Lorain County Public Health awards grant funds to improve community health

Lorain County Public Health (LCPH) awarded seven Healthy Places grants totalling $50,000. All funded projects are “built environment” projects, meaning that they will change the landscape of the community. Projects also demonstrated good community partnerships and connections to the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).

LCPH awarded grants to the following projects:

• City of Lorain Parks & Recreation will add fitness equipment to the walking path at Oakwood Park.

• Lorain County Children and Families First Council will replace and improve the playground space at Lakeview Park to accommodate children under five with inclusive equipment.

• Mercy Health Lorain Hospital will install benches and trash cans along its walking trail to provide places of rest and encourage a trash-free environment.

• Oberlin Heritage Center will install three bike racks throughout the City of Oberlin along with QR code tags to educate residents about bike amenities and nearby trails. 

• Oberlin City Schools will update the Safety Town equipment at Oberlin Elementary School to provide traffic safety education for youth.

• Our F.A.M.I.L.Y. will expand the Legion Field Community Garden in Oberlin with a new section dedicated to seniors, people with lower mobility and children.

• THRIVE! Southern Lorain County will install a hydration station for the Union School Park in Wellington.

“We received over 22 applications requesting over $180,000 in funding for the community grants,” says Mark Adams, MPH, RS, health commissioner at LCPH. “We’re grateful to be able to provide these opportunities for our community members.” Grant winners will work through the summer and fall of 2024 to complete their projects. They will report their successes to LCPH by the end of the year.

Since 2015, LCPH has awarded 57 Healthy Places Grants totaling a $790,000 investment in Lorain County. Most projects continue to have an impact on the health of Lorain County today - visit LorainCountyHealth.com/HealthyGrants for examples of past projects.