Home--Healthy Communities

The Foundation believes the Healthy Communities Initiative will:

• Create a healthier community and a better quality of life. The ultimate goal of ONEBAY: Healthy Communities is optimal community health — a community where residents are healthy, safe, and have a high quality of life. Here, a "healthy community" goes beyond physical health alone. According to the World Health Organization, "Health is a dynamic state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The Institute of Medicine echoes this definition and notes that, "health is…a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities."
• Create a strong and diverse coalition. By convening a diverse network of partners within the region we can achieve better coordination of services and resources, a higher appreciation and awareness among partners, and less duplication of services.
• Engage the community. By implementing a participatory and highly publicized process, we aspire to engage residents in the multi-faceted opportunities our communities have to increase awareness and knowledge of health issues.
• Increase the visibility. Through participation in the Healthy Communities initiative, community residents may gain a better awareness of the area in which they live and their own potential for improving their quality of life.
• Create community ownership. Community-driven processes also lead to collective thinking and a sense of community ownership in initiatives, and, ultimately, may produce more innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions to complex problems. Community participation in the process may augment community involvement in other initiatives and / or have long-lasting effects on creating a stronger community spirit.