City of New Bedford Recognized for Achievements in Addressing Childhood Obesity

The National League of Cities (NLC) recognized the City of New Bedford for achieving gold medals in all five Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC) goal areas, which are based on achievements made to improve access to healthy, affordable food and promote physical activity for children and adults.

The City of New Bedford was formally recognized at NLC’s annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee on November 5, 2015. On behalf of New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, Ward 2 City Councilor Steve Martins and Ward 6 City Councilor Joseph Lopes attended the conference and received the city’s recognition.

In September, it was announced that New Bedford joined an elite group of 59 cities and counties that have earned gold medals in each of the five goal areas. LMCTC is the First Lady’s comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity, so that children born today will grow up healthy and able to pursue their dreams. Through Mass in Motion New Bedford (MiM NB), the City of New Bedford has achieved gold medal status in each of the program’s five key areas, making New Bedford one of just 58 other communities in the nation to earn the same distinction.

“Health and wellness has been a priority since I came into office so it’s nice to see our efforts getting results. As mayor and as a parent, there is nothing that I want more than for our children to grow into healthy, happy adults who can pursue their dreams without limitation. Setting these communitywide health and wellness goals and finding creative ways to meet them is helping our children to find their way to a healthy future,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “I know that Councilor Martins and Councilor Lopes both support our efforts to improve New Bedford’s health and wellness through the Mass in Motion initiative and I want to thank them for accepting this recognition on my behalf.”

For more information about the cities, counties and individuals recognized, visit http://www.healthycommunitieshealthyfuture.org/coc2015announcement/.

NLC works in partnership with Let’s Move! and HHS, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Association of Counties and other nonprofit organizations, to provide assistance to local elected officials as they implement policy and program changes to improve access to healthy, affordable food and provide opportunities for physical activity for all children. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides generous support to NLC to provide technical assistance to local elected officials working to create healthier communities and prevent childhood obesity, including those participating in LMCTC.

For more information about LMCTC and New Bedford’s accomplishments, visit www.HealthyCommunitiesHealthyFuture.org.