CDC awards Springfield health group $1.3M grant

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a $1.3 million grant to the Healthy Living Alliance, a Springfield group that promotes healthier lifestyles.

HLA - which was founded in 2011 by Jordan Valley Community Health Center, Ozarks Regional YMCA and the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and now comprises 30 organizations - works to promote healthy eating, tobacco-free living, the expanded use of clinical and preventive health care services, a safer environment, and social and emotional wellness, according to a news release.

The grant is part of the CDC's Community Transformation Grants Program, which allows grant recipients to implement community-level initiatives to prevent chronic diseases. The CDC falls within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to its website.

HLA will use the funding to quicken the pace of existing projects, such as tobacco cessation classes and children's exercise programs, the release said.