Live HealthSmart Alabama
UAB President Ray L. Watts, M.D., and representatives from the eight Live HealthSmart Alabama designated partners. Photography: Adam Pope, a University of Alabama at Birmingham initiative powered by the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, is welcoming nine organizations as the first group to be awarded the Live HealthSmart Alabama designation. This honor comes from each organization’s commitment to a healthier workplace, city and state.
The first group of designated partners includes:
- Allstate Insurance Company
- BL Harbert International, LLC
- Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC
- Dunn Construction Company
- Fall Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Center
- Goodwyn Mills Cawood
- Vulcan Materials Company
- The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- YMCA of Greater Birmingham
Since winning the inaugural UAB Grand Challenge in 2019, Live HealthSmart Alabama developed a comprehensive plan to make good health simple. Starting with four demonstration communities in the Birmingham area — Bush Hills, East Lake, Kingston and Titusville — Live HealthSmart Alabama has made changes in policy, systems and the built environment that help bring about improvement in critical areas such as prevention and wellness, healthy eating, physical activity, and education.
To help further its mission, Live HealthSmart Alabama works with businesses, schools, houses of faith and nonprofits that engage the well-being of their employees. To become a designated partner, each of the seven organizations worked one-on-one with Live HealthSmart Alabama representatives to show their commitment to a healthy lifestyle. This includes spotlighting each organization’s current efforts and implementing new initiatives recommended by the Live HealthSmart Alabama team.
Learn more about UAB’s strategic initiatives here.
This active approach allows organizations to take part in the transformation of our state into a place where everyone can enjoy a healthy future.
To start, the designated partners will encourage employees to take physical activity breaks, have access to cool water at no cost, offer tips for healthy eating, host educational sessions for team members and more.
“We worked hard to develop a prestigious honor that would recognize organizations in the community for their efforts to help create a healthier Alabama for all — the result is the designation,” said Mona Fouad, M.D., CEO of Live HealthSmart Alabama and director of the UAB MHRC. “I am overjoyed to welcome each of these organizations into the Live HealthSmart Alabama family, and I look forward to seeing the many ways it helps their employees lead happy, healthy lives.”
To learn more about this designation, or to find out whether your organization is ready to become a designated partner, click here.