Partners for a Healthier Community hosted a reception to announce the recent award of a national Roadmaps to Health Prize Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), one of six national Prize Awards. A six-member team including MDPH Health Systems Manager Michael Coughlin, United Neighbors Executive Director Wendy Garf-Lipp, Fall River Mass In Motion Coordinator Julianne Kelly, Partners School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard, Greater Fall River Re-Creation Program Director Jamison Souza, and Healthy City Fall River Coordinator David Weed traveled to Princeton, NJ to accept the award on behalf of the City. They were joined by Nadia Chamblin-Foster, Regional Community Benefits Director, and James Corbett, System Vice President of Community Health & Ethics of Steward Health Care. Mayor William Flanagan was presented with an award plaque and a flag and praised Partners for its efforts to improve health over the past five years. Click here for a video of the event. Click here for the Herald News article. Click here for links to more photos and videos about the Prize application process. For more information, contact Healthy City Fall River coordinator David Weed at 508-324-2411.

(Top row) Annemarie Sharkey and Brittany Bertone finish preparations for the reception in the Government Center atrium while a reporter from the New Bedford Standard-Times interview Michael Coughlin. (Row two) Wendy Garf-Lipp talks with Brad Dean of Urban Acres Farm, Julie Kelly welcomes Gail Rodrigues and Brian Pearson as Kerry Mello looks on, and Dr. Weed chats with Marcia Picard and Wendy prior to the presentation. (Row three) Mayor Flanagan confers with Mike Coughlin before Jamison Souza welcomes the audience to the program. (Row four) Mayor Flanagan and Health and Human Services Director Dr. Henry Vaillancourt praise the collaborative work that goes on across the City to improve health before unveiling the award plaque with Seila Carreiro, Kevin Vaillancourt,Jordan Nim and Monica Bouchard. (Row five) Michael Coughlin, Marcia Picard and Wendy Garf-Lipp thank the hundreds of people who helped the City earn this distinction through their remarks and a poem. (Bottom row) Dr. Weed introduces the staff members of Parters including Annemarie Sharkey, Marcia Picard, Brittany Bertone and Angela Bras before inviting youth from TADA into the hearing room to watch some of the videos produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.