Coming Together to Create a Healthier BR
We all want a healthy, safe community where everyone in Baton Rouge can thrive. Across our city, programs and organizations are working together to improve the health and well-being of our community. Our coalitions are at the forefront of helping create a healthier Baton Rouge for all our citizens.
Geaux Get Healthy
Geaux Get Healthy began in 2018 with a simple goal — to create a city-wide network of organizations to produce and distribute fresh food and connect community members to the resources they need to improve their food security and overall health. Today, the program has helped distribute almost half a million pounds of fresh food to our community, grown over 77,000 pounds of produce, and provided direct services to over 28,000 community members.
Safe, Hopeful, Healthy BR
Safe, Hopeful Healthy BR, is a coordinated program with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s Healthy City Initiative. SHHBR is a connector, convener, facilitator, and strategic partner for community organizations, public safety advocates, and young leaders to create a safe, hopeful, and healthy Baton Rouge for all.
Baton Rouge Community Garden Alliance
The Baton Rouge Garden Alliance connects community gardens, volunteers and resources so that every green space in Baton Rouge has the resources to thrive. BRGA is currently powered by a collaboration between Geaux Get Healthy (HealthyBR) and Baton Roots Community Farm (The Walls Project). With support from the past BRGA leadership, these organizations aim to grow the Baton Rouge Garden Alliance into a network that offers community members the information, support and resources they need to grow and cook fresh foods.
Baton Rouge Maternal and Child Health Consortium
The Maternal and Child Health Consortium is a collaborative effort to make the community aware of maternal and child health issues, to advocate for policy changes that affect reproductive health, to engage the community through education campaigns and events, and to engage the medical community to support these efforts.
In addition, the consortium examines ways it can better share data and resources and identifies pathways for every organization that does MCH work to partner in that work. The consortium is made up of representatives from HealthyBR/Mayor’s Office, Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Department of Health, local hospitals, non-profit organizations focused on maternal and child health, and local chapters of Black Greek-letter sororities. It meets as a larger group quarterly, but topic-specific committees meet monthly to advance its work.
Mayor Broome’s Behavioral Health Task Force
Mayor Broome's Behavioral Health Task Force is a coalition of over 40 organizations whose mission is to promote and connect Baton Rouge to behavioral health resources while addressing the trauma and stigma that exist in our community.