Heartwarming success for Casey

By Rebecca Fraser
THE City of Casey has been awarded for their efforts in helping improve the ‘heart health’ of the local community.
Casey Council recently received a high commendation in the Policy for Healthy Communities category at the 2005 Heart Foundation Kelloggs Local Government awards.
Council received the award for their Mothers of Casey Alliance (MOCA), which was formed to help identify issues and implement strategies to improve the social, mental and physical health of local mothers.
One of MOCA’s key initiatives has been to try and enhance Casey’s built environment by influencing the design and development of playgrounds and parks to make them more family friendly.
The awards were presented across seven categories at state and national level and were designed to reward government initiatives that support and improve heart health by promoting change in the areas of physical activity, recreation, tobacco control, nutrition and policy.
Robyn Charlwood, chief executive officer of the Heart Foundation’s Victorian Division, said the Heart Foundation Kelloggs Local Government awards provided an ideal opportunity for local governments to encourage healthier lifestyles in the local community and inspire other municipalities to do the same.
“The awards offer more than $30,000 in recognition of excellence in local governments working with their local communities to encourage healthier lifestyles and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“The importance of this work cannot be overstated, as heart, stroke and blood vessel disease is the leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability for both men and women in Australia,” Ms Charlwood said.