fitness center for residents, enhancing access to physical health opportunities in the community.

“I am so thrilled for the Township of Stafford to be recognized again by the Quality Institute as a 2024 Healthy Town," said Mayor Robert Henken. “We recognize that health is a way of life. This past year, we were fortunate to receive grant funding to install an adult fitness center at Nautilus Park. This coincides with the start of the Stafford Pathfinders program, started by our MWC volunteers, to form a walking group in the Township. This was part of our MWC this past year and partially funded by the National Fitness Campaign and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Working with our community partners, we will continue to strive to provide new programs and events for all our residents to empower them to improve their health. Thank you to the MWC staff, the Committee and the Township staff for making this a possibility."

Each year, communities participating in the MWC complete a comprehensive Healthy Town application outlining the research they’ve done to identify their community health needs and explaining how they have organized their local MWC committee. The application also highlights the actions the towns have taken to make their communities healthier places to live, work, age, and play.