Tampa General Hospital and the City of Tampa have partnered to start a multi-year preventative wellness initiative called TampaWell. The initiative is aimed at improving the overall health of residents. Besides focusing on routinely prescribing healthy food and exercise to promote wellness, the city is planning several enhancements to promote health and fitness.
Health Trail in Downtown Tampa
One phase of the plan will include creating a “Health Trail” that will connect TGH with Davis Islands and downtown Tampa to Bayshore Boulevard, the Cass and Jackson Street bicycle tracks, and the Selmon/Meridian Greenways.
Mile markers will also be placed throughout the city with scannable codes that will allow walkers, joggers and bicyclists to download trail maps and track their fitness progress. Mayor Jane Castor says the initiative will drive health and wellness tourism to the city while helping the city’s most at-risk residents.
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“The Tampa region is already top of mind throughout the sports world thanks to the successes of our Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays,” Castor said in the release, “and now we’re aiming to be a model for the nation in preventative health and wellness.”
According to the release, about 29% of adults in Tampa are sedentary, about 26.7% are obese, and 36.3% have hypertension. Heart disease is also the leading cause of death in the U.S.
The initiative will encourage physicians to include prescribing healthy eating and physical activity to treat and prevent chronic conditions.
A final phase of the plan involves the construction of a community garden at the hospital’s Family Care Center in East Tampa — in partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay — with the goal of teaching residents how to grow nutritious food and teach healthy eating habits.
If you want to learn more about TampaWell and celebrate Father’s Day weekend, you can attend a kickoff BBQ. It will be held on Saturday, June 18 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m at TGH Specialty Center at Healthpark.