3/12/21, Asbury Park, NJ – The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and its Statewide Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC) has recognized the City of Asbury Park as a 2020 “New Jersey Healthy Town”. The City joins only seven other communities in New Jersey as winners of the 2020 “Healthy Town” awards. The communities have been recognized for their innovative responses to local needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each year, communities participating in the MWC program complete a comprehensive Healthy Town Application outlining the research they’ve done to identify their community health needs and explaining how they have organized their local MWC committee. The application also highlights the actions they’ve taken to make their communities healthier places to live, work, and play.
The City of Asbury Park received a Healthy Town to Watch designation in 2019 and the Asbury Park Mayors Wellness Committee put in a tremendous effort to be recognized as a 2020 Healthy Town, overcoming the barriers created by the pandemic. Programs include:
- Ryde4Life provides free on-demand transportation through Lyft and Uber to doctor appointments and food shopping for seniors, individuals with disabilities, or those who do not drive. More than 1,424 rides were taken by city residents in 2020.
- COVID-19 testing. In partnership with the Monmouth County Health Department, testing clinics were provided for City and County residents.
- Support for local food pantries to help distribute food to those in need.
“The designation of the City of Asbury Park as a Healthy Town represents a culmination of years of hard work by our Mayors Wellness Committee members, community organizations, health care partners and residents to promote a culture of health and active lifestyles for all of Asbury Park. We thank the Quality Institute for the honor and for recognizing all that our volunteers have done in the community,” said Mayor John Moor.
For more information about the Asbury Park Mayors Wellness Committee, visit http://www.cityofasburypark.com/wellness or email wellness@cityofasburypark.com.
To learn more about the NJ MWC, visit: http://www.njhcqi.org/MWC or contact Julie DeSimone at jdesimone@njhcqi.org.