Background
The TXHC Program (formerly Heart and Stroke Healthy City (HSHS)) was developed in 2003 under the leadership of the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Section (HPCDPS) of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke with the help of a group of public and private organizations dedicated to reducing the burden of heart disease and stroke in Texas. This planning group was brought together by the Heart Disease and Stroke Program at the Texas DSHS, and included representatives from health care, business, and school settings. The program evolved as experts on heart disease, stroke, and related risk factors (diabetes, obesity, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol) continued to lend their expertise and recommendations for creating a program that is evidenced-based and has practical applications for community and policy change.
Overview
TXHC empowers Texans to improve their health in all the places they live, work and play. The program assists communities to assess their environments and public health policies and empowers communities to take action and make positive changes within their communities through local policy development and systems change, building on the talent, resources, and expertise of community members, and establishing a team of local advocates to drive local decision-making to improve health.
Communities that wish to be named a Texas Healthy Community are assessed on eight priority community-based policy, systems, and environmental change indicators vital to reducing the burden of chronic disease. These include indicators such as (1) accessible healthy food options, (2) physical activity areas and opportunities, (3) breastfeeding-friendly worksites, (4) school health programs, (5) worksite wellness programs, (6) comprehensive tobacco control, (7) cardiac and stroke response, (8) primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke in healthcare sites, and (9) healthy aging. Communities are assigned a recognition level (honorable mention, bronze, silver, gold) based on the results of the TXHC assessment.
For more information about the Texas Healthy Communities Program
Cecily Brea, MEd
Program Coordinator
Texas Healthy Communities Program
Phone: 512-776-2050
Fax: 512-776-7254
Email: Cecily.Brea@dshs.state.tx.us