Jump to full article: City of Boston.gov, 2010-07-12
Intro: Mayor Thomas M. Menino showcased Boston's efforts to bolster urban gardening in underserved communities during a visit today with US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to The Food Project's Urban Farm in Roxbury. . . .
Boston was one of 44 communities that Secretary Sebelius announced in March were being awarded two-year stimulus grants for ``Communities Putting Prevention to Work,'' a national initiative to address two leading causes of premature death and disability - obesity and tobacco use. Boston was the only city in Massachusetts to receive funding and one of only seven communities nationwide to get both grants - $6.4 million for obesity prevention and $6.1 million to reduce tobacco use, including connecting residents to tobacco-cessation services and creating smoke-free environments. . . .
"The next two years will be an exciting time for Boston, as we join forces with our community partners to make real change happen in our city, both on reducing exposure to tobacco and fighting obesity,'' said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, the agency that received the federal funding. . . .
The $6.1 million tobacco reduction grant will be used to:
* Change attitudes toward smoking to reduce demand
* Enact regulatory and other policy changes that limit tobacco access, influence price, and increase the number of smoke-free environments
* Increase structural capacity to connect Boston residents to tailored tobacco-cessation services
* Create 1,000 smoke-free residences in Boston
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