At the February 18, 2020, Ocoee City Commission meeting, Nasseam McPherson James, Assistant Director at the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, presented the City of Ocoee their 2019 Healthy Community Champion plaque.  

The City of Ocoee was among 33 communities to receive the honor this past year from the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Community Champions Recognition Program. Since 2014, the Florida Department of Health has empowered communities to make policy, system and environmental changes in an effort to make healthy choices practical and available to all communities. 

Ocoee was recognized for building a sustainable community and adopting planning and urban design best practices. These efforts will increase community connectivity, provide for different modes of travel, and increase access to facilities, services, and activities to improve overall health, physical activity and social interaction. The city is in the process of updating its parks, which includes the addition of interactive and stimulating play equipment and assessing bicycle and pedestrian connectivity to parks. Another highlight was Ocoee’s on-site health clinic that provides city employees with easy access to wellness facilities and services. 

[Photo caption: from the left, Commissioner Larry Brinson, Sr, Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen, Mayor Rusty Johnson, Nasseam McPherson James, Commissioner Richard Firstner, and Commissioner George Oliver, III.] 

About Healthy Community Champions

To learn more about Healthy Community Champions and for a list of the 2019 Champion Communities and best practices, please visit the Healthy Community Champions 2019 Recognition Program website.