Greenways, trails and playgrounds are known as tools for reducing rates of chronic diseases, but a new Tennessee Department of Health initiative geared around such amenities seeks to boost more than just physical health.
State health officials hope an effort to spark development of physical activity infrastructure in rural communities also will improve Tennessee’s economic pulse.
“We know, as a state, that our workforce is only as strong as it is healthy,” said Leslie Meehan, director of the Office of Primary Prevention at the department of health. “Companies coming here want a workforce pool that is healthy, and one that is not going to cost them a lot to insure.”
Meehan pointed to amenities such as the Tennessee Riverwalk and Chattanooga’s other quality-of-life outdoor offerings as factors in Volkswagen’s decision to build a major assembly plant here.
The state’s larger metropolitan areas have largely succeeded in providing recreation infrastructure for residents, Meehan said. Smaller communities frequently do not have the staff or money for such projects, however.