Mayor John E. McCormac and the Mayor’s Wellness Committee led by Council President Gregg Ficarra announced that the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute has designated Woodbridge Township as a “New Jersey Healthy Town” achieving this Gold Level standard for the third year in a row. Woodbridge is one of 14 municipalities to receive this designation for strong and active participation in the statewide Mayors Wellness Campaign.
“We are honored to once again be designated a New Jersey Healthy Town by the Quality Institute,” said Mayor John E. McCormac. “Our administration puts health and wellness at the top of our priorities for our constituency, especially with Council President Ficarra leading the charge as the Wellness Committee’s Chairman. We are committed to ensuring that all 100,000+ Woodbridge Township residents continue to have access to wellness programs and activities.”
Woodbridge is one of the oldest and most active partners of the Mayor’s Wellness Committee since it was one of four municipalities to receive the “New Jersey Healthy Town” designation in 2008. The Woodbridge Mayor’s Wellness Committee is comprised of local stakeholders from a variety of professions all passionate about health and wellness. The 2022 “New Jersey Healthy Town” designation derives from the commitment of the Mayor’s Wellness Committee to collect data and use that information for programming. Woodbridge’s data comes from community partners such as Healthier Middlesex and Hackensack Meridian.
The data collected shows that Food Insecurity and Mental Health are among the community’s top priorities. The Mayor’s Wellness Committee ran a multitude of programs and events to address these needs as well as the annual events run each year including:
– “214” Have-A-Heart Challenge and Food Drive to Combat Food Insecurity
– Mental Health Awareness Programs such as Flag Raisings and Extensive Public Health Outreach
– Annual Crossroads of New Jersey 5K, The Four Mile Pizza Run, & Bike Tour de Woodbridge
“A big thanks to the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign for again recognizing Woodbridge Township as a 2022 NJ Healthy Town,” said Councilman Ficarra. “Under the leadership of
Mayor McCormac and in conjunction with our community partners, Woodbridge Township continued to offer numerous health, wellness and nutrition programs throughout the year. These programs ranged from battling food insecurity to raising Mental Health Awareness with our “2/14” Food Drive Challenge and recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Our Mayor’s Wellness Committee understands that health and wellness are key ingredients to a strong community and are committed to furthering our mission to bring accessible wellness programs to all residents.”
Representatives from the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (NJCQI) will be present at the first annual Mental Health Awareness Day – Flag Raising and Walk on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from Noon – 2:00PM at Town Hall. The NJCQI will present the Woodbridge Township Mayor’s Wellness Committee with the 2022 Healthy Town Gold Level Designation Plaque at this event and will have resources available for those in need.
The Mayors Wellness Campaign is an initiative of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (www.njhcqi.org) in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (www.njslom.org). The MWC supports Mayors as champions of community health. By encouraging Mayors and their wellness teams to play a leadership role in supporting local opportunities for active, healthy lifestyles, the intent of the MWC is to improve health and make New Jersey a national leader in community-based health interventions.
