Our Focus
Healthy Communities

41% of youth and 30% of adults in Greenville County are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, asthma, and other costly debilitating illnesses.  Our community must act to help people lead healthier lives.

But doing so by merely educating residents on healthy eating and active living has not succeeded.  Why?  It’s difficult to change behavior when the surrounding environment conspires against positive change.  Neighborhoods without sidewalks, the lack of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables in low income communities, the use of food as incentive or reward in schools and child care settings: these and other factors make healthy choices challenging.

The Piedmont Health Foundation's focuses on a policy, systems and environmental approach to improving community health. By making the places in which we live, work, and play supportive of healthy behaviors, we believe we'll have healthier people in Greenville County.
Grant Support

Since 2008, the Piedmont Health Foundation has provided funding to support healthy communities.

  • $8,000 grant to Furman University for childhood obesity study in 2008
  • $15,000 in financial support to launch healthy communities coalition
  • $50,000 grant over two years to match Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grant to the YMCA of Greenville
  • $31,500 grant to support Greenville County’s District 1 PTA to pilot a healthy high school store
  • $75,000 in seed funding for LiveWell Greenville
  • $15,000 for a toolkit to help pediatricians discuss healthy eating and active living with their patients
  • $6,000 for LiveWell Greenville's Before and After School team to pilot CATCH in eight after school centers
  • $10,000 for Greenville County Schools' Food and Nutrition Services to train 80 cafeteria staff in healthy scratch cooking techniques
  • $1,900 for Greenville County Schools to participate in School Food Focus.
  • $2,500 to sponsor national bike planning expert Mia Burk to visit and consult with planners, policy maker, and cycling enthusiasts
  • $7,500 to support Gardening for Good, Greenville's community gardening network
  • $3,000 for the Odessa Street Garden in the Sterling Community, supported by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System's Healthy Communities program


 
LiveWell Greenville

The Piedmont Health Foundation is partnering with the community to change the context in our community to make the healthy choice the easy choice.  Three years ago, the Piedmont Health Foundation convened a coalition of public and private organizations to find ways to reduce rates of obesity.  Today, this vibrant partnership of more than 100 key partners is supporting policies, systems and environments that enable all Greenville County residents to live well. 

Click to learn more about  LiveWell Greenville.