The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices launched the Healthy States Program, as part of former NGA Chairman Governor Mike Huckabee’s Healthy America initiative. Thirteen states were awarded grants up to $100,000 for community and workplace wellness efforts that engage senior state leadership to develop and implement best practices that promote healthy living practices. The grant program began in September 2006 and will conclude in September 2007.

The Healthy States Program was made possible through generous support of the following private sector corporations: Aetna, Anheuser-Busch, AstraZeneca, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and Wal-Mart.

State grants focused upon community wellness efforts:

Iowa
Iowa is promoting the health and economic benefits for communities to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among its residents.

Utah
Utah is working with Wasatch Community Gardens to launch a mini-grant program to develop gardens in low-income communities.

State grants focused upon worksite wellness programs:

Colorado
Colorado is developing a work plan between the Colorado Wellness Committee and the Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission to improve wellness for state employees through evidence-based strategies.

Connecticut
Connecticut is creating an Interdisciplinary Health Policy team to advise the governor on creating a wellness agenda for state employees.

Georgia
Georgia will develop a worksite wellness initiative targeting school-based employees.

Maine
Maine is focusing on the significant small business population within their state by developing a toolkit for employers with fewer than 25 employees.

Michigan
Michigan will target private sector businesses by demonstrating the cost effectiveness of healthy workplaces.

Minnesota
Minnesota is also targeting private sector businesses by encouraging workplace health promotion programs and implementing an obesity campaigns.

Nebraska
Nebraska is focusing upon improving the health of state employees by providing financial incentives and improving the worksite environment.

Oklahoma
Oklahoma is encouraging state residents to eat better, move more, and be tobacco-free through the development of training modules for the "Make It Your Business" curriculum designed for private sector businesses.

South Dakota
South Dakota is targeting wellness efforts within the Native American and American Indian populations.

Washington
Washington will use their Health Care Authority and Department of Health to work with other state agencies to launch "Washington Wellness Works," a statewide wellness initiative to improve the health of state employees and retirees.

Wisconsin
Wisconsin is creating a Healthier Wisconsin Worksite Project that will work with businesses and industry to improve worksite wellness for state employees.

• Request for Proposals (pdf)
• Budget Template (xls)
• Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)