Lawrence will continue its efforts to improve the health of residents with a new health ambassador program.
Mayor Deb Whitfield announced the Live Longer in Lawrence initiative last year at Lawrence’s State of the City address.
To help with the initiative, Whitfield announced this month the city received funding for a new program that will create community health ambassadors for each of the city’s eight neighborhoods.
Whitfield said the ambassadors will act as health advocates for the community.
“They know their neighbors, they know the neighborhood,” Whitfield said. “We want our residents to step up and help us own this — to have a stake in it.”
The advocates will be trained and used to identify needs and barriers to health care in each neighborhood. The ambassadors will also help bring health education programs to their neighborhoods.
The program is funded through a $20,000 grant from the Charles Schwab Donation Program. Whitfield also plans to use the funds for a dietician to work with local restaurants to identify healthy food options.
More information can be found online.
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Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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