Milton Hospital recently awarded grants to six community groups to fund projects designed to promote healthy living. The grants will be made possible with funds raised from the Second Annual Milton Hospital Community Health Walk, scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 10 a.m. starting at Milton Hospital.

Milton Hospital, a clinical affiliate of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, cares for people of all ages in Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Randolph, Canton, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester. Each year, Milton Hospital seeks to meet the needs of the community by providing outreach programs, health education, screenings and funding.

In 2010, Milton Hospital established its Community Health Walk and distributed grants to Milton High School, Randolph Public School, Canton Public Schools, Milton Early Childhood Alliance, Dorchester’s Kit Clark Senior Service, Inc. and the Town of Milton Youth Office.

This year, funds raised from the walk will support the following local health initiatives:

Braintree Public Schools – “Braintree Bans Bullying”
A community effort to change attitudes and behaviors to eliminate bullying. Parents will be educated in the signs of bullying and cyber-bullying and will be empowered to intervene when they witness bullying incidents.

Father Bill’s & Mainspring, Quincy – “Feet First” Health Clinics for Homeless Men and Women
A series of free foot care clinics for homeless men and women at father Bill’s Place emergency shelter, Quincy. Clinics will provide foot screenings and education for increased health, with a focus on prevention, early detection and self care.

Milton High School – “Wellness Intervention for Milton High School Students”
Nutrition education and support for active student lifestyles, and the purchase of equipment to enable school nurses to more efficiently track key indicators of student health.

Bird Street Community Center, Dorchester – “Gender Specific Health/Wellness”
Trained youth workers will meet with young adults ages 10-21 to discuss avoiding risky behaviors, physical well-being, social/emotional issues, staying in school, etc.

South Shore YMCA, Quincy – “CATCH Kids Club”
Evidence-based program to promote healthy physical activity behaviors to more than 150 children in after-school and summer programs in Quincy.

Milton Community Food Pantry, Inc. – “Community Cookbook”
Volunteer staff, along with Milton High School students and pantry clients, will produce a cookbook that utilizes the non-perishable food items distributed by the Food Pantry, to increase nutritional value and enhance flavor of meals.

To find out more information, call 617-313-1588 or visit the hospital’s website at www.miltonhospital.org and download registration forms.  Registration is $10 per walker and all walkers under 18 can participate for free.  A 25 percent discount is being offered to groups of five or more.