Bloomington Parks and Recreation has been working with the Biden administration on addressing public health concerns.
The National Recreation and Parks Association, which counts Bloomington Parks and Recreation among its members, made recommendations on how local parks can promote healthy eating, access to food and increase physical activity, according to a press release.
Bloomington parks offers drop-in fitness classes at Switchyard Park, a summer camp at Banneker Community Center and fitness stations along the B-Line Trail.
“Bloomington Parks and Recreation is an ongoing stakeholder and service provider in the public health arena,” Community Relations Manager Julie Ramey said in the release.
The White House hosted the Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Wednesday and presented a five-part plan that focuses on improving food access, integrating nutrition into Medicare and Medicaid, empowering consumers to make healthy choices, supporting physical activity and enhancing nutrition and food security research.
These are issues that affect residents of Monroe County. The United Way of Monroe County found that in 2020, the adult obesity rate was 23%, and 17% of adults consider themselves to be in poor or fair health.
Diet-related diseases like obesity and food insecurity make people more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 and other diseases. Creating programs that decrease obesity and increase food security will create a society that is less susceptible to pandemics, according to Biden’s plan.
