Live Well Springfield 

Live Well Springfield Coalition brings together over 25 organizations working together to build and sustain a culture of health in Springfield that includes the broadest definition of health, including healthy eating, active living, the built environment, economic opportunity, housing, and education. This effort involves diverse cross-sector stakeholders willing and committed to working together.  Priorities, decisions, and resource allocation will be equitable, data-driven, built on trust, and culturally humble. To ensure lasting and equitable change, the work has to happen at multiple levels - policy, systems, programs, and environment and be dedicated to undoing structural and institutional racism.  We celebrate our accomplishments together and know that there will always be work to do to safeguard and sustain the culture of health for all in Springfield.

Working Committees

  • Go Fresh Mobile Market Advisory Committee
  • Transforming Communities Initiative Committee
  • Age Friendly City Advisory Committee
  • Built Environment Committee
  • Marketing Committee
  • Community Engagement Committee (Forming in 2018)

Visit Live Well Springfield to see who all the partners are that are making this happen, celebrate our community marketing campaign, and join the movement.

Resources:
Working for Food Justice in Springfield, MA (Video)


Go Fresh Mobile Farmer’s Market Pivots To Emergency Food Distribution

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Go Fresh Mobile Farmer’s Market project has pivoted to providing free fresh-produce boxes to older adults at housing and senior-center locations in Springfield.

Funded by the Trinity Health Transforming Communities Initiative, Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Beveridge Family Foundation, and Health New England, the Go Fresh emergency food-distribution program is a collaboration with Wellspring Cooperative, which helped get this program up and running by providing a location to store and sort the produce. Read more.


Go Fresh Mobile Farmer's Market 2019 End-of-Season Report

The Go Fresh Mobile Farmer’s Market (Go Fresh) has been serving residents of Springfield since 2011, successfully increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables as a strategy of the Live Well Springfield campaign.  Read our 2019 end-of-season report


Live Well Springfield featured in Tuft Health Plan's Foundation's Annual Report

Check out Live Well Springfield's age-friendly work featured in Reframing Aging, Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s Annual Report!

The stories demonstrate how organizations are reframing and reimagining aging, emphasizing the power of community engagement and the strength of inclusion.


Is Springfield, Mass. the Best Place in America to Grow Old?


Age Friendly City Project: Transportation and Housing Assessment Findings

The Age Friendly City Assessment on Transportation and Housing was a collaborative effort
among the Public Health Institute of Western MA (PHIWM), two Springfield Resident Advisors, a
multi-sector/stakeholder Advisory Committee, and the University of Massachusetts Civic
Engagement & Service Learning Program. The assessment and its activities were co-designed
by all partners, and carried out predominantly by PHIWM and the Resident Advisors, with
contributions by the UMass students and regular input and feedback by the Advisory
Committee.


Age-Friendly Initiative

The Live Well Springfield (LWS) Age-Friendly City initiative is working to make a community where older adults can thrive and lead healthy, productive lives. 

Convened by the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, our Age-Friendly city process has been a collaborative process to engage the public in addressing health and wellness of older adults and all Springfield residents.

We are incorporating a Dementia Friendly focus into our planning, with the support of the Springfield Dementia Friendly Coalition, convened by Springfield Partners for Community Action. We are also working with Baystate Medical Center Geriatrics Department as they work to establish an Age-Friendly hospital

To date we have led an assessment process on housing and transportation concerns, engaged over 343 seniors from all over the city.

For a look at the specific initiatives we’ve taken over the past few years, check out our 2019 Age Friendly City Report.

For more information, please contact Samantha Hamilton, Live Well Springfield Manager, at 413-794-2807, or by email at shamilton@publichealthwm.org. 


Join International Expert and Local Leaders to Talk about Age-Friendly Efforts in Western MA

Meet and learn from Alexandre Kalache, Ph.D., medical epidemiologist specializing in the study of aging. Former director of the World Health Organization global aging program, Dr. Kalache is President of the International Longevity Centre-Brazil and Co-President of the Global Alliance of International Longevity Centres.  

Hear from local leaders Bobbie Orsi and Laura Kittross of Age-Friendly Berkshires; Jessica Collins and Samantha Hamilton of the Live Well Springfield Age-Friendly City initiative; Cindy Langley and Marie Westburg of Age-Friendly Northampton; and Becky Basch of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, who also will share how they are making their communities great places to grow up and grow old. 

Date: Monday, October 28, 2019
Time: 10 a.m. - noon
Location: Community Music School of Springfield at the Robyn Newhouse Hall
127 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103

Register by Wednesday, October 23

Sponsored by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.  Co-hosted by the Age-Friendly Foundation and the Public Health Institute of Western MA


Resident Advocate Campaign Kicks Off at Duryea Park

On Friday, August 23, 2019, Live Well Springfield kicked off the 'Guess what I Did?' Role Model Campaign at Duryea Park on Stearns Square.  Mayor Sarno and other community leaders joined us to recognize six residents for their advocacy work throughout the city of Springfield.

Media coverage:


2019 GFMM Season Schedule - ENGLISH.jpgGo Fresh Mobile Market

The Go Fresh Mobile Farmer's Market starts it's 10th season on July 9th and will run through the end of November, serving the community with fresh fruits and vegetables at 15 different locations throughout the city! 

2019 Season Schedule - English
2019 Season Schedule - Spanish
2018 Season Report​​​​​

Sponsors
STCC Foundation, Trinity Health of New England/Mercy Medical Center, PeoplesBank, Irene Davis Foundation, Baystate Health, BMC HealthNet Plan, Beacon Communities, and Way Finders, MA.

 

Age-Friendly City Springfield Summit

Join us for the age-friendly summit on June 13th.  More details

 


PVTA's Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The Age-Friendly City Project collaborated with PVTA on an AARP-supported project to gather input from community members on where to install new public transportation benches throughout the City of Springfield.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 7th with Mayor Sarno, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority Administrator Sandra Sheehan, the Public Health Institute of Western MA, among others at the PVTA Court Square bus stop. New benches have been installed at multiple stops throughout Springfield. 

pvta.jpg


Go Fresh season is over!

The Go Fresh Mobile Market is over for this year's season but cannot wait to continue serving our Springfield's residents in 2019! Don't forget that Gardening the Community has a permanent fruit and vegetable stand on Walnut Street that anyone is welcome to! 

Go Fresh in the News!

Check out recent articles about the Go Fresh Mobile Market in the news:


Go Fresh Mobile Market Opens August 7th!

It's Live Well Springfield's eighth season of the Go Fresh Mobile Market with 14 stops across Springfield! The 2018 season begins Tuesday, August 7th and runs through mid- November.

Thank you to the following supporters for their contributions to the market: STCC Foundation, Trinity Health of New England/Mercy Medical Center, PeoplesBank, Health New England, Davis Foundation, Baystate Health, Boston Medical Center, HealthNet Plan, Beacon Communities, and the Springfield Housing Authority.

2018 Schedule - English
2018 Schedule - Spanish
2018 Schedule - Russian

Go Fresh 2018 Schedule

Transforming Communities Initiative

In 2016 The LiveWell Springfield Coalition was awarded a Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) Grant from Trinity Health Systems.  These funds, managed by Mercy Medical Center, will be used to advance the LWS efforts to prevent obesity and chronic disease by addressing social determinants of health.  The TCI funding focuses on improving policies, systems, and environments of preschool and school aged kids around healthy eating, physical activity, and tobacco prevention. Coalition partners involved in this funding include Mercy Medical CenterPublic Health Institute of Western MAWayfindersSquare One, MLK Family ServicesSpringfield Food Policy Council, and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.