Brookhaven is the “Healthiest Hometown” in Mississippi for 2014, and as a result of the designation, the city will receive a $50,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation to support ongoing community health initiatives.

“I am extremely excited about the city of Brookhaven’s being named Mississippi’s 2014 Healthiest Hometown,” said Karen Sullivan, Brookhaven Healthy Hometown Committee member and city alderman at large. Sullivan and other local officials and committee members were on hand Wednesday for the awards presentation at the Mississippi Municipal League Annual Conference in Biloxi.

“This designation speaks well of Brookhaven’s health-conscious citizens as well as of those who have careers dedicated to wellness, of our schools, and of our recreation department,” Sullivan said.

Brookhaven was chosen because of the city’s efforts to better the overall health of the community. The farmers market, school wellness plan, worksite wellness programs, running events, the smoke-free ordinance, the children’s bicycle helmet ordinance, along with various other programs, contributed to the award.

This is the second year in a row for Brookhaven to be recognized in Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Healthiest Hometown program. Last year, the city won a $25,000 grant in Brookhaven’s population category, which the Healthy Hometown Committee is using to build a walking trail in Bicentennial Park.

This year, the city made a step up in the competition and was recognized with the overall Healthiest Hometown award for the state.

“The work done by the Healthy Hometown committee to gather information and pull everything together on paper was outstanding,” said Sullivan. “This committee will decide the best use for the $50,000 award money and present it to the city board.”

The purpose of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield awards is to encourage and reward community health and wellness. The program is designed to assist city leaders in improving the overall health of their community.

“Since winning a Healthy Hometown award for its population category in 2013, the city of Brookhaven continues to make community health and wellness paramount by providing a variety of activities and resources,” Blue Cross and Blue Shield said in a press release Wednesday afternoon.

“Brookhaven continues to set a positive example for communities around the state in taking a dynamic approach to developing local health programs and initiatives,” said Sheila Grogan, executive director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation. “We believe this grant enables them to provide even more support to citizens in the years to come.”

Three other cities in the state were honored as Healthy Hometowns in their respective population categories:

• Pascagoula -15,000 or more residents

• Moss Point -5,001-14,999 residents

• Walnut – 5,000 or fewer residents.

Each of these municipalities will receive a $25,000 grant to continue their wellness efforts.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation established the Healthy Hometown Awards in 2010 to encourage communities to promote healthy lifestyles and to provide financial rewards to those who have demonstrated the most progress, according to the company’s press release.

The grants are used by the communities to further ongoing community wellness initiatives.

To learn more about the Healthy Hometown Awards and this year’s winners, visit the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation website at www.healthiermississippi.org.