Coalition Wants City To Focus On Healthier Lifestyles

A coalition made up of members from various organizations throughout El Paso, are hoping El Paso jumps on board with its obesity prevention resolution. “It’s important to El Paso because we do have a rising obesity rate,” Sue Beatty with El Paso’s Department of Health said. With 66 percent of El Pasoans admitting they are either obese or overweight, the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) coalition said a healthy city needs to be an active city. The groups is made up of members from the Department of Public Health, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, the Pan American Health Organization, Centro San Vicente, the El Paso Diabetes Association, the El Paso Independent School District and the YMCA. “It’s things like making sure neighborhoods have a safe place for kids to play or that they have sidewalks where people can walk,” Beatty said. “that’s what we can concentrate on.” Walkers around Memorial Park said it’s easy to take advantage of El Paso’s outdoors. “There’s so much to do,” Kornelia Taller said. “I’m out here at least twice a day with my dog. We hike and we run.” Beatty said the resolution is simply a commitment to a healther lifestyle, for now. “It might affect policies. It could potentially affect ordinances down the line, that sort of thing,” Beatty said. “But really, it’ll be something that’ll grow as we go, so to speak, and there’s not any specifics in this action plan at this time.” On Thursday, City Council will vote whether to approve the resolution.