§ 104b. Community health and wellness grants

(a) The Commissioner shall establish a program for awarding competitive, substantial, multi-year grants to comprehensive community health and wellness projects. Successful projects must:

(1) use comprehensive approaches designed to promote healthy behavior and disease prevention across the community and across the lifespan of individual Vermonters and address issues which may include promoting nutrition and exercise for children, community recreation programs, elderly wellness, lead poisoning abatement, obesity prevention, maternal and child health and immunization, mental health and substance abuse, and tobacco prevention and cessation;

(2) be consistent with the Blueprint for Health and other State health initiatives as well as the overall goals of the applicant community;

(3) be goal and result driven;

(4) use strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective in reaching the desired goal;

(5) provide data for evaluating and monitoring progress;

(6) include a plan for ensuring that all food vending machines located in public buildings within the control of the grant recipient contain foods and portion sizes consistent with the Vermont nutrition and fitness policy guidelines or other relevant science-based resources; and

(7) address socioeconomic or other barriers that stand in the way of fit and healthy lifestyles in their communities.

(b) The Commissioner, through the 12 district health offices, shall assist communities by:

(1) providing technical assistance to support communities in following a consistent and coordinated approach to planning and implementation, including practices such as needs assessment, defined priorities, action plans, and evaluation;

(2) providing access to best and promising practices and approved public policies;

(3) providing assistance to help communities develop public awareness materials and communication tools with well-researched and well-coordinated messaging;

(4) helping communities obtain and maximize funding from all applicable sources; and

(5) providing other assistance as appropriate.

(c)-(e) [Repealed.]

(f) The Commissioner may adopt rules pursuant to 3 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 25, the Administrative Procedure Act, necessary for the implementation of this program.

(g) The Commissioner is authorized to accept donations or contributions from private sources for community wellness grants. (Added 2005, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.), § 322; amended 2007, No. 203 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, eff. June 10, 2008; 2009, No. 135 (Adj. Sess.), § 26, eff. May 29, 2010; 2011, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 51, eff. May 14, 2012; 2015, No. 11, § 16; 2023, No. 6, § 91, eff. July 1, 2023.)