The Miami Dade Health Department’s healthy lifestyle multi-cultural initiative targets Creole community

MIAMI – With the aim of becoming a local leader in the national fight against obesity, the Miami-Dade County Health Department (MDCHD) has launched a comprehensive initiative to inform communities and constituents of the grave health-related conditions caused by the lack of proper nutrition and physical activity.

Supported by the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) nationwide program, Miami-Dade County will be taking on its own fight against this health hazard, inspiring the people of its community to help bring legislative changes affecting the wellbeing of their children and of the entire constituency.

“If we all contribute, we can really make a difference,” stated Dr. Lillian Rivera, Administrator for the Miami-Dade County Health Department. “Obesity is an immense problem, affecting our most vulnerable residents, especially the children in our poorest neighborhoods, who have little access to fresh fruits and vegetables, or the safe use of parks.”

Karen Weller, Director of the Office of Community Health and Planning for the
Miami-Dade County Health Department, added, “We must all work together towards bringing better physical education programs to school, provide incentives to farmers markets to come into the less privileged neighborhoods and build bicycle paths that are safe for our children and neighbors.”

With that in mind, a Haitian outreach campaign was created aimed at reaching this underserved and underinsured segment of the county’s population, empowering them to take action and start building community-based programs to combat obesity. The Creole-language campaign, “Fe Sante Mache Miami,” (Make Healthy Happen Miami) is being deployed throughout Miami-Dade via television channels, radio stations, and print. The social media component will include Facebook with links to the website, at fesantemache.com. The program’s Haitian spokespersons in this life-changing initiative include: Dr Rudy Moise, Chef Creole and Manoucheka Thermitus. The campaign’s main objective is to empower the Haitian community bring about change in their communities, transform behavior leading to chronic disease, and inspire residents to improve their nutritional habits, decrease screen time, and increase
physical activity.

The Fe Sante Mache Miami program is a partner in a wider communications strategy also available in English under Make Healthy Happen Miami and in Spanish under Haz Tu Salud Realidad, Miami. CPPW is an initiative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funding 50 communities throughout the nation, with the objective of reducing chronic disease related to obesity. The effort is expected to produce broad, high-impact, sustainable, health outcomes through policy, systems, and environmental changes.

The Miami-Dade County Health Department is part of the Florida Department of Health. The mission of the Miami-Dade County Health Department is to promote and protect the health of our community through prevention and preparedness today, for a healthier tomorrow.