Guthrie receives Healthy Communities Incentative Grant

Guthrie was one of 14 cities to be awarded a Healthy Communities Incentive Grant from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

The Oklahoma TSET Board of the Directors approved a $5,000 grant for Guthrie to help continue projects that promote physical activity, wellness and over all community health. Guthrie received Basic status for its work in this area.

City officials plan to use the money to improve the Guthrie Community Garden.

A total of $186,000 in grants were awarded to cities across the state as part of a three-year, $2.7 million program administered by Oklahoma TSET. The Healthy Communities Incentive Grant Program, is in its first year. Communities certified by the Oklahoma Certified Healthy Communities program were eligible to apply for the grants.

These grants were awarded based on population and specific criteria met. All applicants were required to be certified through the Shape Your Future Certified Healthy Community program, a partnership between the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, the Oklahoma Turning Point Council, the State Chamber and the State Department of Health.

The grants encourage communities to implement health and wellness-oriented ordinances, policies and programs. The incentive grant criteria focus on tobacco and alcohol use prevention; nutrition and physical activity; built environments and transportation; health services and community education and policy changes and community health improvement.

“We are pleased so many Oklahoma cities are working to make their communities healthy places to live, play and work,” said Tracey Strader, TSET executive director. Guthrie is enacting policies that are making a difference in people’s lives. This grant highlights the achievements of Guthrie and its effort to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

Other incentive grant recipients were Durant, Noble, Okmulgee, Idabel, Lawton, Norman, Ardmore, Bartlesville, Shawnee, Yukon, Collinsville, Pryor and Hobart.

TSET was created by a constitutional amendment in 2000 as a long-term strategy to ensure settlement payments from a 1998 multi-state lawsuit against the tobacco industry are used to improve Oklahoma’s health status. The funds are placed in a endowment to ensure a growing funding source for future projects. Only the earnings from the endowment are used.

TSET supports comprehensive programs to prevent tobacco use, promote tobacco cessation, and physical activity and nutrition. Oklahoma TSET also funds the state’s tobacco helpline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Join us October 3^rd at the Guthrie Community Garden (behind Mineral Wells Park) for Chamber Coffee.

For more information on how you can help the Guthrie community Eat Better, Move More, and Be Tobacco Free. Contact Courtney Thompson, Nutrition and Fitness Coordinator for Logan County at 405-282-3485 or courtneyt@health.ok.gov.