Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry hopes the city will lose a collective 500,000 pounds by the end of 2016. A new health and wellness initiative was announced Wednesday.
Fight for a Fitter Fort, or Operation F4, was developed in response to negative recognition Fort Wayne has received – the town made several lists of most obese cities in America.
F4 encourages individuals to make lifestyle changes, including fitness and activities and nutrition. Mayor Henry says he wants the City to take on this challenge to tackle the prevalent issues of diabetes and childhood obesity.
Among the City’s partners for F4 is Fort Wayne Community Schools. Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson says the district must instill healthy habits and provide opportunities for physical activities for kids.
She also says this program makes smart economic sense.
“If you have adults who look after their health in a preventive matter, and some of that includes weight loss and managing your weight and what you eat," says Robinson, "then you end up as a company spending less money correcting bad health issues that could have been prevented.”
A number of local businesses are also partnering, creating incentives for employees
Individuals and teams can sign up at the new website, www.OPF4.com, to log in and track progress. The site will track the City’s collective results.