The Newport Health Equity Zone is about getting people excited and engaged about health for all. It’s a four year project, funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health. You, your neighbors and local community organizations will work together to help make every neighborhood a healthy neighborhood. This year, we’ll be learning more about what each neighborhood has and needs when it comes to six things that promote better health for all.
Learn about our amazing team on our Meet Our Team Page!
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Transportation
Food Access
Education, Innovation & Economic Opportunity
Open Space, Parks & Trails
Arts & Culture
Physical & Emotional HealthAnd, we'll be putting together a plan of action through six Working Groups. Why not get involved now?
A number of local organizations have received funding to help manage the Newport Health Equity Zone Project.
Since 1994, the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County has promoted and advanced arts and culture in Newport County for the benefit of the community. Membership is free to all artists. The ACA will lead the Arts & Cultural Working Group, encouraging residents to incorporate the arts into their everyday lives by developing methods and means of making arts and culture more accessible, relevant and enjoyable.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (MLK Community Center) provides Newport County’s largest food pantry, only daily meal site, a pantry delivery service to homebound residents, and access to nutrition education and free nutrition counseling through a registered dietitian. Additional services include educational programs for children age 3-grade 4, community programs for adults, and social service resources. The MLK Community Center will lead the Food Access Working Group, striving toward providing the community with education and resources to ensure all residents have access to healthy foods.
The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) is dedicated to preserving open spaces and the natural character of Aquidneck Island. ALT preserves farms, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, parks, properties that improve water quality, historic estates, and scenic landscapes, and offers various educational events on conservation throughout the year. ALT plays a supporting role in the Newport community for ensuring all residents have access to open spaces, which has proven to be an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. ALT will be the lead of the Open Spaces, Parks and Trails Working Group.
FabNewport’s mission is to liberate the maker intrinsic in all of us. They provide the time, tools, space and support for school-age children and adults to make almost anything. They are particularly interested in supporting people developing the skills to make their lives in an unpredictable future with rapidly evolving technologies. As leaders of the Education, Innovation and Economic Opportunity Working Group they plan, with the guidance of community members, to develop a needs assessment revealing healthy opportunities.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County is the lead of Physical and Emotional Health Working Group, their mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need help most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Boys & Girls Club provides a positive, safe and exciting environment for children to learn, grow and develop. We provide quality programs for children, teens, adults and families. Our three core areas of focus are: Health & Wellness, Education & Career Development and Character & Leadership.
Bike Newport will provide technical assistance to the Transportation Working Group. Bike Newport’s mission is to improve, encourage and facilitate bicycling in and around Newport for the health and well-being of our youth and families and as a viable and enjoyable method of transportation for residents and visitors.
The Community Organizing Core is a key part of the Newport Health Equity Zone team. They lead each of the six Community Action Teams, and make sure that many community residents have a voice in the project. Some Community Representatives have already been appointed. Some positions are still are open. If you are interested, email us.
The following organizations work together to provide the collaboration with resources, and organizational and communications support.
The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is the lead organization and will provide the collaborative with project management, training coordination, consultant management, and evaluation support. The WRC provides people in Newport and Bristol Counties with services that include counseling, a 24-hour help hotline, educational materials, support, court advocacy, shelter and safety planning to assist victims of domestic violence.
The Rhode Island Department of Health’s mission is to prevent disease and protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Rhode Island. The Newport Health Equity Zone Project is supported by the grant or cooperative agreement number DP005511, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, HEALTH, or Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Worldways Social Marketing is the communication and social marketing agency for the project, and will provide communication, web and social media services. Worldways is a full service agency exclusively serving organizations working for public good.
The Alliance For a Livable Newport is a local non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Newport. With representation on its governing board from the city’s neighborhood associations and the local Chamber of Commerce, its primary activity is to educate residents and businesses about key issues impacting Newport’s livability. It will be lending its resources to the Health Equity Zone Collaborative by facilitating interaction with neighborhood groups, business groups and the Newport City Government, as well as utilizing its media connections and extensive email list to publicize HEZ activities.
newportFILM is a year-long, non-profit documentary film series in Newport that features established and emerging filmmakers and their current documentary film, curated from film festivals around the world. In partnership with the Health Equity Zone, newportFILM will be hosting films based on the current health, social, and community issues the world is facing today.
The purpose of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is to eliminate domestic violence in Rhode Island. Their mission is to support and enhance the work of their member agencies and to provide leadership on the issue of domestic violence. They envision a society where domestic violence is not tolerated because communities are enlightened and responsive to the needs of victims and their children. RICADV will act as the empowerment evaluation support for the NHEZ.