Pfizer Collaborates to Keep an Irish Town Healthy 

Pfizer's "Healthy Town 2013" initiative aims to show all of the people of a town how to increase their health and wellness.

Last year, in an innovative collaboration, Pfizer Ireland joined forces with The Irish Times, a leading national newspaper, to launch the Healthy Town initiative, which aims to increase the well-being of an entire town or city.

This year, the eight-week program will take place in Wicklow town on the east coast of Ireland, and the civic and business community of that town will take part in the collaboration.

“Everybody is familiar with the ever-increasing health problems, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, but we can take steps to reduce our risk of ill health and illness,” said Pfizer Ireland Managing Director Paul Reid, at the launch of Healthy Town. “This is a great example of how groups and organizations can join forces to improve the health and well-being of a community, and we’re looking forward to another great program this year.”

Healthy Town will feature health promotion events, informational meetings, and physical activities to encourage people in Wicklow Town to improve their health, and all events free of charge.

Irish celebrity chef Catherine Fulvio will participate in the program and present a public cooking demonstration in the coming weeks. Irish International and Leinster Rugby Captain Leo Cullen is also lending his support to the initiative.

“As a Wicklow man, I think this is a great way to get people interested in their health and well-being and I’m delighted to support the program,” Fulvio said. “I’ll be getting involved in a few of the activities myself, and look forward to seeing some old friends and faces over the coming weeks as part of Healthy Town.”

Over the two-month program, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) will be conducting free public health checks as well as a number of nutrition shopping events. The IHF dietician will accompany shoppers around a local supermarket to advise on food labels and healthy choices.

In addition to editorial content in The Irish Times health supplement, “Health & Family,” a dedicated website has been developed and can be viewed at http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/healthy-town. The site will be regularly updated with details of all the local events and activities taking place in Wicklow Town during September and October.