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A free event to promote healthier communities — including personal well-being and environmental health — will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at Booker T. Washington Park (1001 Preston Ave., Charlottesville).

The Healthy Streets/Healthy People event has two main areas of focus:

• Personal well-being: This will cover everything from mental health resources and conflict resolution to substance abuse.
• Environmentally healthy streets: Topics will range from container vegetable gardening to improving the tree canopy and promoting bike riding.

Activities will include music, a gentle walk/run with prizes, field day events for the kids and gardening sessions (with free potted herbs and vegetables that can be taken home). Training will also be available on several topics, including CPR, Stop the Bleed — which teaches bystanders how to help during a bleeding emergency — and the use of naloxone to treat opioid overdoses. 

The event is co-sponsored by WellAWARE and Move2HealthEquity. WellAWARE is a partnership between UVA Health and its Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, Charlottesville Free Clinic and Central Virginia Health Services (CVHS) to improve healthcare access for people living in Central Virginia neighborhoods with high rates of chronic diseases and significantly shorter life expectancies. Move2HealthEquity is a coalition in the Blue Ridge Health District focused on increasing health equity in the greater Charlottesville area.