FitWorth Healthy City Initiative finds new home at UNTHSC

The FitWorth Healthy City Initiative to promote the health of Fort Worth families has found a new home on UNT Health Science Center’s campus in Fort Worth.

The program, established in 2012 by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and the Fort Worth City Council, will continue its work to create opportunities for families to increase physical activity and improve nutrition.

To sustain FitWorth operations into the future, it will be governed by a new nonprofit entity, Foundation for Wellness, Texas, chaired by former FitWorth Program Director Leslie Casey.

 "FitWorth is a crucial part of improving the health and well-being of Fort Worth children and adults," Price said. "We want Fort Worth to be recognized around the country as an active and fit city, and these changes will ensure FitWorth’s long-term success. I look forward to watching FitWorth grow and extend its reach into our neighborhoods and schools."

From its start, the FitWorth movement has been driven by community organizations committed to healthy lifestyles, including Aetna, Albertson’s, Cook Children’s Healthcare Network, Cowtown Marathon, Fort Worth City Council, Fort Worth ISD, Texas Health Resources, Oncor and UNTHSC. Representatives from many of these organizations will serve on the Foundation for Wellness, Texas, board. They will joined by representatives from Whitley Penn, The Starr Conspiracy, and Kelly Hart & Hallman.

"Our mission is to create solutions for a healthier community, and providing FitWorth with a permanent home and access to the Health Science Center’s educational, research and care resources makes perfect sense," said UNTHSC President Michael Williams, DO, MD, MBA.

Kate Blackburn, former Public Relations and Public Affairs Coordinator for Catholic Charities Fort Worth, has been named FitWorth Program Director.

Since its launch, more than 30,000 children have been directly and regularly impacted by FitWorth activities.

To learn more, and to join the movement, see www.fitworth.org.

Recent News

Selina Tucker Hsc Sbs
  • Research
|May 7, 2024

SBS students earn awards for outstanding cardiovascular research

The School of Biomedical Sciences has announced new student awards and an upcoming symposium to support and enhance translational cardiovascular research at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.   SBS students Selina Tucker and Lindsey Hudson are recipients of the i...
Reunion 3852
  • Our People
|May 7, 2024

TCOM’s Class of 1980 returns home to reminisce and celebrate

A tight-knit group from the first day they set foot on campus in 1976, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Class of 1980 reunited for the first time in 44 years as they celebrated together on the campus of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. The reunion, spea...
Physical therapy career fair attendee
  • On Campus
|May 6, 2024

Physical therapy career fair largest ever on campus

The first floor of IREB was a maze of banners and tables manned by prospective employers. As around 200 physical therapy students filtered through the career fair, organized by The University of North Texas Health Science at Fort Worth’s Career Readiness Center, students and community partners rep...
Heads Up
  • Our People
|May 3, 2024

Pharmaceutical sciences faculty awarded patents

Two members of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s College of Pharmacy faculty have made significant strides in their respective fields. Dr. Kyle Emmitte, an expert in medicinal chemistry, and Dr. Jin Liu, specializing in computational drug design, joined forces on ...