Healthier Tennessee is a movement

About Healthier Tennessee

The Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness began in 2013, when Governor Bill Haslam announced its creation and the launch of Healthier Tennessee. Our work has been in three phases, starting with creating greater awareness of our health issues and encouraging people to get involved in improving health outcomes. In subsequent years, it involved a second phase of developing and deploying free tools and programs in schools, workplaces, and faith communities to enable citizens to lead healthier lives. And now we are completing the final phase of the work that is centered in the Healthier Tennessee Communities program.

Over the past four-plus years, we have established volunteer committees in counties, towns, on college campuses, and in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Hundreds of people have created and carried out plans, organized and held events, generated publicity and participation, and achieved measurable progress. Dozens of places have earned the official designation as Healthier Tennessee Communities, and better health and more action to improve the quality of our lives have been the result.

The program is now in the hands of citizen volunteers in nearly every county in the state. Over the coming few months, the Foundation will fully transition the program to local committees and their leaders and to the local organizations and resources that will support them. We will provide grants and complete the evaluation process to designate more places as Healthier Tennessee Communities by the end of this year, and then the Foundation will conclude its work.