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Three South Dakota communities receive inaugural 2018 Healthy Hometown Community Awards

October 17, 2018

Des Moines, IA - Three South Dakota communities, Fort Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, were each presented with a 2018 Healthy Hometown Community Award during the Annual Chronic Disease Partners/Better Choices, Better Health® Meeting held on Oct. 17, 2018. The award is in recognition for their accomplishments in health improvement initiatives within their respective communities.

These cities have earned the title of 2018 Healthy Fort Pierre, 2018 Healthy Rapid City and 2018 Healthy Sioux Falls. Each will receive $5,000 to continue the important work of improving the physical, social and emotional well-being of their communities.

Some noteworthy achievements in these communities include:

  • Fort Pierre
    • Started a community garden with 24 raised beds, providing fresh produce to more than 150 senior nutrition program recipients and at least 80 other individuals.
    • Established a weekly farmers’ market with 40 vendors and 300–400 attendees each week.
    • Rehabilitated a trail, installed a bike repair station, and resurfaced 5,300 feet of recreational trail impacting 150–200 people daily.
  • Rapid City
    • Expanded community gardens and planted edible landscaping.
    • Improved and expanded an existing trail within the town by widening the path and replacing broken concrete.
    • Established four new food pantries to collect and distribute healthy food to people in need.
  • Sioux Falls
    • Expanded a bike trail by more than a mile to connect 40,000 residents west of the interstate to 30 miles of uninterrupted trails.
    • Implemented a “road diet,” rechanneling lanes and reducing the width of the road in front of the City Center building, to improve safety and provide space for different modes of travel.
    • Passed an ordinance establishing a nicotine-free policy for city properties and in parks during youth events impacting 183,000 residents.

The Healthy Hometown community award celebrates the successes achieved by Fort Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls. The work these three communities have done is making South Dakota a healthier, more active place to live. Visit Healthy Hometown to learn more about the program.

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