Healthy Community Action Team Arlington is a community advocate group for childhood obesity prevention in Arlington County, Virginia. HCAT Arlington’s goal is to reduce childhood obesity in Arlington through nutrition education, increased physical activity, and addressing food security. We lead a broad coalition of partners who have a stake in reducing childhood obesity in our community. HCAT Arlington receives funding from Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) to support coalition growth and fund projects that improve the health and well-being of Arlington children.
HCAT Arlington also receives leadership support through the Arlington Foundation for Families and Youth.
To learn more about our three focus areas, click on the links below:
- Nutrition Education
- Physical Activity
- Food Security
Coalition members meet monthly to share information and resources about ongoing efforts. The coalition meetings offer an opportunity to collaborate on similar activities, prevent duplication of efforts, and also to learn more about the issues surrounding children’s health, physical activity, and food security from local experts.
HCAT Arlington also supports a Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Subcommittee. HCAT Arlington also serves a leadership role on Arlington County’s Food Security Coalition, Arlington’s School Health Advisory Board (SHAB), and Arlington Family Engagement Network (AFEN).
For more information about the coalition, please contact Mary Sanders at hcatarlington@gmail.com.
Our March HCAT High Five goes to the Us Bus! The Us Bus is an intergenerational walking school bus program at Oakridge Elementary School. The team behind the Us Bus has a new website (friendsofthealliance.org/walking-school-bus/) and is ready to start expanding the program to other interested schools. If you are a parent interested in having your elementary student participate or a senior interested in volunteering, check out the link for more information! Special thanks to Lauren Hassel and Andrea Walker for their efforts to keep this idea moving forward!
Interested in learning more about substance use and abuse in our area? Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative (AARI) is offering free sessions to learn more about this important topic, including how to identify signs of substance use and how to respond to a potential drug overdose. ![]()
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Spanish language session: Monday, February 27 from 7-8:30 pm: www.eventbrite.com/e/educacion-sobre-uso-de-sustancias-en-arlington-virginia-tickets-539561512007![]()
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English language session: Tuesday, February 28th from 6-7:30 pm: www.eventbrite.com/e/substance-use-education-for-arlington-va-tickets-539524912537