St. George
- Population: 84,500
- Designation Year: Spring 2021, Spring 2024
The City of St. George has a LiveWell Coalition which regularly meets to discuss ways to improve the health of residents. The Coalition conducted a needs assessment of the health of the community to determine what residents need and want. The city is a major sponsor of the Switchpoint Community Resource Center, which addresses the health of individuals experiencing homelessness. St. George also supports the Doctor’s Volunteer Clinic, which provides health services for residents who cannot afford it. St. George has an active transportation plan and an extensive network of walking and biking trails, with wayfinding signage to encourage safe use. Access to healthy food is promoted through community gardens and a farmers market that accepts SNAP benefits.
2024 Redesignation:
The City of St. George keeps health a high priority for its community and qualified for redesignation by implementing a range of initiatives through its Live Well and Healthy Dixie coalitions. The city implemented new wayfinding signage to help residents navigate their extensive trail network, prioritized sending city staff to pedestrian safety trainings, and conducted walkability and crosswalk audits throughout the community. St. George also partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings to offer youth sports participation waivers to low-income families.
The city also offered its residents health-focused programming including six-week-long community fitness challenges that saw over 600 registrants and a 73% completion rate. To keep wellness fun, the city also hosts an International Yoga Day event and conducts awareness campaigns to connect community members with local volunteer opportunities.
- Collaboration:
- A relationship with the local health department
- A moderate income housing plan
- Utilized and implemented strategies from an existing community health needs assessment
- Coordinated with the UDOT Move Utah Program to move active transportation planning and implementation efforts forward
- Access to Healthy Food:
- A farmers market that accepts SNAP benefits
- A community garden
- Active Living:
- A written guideline that promotes active transportation/physical activity for city employees
- Free and/or low-cost community sports/fitness programs for adults and children
- Connected walking and biking trails
- An active transportation plan
- Conducted a walkability audit
- Provided guidance on joint-use agreements for facilities in their community that can be used for physical activity
- Wayfinding signage that promotes active transportation
- Mental Health:
- Offered Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings
- Promoted the use of the SafeUT app in schools and other community centers
- Medication disposal services, locations, or programs
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