A plan to make the Monadnock region one of the healthiest communities in the country has received a financial boost from the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $1.1 million to Healthy Monadnock 2020, an initiative of Cheshire Medical Center-Dartmouth Hitchcock Keene. The hospital is working with schools, farmers and other private and public entities to prevent some of the leading causes of death, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Linda Rubin directs the program for Cheshire, and she says they’ve got some very big plans.
"We are going to change the environments in which we all live, learn, work, play, and heal to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone," says Rubin.
That could mean getting big buyers for local foods, or extending bike lanes into rural towns.
Healthy Monadnock 2020 is one of 39 of initiatives around the country that will split over $50 million, all funded through the Affordable Care Act.