Westwood Named A 2018 Mayor's Wellness Healthy Town

WESTWOOD, NJ — Westwood was recognized as a 2018 Mayor's Wellness Healthy Town by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute's Mayors Wellness Campaign.

The honor is given to municipalities where "mayors have made healthy lifestyles a top priority and are actively engaging all the members of their community," the campaign said.

To receive the designation, communities participating in the Mayors Wellness Campaign complete a comprehensive application outlining the research they did to identify their community health needs, explain how they have organized their committee, and highlight the actions they have taken to make their communities a healthier place to live.

"I am delighted that the New Jersey Health Care Quality institute has once again recognized Westwood as a Healthy Town," said Mayor John Birkner. "This designation is testament to the dedicated volunteers who work so hard to bring beneficial programming into our community. This shows that our efforts have become sustainable and appreciated by our residents who now lead healthier lifestyles. We look forward to continuing to add and improve programs and services into the future."

The borough sponsors some health initiatives, including:

• Running and walking groups
• The Forever Young Program, which hosts classes and nutrition seminars
• The Special Needs Activity Program, which offers a variety of sports and arts and crafts programs for kids and adults with special needs.

The borough also offers adult coloring workshops to help address mental health and social well-being.

Bergenfield was also designated a healthy town. Oradell and Ridgewood were named healthy towns to watch.

Six categories are considered when selecting healthy towns:

• Defining Health Broadly – addressing the social and economic factors that impact health outcomes
• Measurement and Data Sharing – identifying measurable health indicators and establishing shared goals with partners
• Health Equity – reducing, and ultimately eliminating, health disparities by focusing programming on those most affected by poor
• Health outcomes
• Procurement of Resources – harnessing the collective power of your MWC Committee and local business partners to efficiently align
• Resources that maximize community health.
• Collaboration – building diverse partnerships across sectors to build capacity for programming
• Commitment to Sustainability – developing programs that are designed to last

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com