ONE BAY: Healthy Communities began in 2010 under the leadership of the Tampa Bay Partnership Regional Research & Education Foundation and is one of three initiatives under the ONE BAY umbrella, aiming to improve the quality of life for residents of the region.  ONE BAY: Livable Communities has developed a vision for growth and development in terms of land use and transportation.  ONE BAY: Lifelong Learning has just begun and has set one of its goals as an increase in the number of residents with a Bachelor’s Degree.  ONE BAY Healthy Communities is currently in its visioning process to determine community priorities for improved health for the region.

The ONE BAY:  Healthy Communities effort convened a diverse group of stakeholders from the public, private and non-profit sectors and challenged them to find ways for us to become more proactive, gain a better understanding of our unique health and community issues, and commit to working together to remove barriers and promote a healthy lifestyle for all residents.  Our first goal was to establish baseline data to help our region understand how our health compares to other Florida counties as well as national benchmarks.  With our data collected, we produced the first regional assessment of health titled, How Healthy is Tampa Bay? An Assessment of Our Region’s Health.

The next step was the development of this website which enables us to:

• Include more data indicators than we were able to collect for our assessment,
• Share best practices for addressing common health concerns from other efforts throughout the country,
• Disseminate this information to a wider audience than our printed report, and
• Share local research and reports in one location

Now we are engaging the community to develop consensus and regional vision for a healthier Tampa Bay and will then develop priorities and action plans to achieve that vision.

We know from our research that one aspect of success will hinge on the ability of our residents to recognize the need for change, at both the policy and individual levels.  Changing behavior and the health culture of an eight-county community is not going to happen in six months.  Those who have gotten involved understand that this is a long-term commitment.  

This initiative is funded solely through the gracious contributions of our partners and we sincerely thank them for their belief in a healthier future.  A round of applause for:

BayCare Health System

Tampa General Hospital

Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc.

Amerigroup

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida

Lakeland Regional Medical Center

Moffitt Cancer Center

UnitedHealthcare

United Way of Tampa Bay

USF Health

YMCA of the Suncoast

Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg

If you wish to become involved in this movement toward a healthier Tampa Bay, please contact Lynda@myonebay.com.