Updated November 2019
In 2016, the Town of Dumfries joined the HEAL Campaign. Recognizing the need to facilitate healthy opportunities for residents, the Mayor and Council set goals to improve physical activity environments and incorporate health and wellness into updates to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.
This year, through the leadership of Mayor Wood, the Town has achieved Platinum, the HEAL Campaign’s highest recognition level, for its commitment to creating a healthy environment for its staff and residents. To achieve this recognition level, cities and towns must have achieved Gold recognition for implementing three new policy goals. Dumfries achieved Gold status in 2018 by implementing a staff garden to support healthy eating and providing staff with pedometers and standing desks to stay active.
Last month, the Town was awarded Platinum Recognition for expanding its workplace wellness policies and programs to facilitate a culture of wellness. The Town now serves fresh fruit and vegetables at all catered meetings, hosts regular walking meetings, and encourages employees to take exercise breaks and use its onsite meditation room. This culture of health is further encouraged through recent changes to the Town’s Personnel Rules that allow flexible work schedules and added provisions, such as maternity and paternity leave.
One of the Town’s biggest accomplishments was the inaugural Health and Wellness Week where employees were served healthy food and snacks and learned healthy lifestyle tools, such as yoga and meditation. The Town is also extending its efforts to the wider community by providing healthy living programs for seniors, hosting youth summer camps focused on active lifestyles, and updating the Town’s Comprehensive Plan to include provisions for green space initiatives, bike lanes, and walking trails.
Congratulations to the Town of Dumfries for achieving Platinum Level recognition – The HEAL Campaign is excited to recognize you as a leading HEAL town!