The City of Pierre was named one of ten communities selected to advance the nation’s efforts to prevent chronic diseases and their related risk factors in 2009.  Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental changE (ACHIEVE), is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Healthy Communities Program. Through a partnership between NRPA, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), a total of 43 U.S. communities have been selected in 21 states as recipients of the total grant. The City of Pierre received $30,000.00 from NRPA for initial planning.

Other communities receiving the grant award:

Chicago Park District - Chicago, IL

Davenport Parks and Recreation - Davenport, IA

Greenville County Recreation District - Greenville, SC

La Mirada Community Services - LaMirada, CA

Longview Parks & Recreation - Longview, WA

Lynnwood Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts - Lynwood, WA

Montgomery County Parks and Recreation - Montgomery, AL

North Miami Parks & Recreation Department - North Miami, FL

O'Fallon Parks and Recreation - O’Fallon, MO

Goals of the Program:

·          Learn new strategies for building community action groups and partnerships.

·          Review ways in which individuals can make healthier choices where they live, learn, work and play.

·          Define effective approaches to design, implement and effect community change.

·          Identify how advocacy and policy will assist in changing lives for current and future communities.

Policy will assist in changing lives for current and future communities.

Local community members have been placed into teams consisting of 10 local leaders. Each team includes representatives from the following categories: elected officials; state and local directors of public health organizations; business leaders from various industries; and leaders of local schools, parks and recreation departments, hospitals, and other community organizations. South Dakota Public Health Association is part of the ACHIEVE team in Pierre and will present on its experiences along with updates on the process of the ACHIEVE Committee at the Iowa Governor’s Conference of Public Health on April 13, 2010.

For a complete listing of all funded communities, please visit the ACHIEVE Web site at www.achievecommunities.org or CDC’s Healthy Communities Program’s Web site at: www.cdc.gov/healthycommunitiesprogram.