Sioux Falls Receives 2022 Healthy Hometown Award
Oct 17, 2022
Sioux Falls receives 2022 Healthy HometownSM Powered by Wellmark Community Award
Good & Healthy South Dakota awards the community for their health improvement work
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota (Oct. 13, 2022) — Sioux Falls was presented with the 2022 Healthy HometownSM Powered by Wellmark Community Award during the Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Annual Partners Meeting held virtually on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The award recognizes Sioux Falls for its accomplishments in health improvement initiatives within the community.
“We are pleased to present Sioux Falls with the 2022 Healthy HometownSM Powered by Wellmark Community Award,” said Laura Jackson, Wellmark’s executive vice president, health equity, access & improvement. “The work that has been done within the community is to be celebrated. And because this work is so important, Sioux Falls will receive $5,000 to continue improving the physical, social and emotional well-being of the community.”
Some noteworthy achievements in Sioux Falls include:
- Investing in sidewalk and crosswalk improvements to promote walkability and bikeability.
- Adding 1.4 miles of bike trails as part of the Cherry Creek Trail extension, providing neighborhood connectedness.
- Partnering with the Partnership for a Healthier America to address healthy food access and provide food boxes to more than 500 families and distributing 371,310 produce servings.
- Installed two protected lane infrastructure pieces: a protected bike lane and pedestrian bump out.
- Annoucned the Eat Well Sioux Falls Grant which incentizes grocery interventions in low income, low access food priority areas
- Shared health education and resources with 19,000 unique website visitors
- Participated as a founding member of the Sioux Falls Urban Ag Coalition
“We don’t do this work to be recognized; however, it is so meaningful for Sioux Falls to be awarded a 2022 Healthy Hometown Community Award and to shine that recognition back on to our wonderful partners,” said Shelby Kommes, public health prevention coordinator. “The collaborative effort is invaluable in ensuring the well-being of our community. We will continue to work together to ensure that Sioux Falls is a healthy place to live, learn, work, play, and age.”
The Healthy Hometown Powered by Wellmark Community Award celebrates the successes achieved by communities to make South Dakota a healthier, more active place to live. Sioux Falls also received the award in 2018. To find out more information about this initiative, visit Wellmark.com/HealthyHometown.
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About Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Wellmark, Inc. (Wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., and Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., and Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About the South Dakota Department of Health
Working together to promote, protect and improve health, the Department of Health uses its 2020-2025 strategic plan to guide future initiatives. Learn more at http://doh.sd.gov/strategicplan.
Included in the picture (L-R) – Dr. Nayeema Ahem, Dr. Charles Chima, Shelby Kommes, and Megan Forster of the Sioux Falls Health Department.
