Vermont § 104b - Community health and wellness grants

§ 104b. Community health and wellness grants

• (a) The Commissioner shall establish a program for awarding competitive, substantial,
  multiyear 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 that 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 (c)-(e) [Repealed.]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 V.S.A. 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.)