Category Archives: Partner Spotlight

Addressing Tobacco Use in Allegheny County and Southwestern Pennsylvania

The Great American Smoke Out is an annual national tobacco awareness holiday sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It is designed to encourage thousands of smokers to begin “Day 1” of their quitting journey on the third Thursday of November. Throughout Allegheny County and Southwestern Pennsylvania, Adagio Health is there to help smokers quit and live longer, healthier lives.

Tobacco Free Adagio Health is working throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania to reduce smoking rates, educate on the harmful impacts of tobacco and nicotine, and provide assistance in developing policies to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke in spaces where people live, work and play. Tobacco, and smoke-free workplace, multi-unit housing, and parks and playground policy initiatives are key strategies to influence community norms around smoking and tobacco use.

Certified tobacco treatment specialists are available to provide in-person, virtual, individual or group cessation counseling and access to free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), including patches, gum, and lozenges.

Tobacco Free Adagio Health engages with schools to promote programming and interventions to educate and support youth in efforts to stop smoking, or to never start. Tobacco Resistance Units are student-centered groups designed to promote tobacco-free lifestyles, teach youth about advocacy and leadership, and help them to engage with their peers to educate them on the risks of tobacco use and nicotine dependence.

For more information on tobacco-free policy work, tobacco cessation and counseling programs, or how to start a TRU group at your school, email: tfah@adagiohealth.org

For more information, please visit www.adagiohealth.org or call 1-800-215-7494.

Tobacco Free Adagio Health Services and Programs

Tobacco Free Adagio Health (TFAH) is the Regional Primary Contractor for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s tobacco prevention and control work in Allegheny County. The goal of TFAH is to assist smokers in quitting and prevent new users from starting.

TFAH works to promote tobacco-free policies that protect residents from the harms of secondhand smoke where they live, where they work, and where they play. TFAH uses certified tobacco treatment specialists (CTTS) to help smokers interested in beginning their quitting journey identify triggers and build new, healthier habits and strategies. These strategies help people find more success in their attempts to quit smoking. This program is offered virtually, in person, individually or in group cessation classes.

TFAH Youth Services Coordinators provide health education on the following topics:

Big Tobacco’s impact on the community
Big Tobacco’s marketing campaigns’ impact on underserved communities
Ways we can come together as a community to improve health outcomes for everyone in our region
Tobacco’s impact on the body, the brain and the environment

TFAH partners with a lot of healthcare providers and community-based organizations to provide education and to address health disparities for people in the following communities:

African Americans,
LGBTQIA+ individuals,
Veterans,
Youth,
Women,
Those contending with mental and behavioral health issues.

For more information, please visit tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org.

For 50 years, Adagio Health has been serving the healthcare needs of women and families throughout Western Pennsylvania. Our service area includes:

62 counties in Pennsylvania
Seven counties in West Virginia
Five counties in Southern New York State

Many of the 110,000 patients receiving Adagio Health’s services are women who are uninsured or underinsured. Services are provided through funding from foundations, the State and Federal Government, and in partnership with a variety of local organizations and other funders. For more information, please visit adagiohealth.org or call 800-215-7494.

Pitt Eats: Healthy Eating on Campus!

At the beginning of 2021 five new Pitt Eats dining locations on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus became the newest Live Well Allegheny Restaurants. They are The Eatery, Schenley Café, Petersen Events Center- Shake Smart, Petersen Events Center- Steel City Subs and the Cathedral of Learning. We interviewed Pitt Eats’ Sustainability Director Lisia de Lima Spellman to learn more about how they use food to encourage health, wellness, and sustainability on campus.

What is the background/history of Pitt Eats’ sustainability initiatives?

We believe serving healthy and nutritious food provides a foundation for lifelong learning. We are proud to feed future leaders and understand the immense responsibility to nourish our guests’ minds and bodies. We believe that wellness goes beyond our dining halls. To support a well-balanced healthy lifestyle, we create programs that help our guests live life to its fullest. From sourcing our ingredients to preparing our menus, we keep health and wellness at the forefront of everything we do.

How does Pitt Eats’ commitment to sustainability assist the efforts of Live Well Allegheny?

Pitt Eats’ commitment to sustainability embraces the system as whole, including the environment and the people. Providing healthy and nutritious food to our guests is how we assist the efforts of Live Well Allegheny.

What do you consider the greatest success to come from Pitt Eats’ sustainability efforts so far?

We consider each sustainability initiative a great success and each one of them will create an impact in the environment and in the community. Reducing waste, increasing the amount of sustainable food purchasing, reducing GHG emissions, having more local foods in our portfolio, donating food, and donating 5% of a purchase back to the Pitt Pantry are examples of the sustainable initiatives we drive.

What are your plans moving forward?

Expanding the Real Food Challenge across campus to serve 25% Real Food by 2025.
Serve 50% of to-go meals and beverages in reusable containers by 2025.
Serve meals that put plants at the center of the plate by decreasing the amount of animal-derived products sold by 25% by 2025.
Expand food waste composting 50% by 2025.
Reduce landfill waste by 25% by 2030 from 2017 levels.

To learn more about the Pitt Eats dining locations, or other Live Well Allegheny Restaurants visit the Live Well Allegheny Restaurants page.

A to B: Transportation Options

According to the American Public Transportation Association, people use some form of public transportation 34 million times each weekday in the U.S. In Allegheny County, there are many options for transportation; however, navigating those options can be hard. A to B is an online tool designed to help riders find inclusive and accessible transportation options that meet their personal preferences, abilities, and needs. Developed by transportation providers and advocates in the Transportation Working Group, including Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh a Live Well Allegheny community partner, the tool currently includes 28 options from 20 transportation providers.

A to B is free, voluntary, and anonymous. To use A to B, visit www.AtoBAllegheny.com, answer a short survey of questions, and get matched to possible transportation options. The questionnaire takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Users should be sure to answer all applicable questions to receive the best results. A to B will not map specific trips, but rather find the best connection to options for riders.

If you have questions about A to B or would like help using the tool, call (412) 562-5104 (TTY 711), Monday-Friday from 8AM to 5PM or leave a message after hours. Transportation providers can also call this number to be listed in the tool.

We’re excited about the addition of this tool in our region. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified that access to transportation supports health and reduces healthcare costs. Ensuring that all residents of Allegheny County can get from point A to point B can have a profound positive impact on health and wellness.

Learn more about this topic and the A to B Tool with these resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/transportation/

https://myaccessride.com/a-to-b/

https://www.atoballegheny.com/#targetText=A%20to%20B%20is%20a,leave%20a%20message%20after%20hours.

https://pittsburghseniornews.com/2019/07/04/launch-of-a-to-b-an-online-tool-to-find-transportation-options/

https://www.apta.com/news-publications/public-transportation-facts/

Babb Inc. finds a fun way to stay active at work with the Annual LiveWell Open!

Babb Inc., a Live Well Allegheny Workplace, is leading the way in encouraging workplace wellness. In June, the Wellbeing Department hosted the 4^th Annual LiveWell Open Golf Tournament in concurrence with the 2019 U.S. Open.

The team set up a 5-hole par-16 mini-golf course in the Ballroom of the Babb Inc. historical building located on Pittsburgh’s Northside. To enhance workplace culture and encourage participation, trophies, prizes, and, of course, bragging rights were awarded to the top golfers in the men’s and women’s categories. Practice rounds were held the week leading up to the tournament that took place on Wednesday, June 12.

This type of event creates friendly competition between coworkers and provides an opportunity for people to get up and move during the day. More than 20 people participated in the tournament. Babb, Inc. continues to grow their culture with different activities, such as the LiveWell Open, that reflect their belief that employee care and wellbeing is the number one priority in any organization.

Another way that Babb, Inc. is promoting wellbeing and engagement is through the 4^th Annual SparkPittsburgh Step Challenge, which runs September 1 through October 15. This free and friendly challenge is designed to help organizations move towards better health and wellbeing one step at a time. Along with competing against other organizations, all steps contribute to Pittsburgh’s total step count to help make a difference in the health and wellbeing of the city!

This year, SparkPittsburgh is excited to announce the addition of Cleveland to the campaign (SparkCleveland)! Through the success of Pittsburgh, the partners hope to continue to expand Spark across the nation to help improve lifestyles across America. Visit www.SparkPittsburgh.com to join the challenge today!

ACHD’s Traffic Safety Education Project Celebrates National Safety Month with Car Seat Check

Did you know, injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44? Fortunately, there are many things people can do to prevent injuries and stay safe. During the month of June, public health agencies shine a spotlight on injury prevention by celebrating National Safety Month. National Safety Month raises awareness about preventable injuries and important safety issues like poisonings, transportation safety, and slips, trips, and falls. This June, the Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD) Traffic Safety Education Project is celebrating National Safety Month by highlighting the importance of car seat safety.

The goal of ACHD’s Traffic Safety Education Project (TSEP) is to reduce local injuries and deaths due to avoidable vehicle crashes. TSEP staff utilize state-approved curriculum to provide educational programming on a variety of traffic safety topics, including car seat usage, aggressive and distracted driving, and seat belt safety. TSEP also offers educational programming for audiences ranging from elementary students to mature drivers. One of the priorities of TSEP is car seat safety and educating residents about proper car seat usage.

The leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13 is car crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that in 59% of cases, children’s car seats are used incorrectly. Car seats and boosters protect children and infants from bodily injury and death during car crashes. It is essential for parents and caregivers to choose and use the correct car seat every time. There are a variety of resources available for families to determine the correct car seat. Need help finding the right car seat? NHTSA has an electronic Car Seat Finder tool to help families choose a car seat and offers instructions on installing car seats.

If you are looking for more hands-on experience related to car seat safety, TSEP has you covered. Our TSEP staff are certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST). The staff are certified to provide community presentations and/or child safety seat checks where parents and caregivers receive education and hands-on assistance with the proper use of child restraint systems and seat belts. Parents and caregivers who attend a car seat check will get one-on-one personalized instruction on how to properly use their child’s car seat.

Join us on Friday, June 21^st from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Ohio Township Volunteer Fire Department (1520 Roosevelt Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237) for a Car Seat Safety Check. The service is free, but appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, please call Kristen Urso at 412-885-0266.

To learn about other events, or to schedule one for your community, please visit: www.pasafekids.org.

Live Well Allegheny partners, Red Lantern Bike Shop and Braddock Carnegie Library, collaborated to install an outdoor bike repair stand

One of the goals of Live Well Allegheny is to involve partners from all sectors—nonprofit, public, and private – in our campaign to make Allegheny County the healthiest county. Through our extensive community partner network, we aim to promote health and wellness in a variety of organizations. We also encourage our partners to work together to expand their work on health and to reach different communities. Two of our Live Well Allegheny partners, the Red Lantern Bike Shop and the Braddock Carnegie Library, provide an example of the power of connections with their recent collaboration on an outdoor bike repair stand.

The Red Lantern Bike Shop partnered with the Braddock Carnegie Library to install an outdoor bike repair stand at the library located in Braddock. The outdoor bike repair stand allows community members to put air in their tires for free and perform as-needed repairs to their bicycles. The free resource is a powerful tool for community members who use bicycles for transportation and recreation. Funding for the project was provided by PeopleForBikes.

The Red Lantern, which operates with a team of volunteers, provides free bicycle repairs and free bikes to children in the community. Currently run out of a repurposed shipping container, the bike shop provides free repairs, charging only for parts that need to be ordered. Additionally, part of the mission of the shop is to provide free bikes to kids whose families may not be able to afford a new bike. Volunteers collect used bicycles, fix them, and distribute them to families with children. Due to limited space and capacity, the Red Lantern is currently only open on Saturday mornings.

To expand the free resources provided by the bike shop, the Red Lantern partnered with the Braddock Carnegie Library to provide a space that is open 24/7 for bike repairs. The outdoor space provides access to an air pump and other tools that are required for bike repairs. By partnering with a popular community resource like Braddock Carnegie Library, the Red Lantern can serve more people in the community.

Do you know of an organization that would make a good Live Well Allegheny community partner? Spread the word! Organizations can find more information and apply here.

Live Well Allegheny and partners wrap up multi-year funded project, expand work with new project aimed at improving health in African American/Black communities

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. American Heart Month, observed in February, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of heart problems, and to promote healthy behaviors to prevent and reduce the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders. Typically, public health officials point to three major behavior changes that can reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases: eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and quitting smoking. However, in public health, we also know that there can be barriers to access healthy foods and finding opportunities for physical activity opportunities. For many of our neighbors, eating healthy and exercising regularly is easier said than done.

At Live Well Allegheny, we work to ensure that all Allegheny County residents can lead healthy lives. In December 2018, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) wrapped up a multi-year funding opportunity from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to enhance the strategy of Live Well Allegheny and improve health across the county. Live Well Allegheny was expanded through strategic partnerships with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Just Harvest, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED), and RAND Health to increase access to healthy food options and physical activity opportunities, and survey health behaviors with the goal of improving overall health of county residents.

To learn more about the collective impact of this project, check out our interactive story map! You can also click here to view an infographic about the project that was created by RAND Health.

The success of the Richard King Mellon Foundation project led to a new funding opportunity to expand the work with a focus on health equity. In September 2018, ACHD was awarded a five-year national grant, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), from the CDC. The new project aims to enhance health equity in Allegheny County by addressing chronic disease risk factors in African American/Black populations living in six high-risk target communities. The new funding will allow ACHD to continue to address healthy equity and chronic disease risk factors by collaborating with community-based organizations. ACHD looks forward to another five years of prioritizing equitable access to health to ensure that all our residents can lead long, healthy lives.

Project Destiny offers a free community health training series by ACHD, part of an initiative to improve health in the Northside neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh

Knowledge is important to good health, and we need accurate information to maintain a healthy lifestyle. From the types of foods to eat to questions to ask your doctor, good health requires good information. Unfortunately, when it comes to health, there is a lot of misinformation out there. TV doctors, fad diets, and internet ads promise “miracle cures” and create confusion; however, there are reputable resources available to ensure that you are getting the best health information. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has an interactive toolkit, Know the Science, that uses interactive modules, videos, and quizzes to provide accurate and engaging health information. The website provides resources to better understand scientific topics and to help people get the most accurate health information.

To ensure that Northside residents have access to accurate health information, Project Destiny offered a health training series to their community health workers. The community health training series was facilitated by Lorraine Starsky, Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD) Chronic Disease Prevention Program Public Health Nurse. The five-part training series provided information about factors that contribute to chronic disease and strategies for improving health on an individual and community level. The series covered information about diabetes, cancer, and heart health awareness, as well as resources for eating healthy on a budget.

Project Destiny’s community health worker program is focused on improving health in the Northside by connecting residents to services. Part-time community health workers who are responsible for connecting Northside residents with available health resources and services. The community health workers go door-to-door connecting with residents to determine what services individuals and families need. Doing so provides Project Destiny with information about the factors that are impacting the health of residents in the Northside.

The community health worker program is part of a larger project, Thrive18, an initiative to improve health in the Northside’s 18 neighborhoods. Thrive18 is part of the BUILD Health Challenge. As an awardee of the BUILD Health Challenge, Project Destiny works with Allegheny General Hospital, ACHD, Buhl Foundation, and Highmark Health using a collaborative approach to improve health. By collaborating with other organizations, Project Destiny seeks to understand and intervene in the underlying factors that impact health like housing, education, and financial stability. By understanding the factors that influence resident health, the organizations hope to improve overall health in the Northside.

Wondering how to spot good health information? Check out our Be Choosy about Health Information guide for help!

Officially open in Clairton, Produce Marketplace brings fresh food, fruits and veggies to the community!

November serves as American Diabetes Month. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability, affecting over 30 million people nationally. Diabetes can cause a variety of health problems like nerve damage, kidney disease, blindness, and even death. The good news? People can lower their risk for type 2 diabetes by making healthy changes. Eating healthy foods and getting more physical activity lowers your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Making healthy choices is not always easy. For many of our neighbors, affording and accessing healthy food is a challenge. Limited access to fresh, healthy foods is a barrier to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

For residents of Clairton, finding healthy food is difficult. A city of almost 7,000 residents, Clairton has not had a grocery store for more than 10 years. While community organizations, including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, have provided healthy food options with interventions like the Green Grocer, the community has been unable to bring a brick-and-mortar grocer to the residents of Clairton…until now.

Economic Development South, a Live Well Allegheny Community Partner, is bringing healthy food into Clairton with its new food market, Produce Marketplace. Produce Marketplace, a community-driven grocery store, is a place where residents can purchase fresh food in their neighborhood. Filled with fresh options including fruits and vegetables, meat, deli, dairy, and bread, the market fills a long-standing gap in the community. Clairton residents will no longer have to leave their community to purchase healthy foods. The store aims to keep prices low and will accept SNAP and WIC benefits. The market, located at 519 St. Clair Avenue, Clairton, Pennsylvania 15025, is open:

Monday: Closed
Tuesday and Thursday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 to 7 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 3 p.m.

The Produce Marketplace opened its doors to the public on October 27, and held a commemorative opening on October 26. During the soft opening, the market held a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring remarks from Allegheny County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Denis Davin, and Mayor of the City of Clairton, Richard Lattanzi, and along with other elected officials.

Next time you are in Clairton, make sure to stop by the Produce Marketplace and check out their selection of healthy options! You can also follow all the news about the market by liking their Facebook page.