05/14/15 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO – The Licking County Health Department has been awarded an additional $59,000 towards the 2015 Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) grant from the Ohio Department of Health. The funds will be used for improvements to Ryan Braden Park in the Village of Buckeye Lake and to establish a community garden.

Current CHC grantees were invited to apply for additional funding to complement 2015 grant objectives, with the stipulation that funding had to be spent in 2015. The Licking County CHC program was already working with the Village of Buckeye Lake to make improvements at Ryan Braden Park but with a much smaller budget than ideal.

“When we were informed of the availability of additional funds, the work in Buckeye Lake seemed like a perfect fit,” said Nicole Smith, Licking County Health Department CHC Coordinator. “This is a great opportunity to complete even more needed improvements at the park. The money will also help the Village set up a community garden for residents to grow their own foods.”

The Buckeye Lake Village Council and Mayor have generated all of the ideas for this project, according to Smith. They are vested in making these improvements for the residents of Buckeye Lake.

The CHC grant is committed to preventing and reducing chronic disease statewide. Through cross-sector collaboration, the CHC program is activating communities to improve access to and affordability of healthy food, increase opportunities for physical activity, and assure tobacco-free living where Ohioans live, work and play. By implementing sustainable evidence-based strategies, CHC is creating a culture of health.

For more information about CHC and to see a full list of the 2015-2019 CHC grantees, visit www.healthy.ohio.gov/chc. To find more information about the Licking County Health Department’s initiatives, visit www.lickingcohealth.org or call (740) 345-6535.