Live Healthy Fairfax

CONTACT INFORMATION: Available during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
703-246-8856 TTY 711
10777 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
Susan Sanow
Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Project Manager

Department Resources

Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Leadership and Teams

Steering Committee

The Partnership is led by a Steering Committee of 11 people including representatives from the community, academia, nonprofit, health industry, and governments. Members include:  

Ondrea McIntyre-Hall, Co-Chair 
Senior Director, Community Health
Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Region

Deron Campbell, MPH, Co-Chair
Director, Community Health, Access and Prevention
Inova Juniper Program

Lesley Abashian
Human Services Director
City of Fairfax

Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH
Director
Fairfax County Health Department

Jeanine Finch
External Affairs Manager, Northern Virginia
CareFirst, BlueCross BlueShield

Dawn MJ Hyman, MPA
Asset Management Analyst III
Fairfax County Park Authority
Co-Chair, Fairfax Food Council

Vinu Ilakkuvan, DrPH, MSPH
Founder & Principal Consultant
PoP Health 
Co-Chair, Healthy Environment and Active Living 

Kierystan Johnson, PhD, MPH
Behavioral Health Specialist II
Fairfax-Falls Church CSB
Co-Chair, Behavioral Health

Gary L. Kreps, Ph.D., FAAHB
University Distinguished Professor, Department of Communication
Director, Center for Health and Risk Communication
George Mason University

Rachel Ermann Lynch, MPH
Program Officer
Northern Virginia Health Foundation
Co-Chair, Behavioral Health

Matt Mulder
Director of Operations
Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Co-Chair, Fairfax Food Council

Partnership Teams

The Partnership Teams often serve as the frontline workers to achieve the goals, objectives and actions of the Partnership. Teams are identified and priorities are set by the Community Healthy Improvement Plan. In CHIP 2.0, there are three teams: Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating and the Healthy Environment and Active Living. We welcome additional community participation on each team!

Behavioral Health is a broad term referring to a person’s state of emotional well-being and the factors that affect it, including mental health conditions substance abuse and other behaviors. Changing the community and environmental conditions in which people live, work and play can have a positive impact on behavioral health outcomes. The Partnership’s Team aims to foster greater community well-being by building awareness of behavioral health issues and resources, promoting safe environments for individuals at risk of suicide and strengthen policies and practices that decrease access and exposure to potentially harmful substances.

The goals of the Behavioral Health Team in the current CHIP include:

  • Reduce key social-emotional risk factors associated with behavioral health issues.
  • Reduce environmental risk factors associated with behavioral health issues.

For information about the Behavioral Heath Team, contact Susan Sanow.

The Fairfax Food Council was established as the Healthy Eating Team by the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax in 2015. The Team has a vision of a vibrant food system where healthy, accessible and affordable food is valued as a basic human right. Its mission is to facilitate community partnerships and efforts to promote healthy eating. The goals for the Fairfax Food Council (Healthy Eating Team) in the current CHIP include:

  • Increase resources to identify and address food insecurity
  • Increase access to fresh and healthy foods for all
  • Increase the consumption of healthy food and beverages

For information, visit the Fairfax Food Council website or contact Diane Charles, Fairfax Food Council Manager.

Each person’s opportunity for health depends on more than his or her access to healthcare services. Health and well-being is influenced by a multitude of factors, including the spaces in which community members live, work and play within both the built and natural environments. When people have access to places, resources and programs for active living, they are more empowered to engage in physical activities as an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Low-income and underserved communities often have fewer of these opportunities. Many of the most effective strategies to advance health equity and improve health outcomes involve strengthening the policies, partnerships and programs that support healthy environments and active living for everyone.

The goals of the HEAL Team in the current CHIP include:

  • Support the adoptions and implementation of policies that increase access to healthy environments and active living
  • Build and sustain partnerships and resources to support healthy environments and active living
  • Increase participation in programs that foster active lifestyles and community connections

For information about the HEAL Team, contact a HEAL Team Co-Chair: Vinu Illukuvan, or Anna Ricklin.

Close
Fairfax Virtual Assistant