A community wellness project named Goodyear Community Health Park has captured national attention by winning General Electric’s HealthyCities Leadership Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to show that businesses can assist in driving improvement in population health and also lower healthcare costs. By demonstrating its ability to gather a diverse group of stakeholders who are attracted to improving public health through a partnership, the project was given the award.
Private organizations and government entities partnering on the 129-acre project include the City of Goodyear, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Abrazo West Campus, Adelante Healthcare and Hickman Farms as well as others.
“With health, wellness and cancer prevention as focus areas of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, this park will provide yet another outlet for our patients, their caregivers and our employees to further focus on health and healing, and we are proud to partner with this team to bring it to the community,” says area assistant vice president of general services at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Western Regional Medical Center, Alan Swain.
The site where the health and wellness park is to be built, currently a flood control basin, is located on the north side of Interstate 10, between Litchfield and Bullard Roads. The area was purchased for $233 from Maricopa County.
The project’s long term vision includes a number of amenities that will be designed to help encourage individuals to be active and as well as engaging in community gatherings. The project also envisions designing amenities that will help individuals learn ways to incorporate healthy choices and fitness into their everyday lives. A few ideas being considered to help accomplish the project’s visions include a wellness trail, a sports village, gardens, wellness and education centers and a family activity area.
Training and mentorship is to be given by experts in the field of population health to the Goodyear Community Heal Park project. General Electric is also giving the project up to $25,000 in funding to help implement a community population health plan.
