Live Healthy Bridgeton Coalition Finalizes Blueprint for Action
The Live Healthy Bridgeton Coalition (LHBC) is a partnership of several organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit spheres that are working toward improving health outcomes for the community of Bridgeton. These partners are working together to implement policies, programs, and practices that address the issues that prevent everyone from having the opportunity to live the healthiest life possible . Over the past nine months, the Coalition has reviewed data and completed work centering on developing outcomes, goals, and strategies to address the critical areas of need in Bridgeton. In completing the Blueprint for Action, our coalition has highlighted social and economic factors such as educational attainment and unemployment, along with addressing the physical environment of our community, and impacting individual health behaviors as the target areas for improvement over the next three years.
Similar to a number of communities across the region, state, and country, Bridgeton has been adversely affected by deindustrialization and economic restructuring. Our community once thrived from an economy that relied on an industrial and commercial base, and was sustained by agricultural production and educational facilities such as the South Jersey Institute and West Jersey Academy, glass factories, sewing factories and metal and machine manufacturers. Over the last 40 years, the disappearance of the industrial sector has left vacant buildings and introduced other challenges that impact health outcomes in Bridgeton.
Our Blueprint for Action identifies strategies to address several social determinants of health, including improving access to healthy food, increasing clean and safe public spaces and places to play, creating employment opportunities, and assessing the availability of safe, stable and affordable housing options. Browse our Blueprint here and connect with our project director to learn how to partner in this work.