News & Impact

In May it was a packed house at the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center, where the Public Health Institute of Western Mass and the Springfield Department of Elder Affairs hosted an Age-Friendly Health & Tech Showcase in celebrating Older Americans Month. Check out our recap video to see the fun and highlights of the day. For more information about our Age-Friendly Coalition, visit livewellspringfield.org #olderamericansmonth #livewellspringfield #olderadults #tech #health #digitaldivide #information #resources #communityevent #caregivers #community

Join us to celebrate Older Americans Month! The Live Well Springfield Coalition (LWS) Age-Friendly Coalition, in collaboration with the Springfield Aging Unbound, Department of Elder Affairs Outreach Division, is hosting an Age-Friendly Health and Tech Showcase on May 31st from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the Raymond Jordan Center. There will be food, fun, giveaways, vendors, and so much more. Register here today: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejpr5dbq090d3b62&oseq=&c=&ch= You don't want to miss this event!!

The Transforming Communities Initiative is back in action. We are so excited to be a convening partner alongside Partners in Practice. Check out Trinity Community Health and Wellness Newsletter highlighting our progress so far.

Shout out to our Resident Advisor for taking on the charge this past Saturday to learn more about policy advocacy from a public health perspective. They rise up to the challenge to learn more, grow, and laugh together. The event brought together our coalition partners from the Healthy Air Network, Way Finders Digital Equity, Live Well Springfield, Age-Friendly, Climate Change Health and Equity, and Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI). The organization will continue these communities based capacity building a coalition on a quarterly basis. A big thank you to our team and @wayfindersma partner for making this weekend's workshop a success. For more information about our coalition, visit livewellspringfield.org #advocates #riseup #policy101 #policy #residentpower #springfieldma #communityleaders #communityleadership #communitylearning #community #unity#equity #localgoverment #stategovement #justice

Shout out to our Resident Advisor for taking on the charge this past Saturday to learn more about policy advocacy from a public health perspective. They rise up to the challenge to learn more, grow, and laugh together. The event brought together our coalition partners from the Healthy Air Network, Way Finders Digital Equity, Live Well Springfield, Age-Friendly, Climate Change Health and Equity, and Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI). The organization will continue these communities based capacity building a coalition on a quarterly basis. A big thank you to our team and @wayfindersma partner for making this weekend’s workshop a success. For more information about our coalition, visit livewellspringfield.org #advocates #riseup #policy101 #policy #residentpower #springfieldma #communityleaders #communityleadership #communitylearning #community #unity#equity #localgoverment #stategovement #justice

Check it out! Our coalition work is featured on the Kresge Foundation website under health and environment. The article, Partnerships, power of convening help Live Well Springfield Coalition advance climate policies, was written by Katherine McLaughlin from Kresge. Thank you, to our community partners Way Finders Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Arise for Social Justice Neighbor To Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund Public Health Institute of Western MA, and resident advisors for their continued efforts to advance climate change health and equity in Springfield.

Happy MLK Day, Shout out to our Resident Advisors for volunteering to do community outreach for Community Choice Energy at the MLK Day Celebration at the MassMutual Center

PVTA fares for all fixed route buses and paratransit van service are pre-paid by the MA Legislature, November 25, 2022 – December 31, 2022. No fares or passes are needed to ride during this time thanks to a grant that was awarded to all fifteen of the Commonwealth’s Regional Transit Authorities.

On November 15th from 5:00 PM- 6:30 PM at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Springfield, the Springfield Dementia Friendly Coalition will present an educational workshop on the '10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's. Join us to learn more about spotting the signs for individuals and families struggling with Dementia.

We need your input. Mercy Medical Center has up to $350,000 per year for three years through the Transforming Community Initiative TCI to address health and racial justice in Springfield help us decide how to spend it! Take our survey today!

Residents of Springfield, WE NEED YOUR OPINION! What issues do you think are the most urgent in Springfield? https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpringfieldTCIPrioritization

The Live Well Springfield Coalition efforts will be featured in a panel discussion at the 8th University of Maryland Symposium on Environmental Justice and Health Disparities. Our program manager Samantha Hamilton will speak about the importance of building community power to advance climate justice, equity, and health in Springfield. Live Well Springfield and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission's collaborative work with HealthCareWithoutHarm brought forth the Extreme Heat Tabletop Exercise, in which a diverse group of community sectors participated. Learn more about how this work can lead to policy change. This is a free event that you can register for here. Registration: https://www.ceejh.center/umd-ej-symposium Building Community Power to Advance Climate Justice, Equity, and Health Thursday, August 11, 2022, | 3:05 – 4:25pm ET Speakers: Taren Evans, Environmental Justice Director, Coalition of Communities of Color Samantha Hamilton, Live Well Springfield Manager, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts Carolina (Caro) Martinez, Climate Justice Director, Environmental Health Coalition Moderator: Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Co-Executive Director, Highlander Research and Education Center

Join us Saturday, August 13th, from 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM at the Jazz and Roots Festival for Arts, Advocacy, and Awareness for climate justice! Community residents are welcome to join us for our mural paint party between 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM at the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival on Worthington Street in Springfield. The final product of our mural that will be located on 2718 Main Street will reflect our strong cultural identity, connections to our environment, and our connection to culture as the root of climate advocacy. The Live Well Springfield Climate Justice Initiatives, which consists of Way Finders, Arise for Social Justice, Neighbor To Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and the Public Health Institute of Western MA, have teamed up with Fresh Paint Springfield and the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival to integrate arts and culture with activism. The coalition is working to address climate change and health equity policy issues in Springfield with funding from the Kresge Foundation. This work is a continuation of the climate justice work started by grassroots advocacy groups and community residents around creating the Strong, Healthy, and Just: Climate Action Resilience Plan (CARP). The coalition hopes to continue climate justice awareness by advocating for two policies that could increase health, impact climate change and address racial equity in Springfield. This is a free event for all ages, but you can register on Facebook at Mural Paint Party at Springfield Jazz & Roots Fest. To learn more about the coalition effort, contact Samantha Hamilton at Shamilton@publichealthwm.org or visit Live Well Springfield.

CALLING ALL RESIDENT ADVOCATES The Live Well Springfield Coalition needs your help to identify one or more community health issues that we can work on and advocate for in Springfield. The commitment of Resident Advocates Attend monthly committee meetings Learn more about the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Provide input to identify one or more health issues that could have a big impact in the city Work with community partners Participate for at least 3-6 months To apply, please complete the Resident Advocate Application Or contact Samantha Hamilton at Shamilton@publichealthwm.org

4/23 at 12pm, please join the Springfield Earth Day Celebration! This event is organized by Wellspring Cooperative Corporation, Springfield - Neighbor To Neighbor Massachusetts Education Fund, Springfield Climate Justice Initiative, Live Well Springfield, Gardening the Community, Northeast Organic Farming Association, and PATCH.

How can we more effectively advocate for the older adults we work with, and for our #Encore programs? Join these savvy advocates this Wednesday for a robust conversation on making real change. Samantha Hamilton, Program Manager, Live Well Springfield, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts Karen Brown, Past President, Strategic Action Planning Group on Aging, Colorado Allison Hiltz, State Advocacy Director, AARP Colorado Register here: (Free to Encore Network members, $15 for those who haven’t joined yet) https://encorenetwork.org/event/tips-strategies-for-driving-change-through-advocacy/

Congratulations to Wellspring Harvest on their 75,000 earmark to advance health fresh food access in Springfield. Thank you to all the state representative for their dedication to prioritize increasing health fresh food access.

Congratulations 🎉🎉 to the Public Health Insititute of Western MA Live Well Springfield Program Manager Samantha Hamilton for her recent Op-Ed in the Daily Climate, highlighting the great work of Live Well Springfield! Read the Op-Ed: https://www.dailyclimate.org/climate-change-healthy-communities-2657056050/connecting-the-dots

The Live Well Springfield website has a new look! Check out our site to learn more about our coalition efforts. We are working to address livability, climate justice, and racial justice through the Built Environment, Age-Friendly Cities, Air Quality Monitoring, Climate Justice Initiative, and more. Residents are a core part of these initiatives, engaged through our Resident Advisory Council. Contact Samantha Hamilton for more information.

Live Well Springfield Welcomes New Interns Live Well Springfield would like to proudly welcome two new interns—Nadyah Maida and Esther Muhlmann. Nadyah and Esther are both undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Nadya is majoring in microbiology and philosophy, and Esther is majoring in Psychology and English. They will be supporting Live Well Springfield’s Age-Friendly Coalition and the Climate Justice Initiative for the next two years through the Civic Engagement and Service-Learning office. Over the course of their internship, they will learn about livability for older adults, impacts of climate change, health equity, policy advocacy, resident engagement, coalition evaluation, and assessment.

Having a criminal record (CORI) creates barriers for older adults and others who are trying to access affordable housing. Please join us Wednesday, December 8, 2021, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM for a community presentation hosted by the Live Well Springfield, the Public Health Institute of Western MA, MOCHA’s Lamont Scott, and New North Citizens’ Council’s Richard Johnson. This presentation will provide residents and partners with an overview of the Health Impact Assessment process, key results, recommendations for policy and systems change, and resources to access housing. Livability is a critical principle in the Age-Friendly community, and CORIs have impacted how we live and age well. Register Today! https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eistpn93e9b42d81&oseq=&c=&ch= M.O.C.H.A. Springfield New North Citizens' Council

The Live Well Springfield Climate Justice Initiative needs your help! We need your voice to decide on the best policy ideas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, improve health, and address racism for Springfield. Spanish survey (community-wide)-- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCHEespanol2 ​​English​ survey (communitywide) -- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCHEenglish2

Necesitamos su voz para decidir! The Live Well Springfield Climate Justice Initiative needs your help! We need your voice to decide on the best policy ideas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, improve health, and address racism for Springfield. Spanish survey (community-wide)-- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCHEespanol2 ​​English​ survey (communitywide) -- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCHEenglish2

Live Well Springfield's Age-Friendly Coalition created social isolation care packages for older adults and families living in Springfield. The social isolation care packages, filled with community resources, activity books, care essentials, and PPE equipment, are a pilot project of the Age-Friendly Initiative to combat social isolation. Community health workers report positive responses: one patient sent a photo of the game of checkers and said, “Thanks for the games- we’re doing something different!” Another resident from the Springfield Elder Affairs said, "That bag was awesome". There was something in there for everybody--It contained stuff for everyone in the family. With support from our funders, Tufts Health Plan Foundation and Trinity Health Of New England, Live Well Springfield’s Age Friendly Initiative and Go Fresh Springfield Mobile Farmer's Market, were able to pivot our programming to purchase and distribute these care items along with the fresh produce boxes as part of the Go Fresh Emergency Food Distribution. UMass Extension provided bags and resources, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc. provided information about older adult services, Ener-G-save provided cooling guards, and Serenity Care PACE provided 1,200 gloves and masks for the kits. Wellspring Cooperative Corporation delivered the packages to the Go Fresh site coordinators located at Linden Towers, Independence House, Colonial Estates Apartments, Riverview Tenant Council and Springfield Department of Elder Affairs, and to our community partners including Baystate Health Geriatrics, Mass Senior Action Council, and Healthy Homes Asthma Program. Altogether we distributed 300 care packages.

Live Well is getting the message out about community engagement in a big way. Check out the billboard campaign featuring Karon Tyler on Wilbraham Road in Springfield. This billboard is across from the Indian Motorcycle Building and next to Head Start.

NEW DATES! Come learn about Springfield Climate Change on January 14 or 28. For more information on this initiative, please visit livewellspringfield.org/springfield-climate-justice-initiative

Meet Antonio! 👋 Antonio is another friendly face from our Role Model Campaign. He is all about one thing: advocating for others. Learn more about Antonio here: livewellspringfield.org/antonio-delesline

Please join us December 17th for the first Climate Change and Health Equity Committee (CCHE) meeting at Dunbar Community Center, from 5:30 pm -7:00 pm. Dinner will be provided. For more information about the CCHE committee please contact Samantha Hamilton at shamilton@publichealthwm.org or call 413 794 2807.

Join us to learn about how you can help!

Find out more about Audrey here: livewellspringfield.org/audrey-jenkins

Our first #Instagram post! Say hello 👋🏼 to LWS’s current role models - find out more about each individual at the link in our bio.