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The Partnership for a Healthier New York City Releases Citywide Advertising Campaign to Drink More Water

The Partnership for a Healthier New York City Releases Citywide Advertising Campaign to Drink More Water

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New York, NY (June 6, 2016)— Bronx Health REACH, the Bronx Borough Lead of The Partnership for a Healthier New York City, announces the debut of a citywide advertising campaign encouraging New Yorkers to drink more water. The media campaign promotes water as the best beverage choice. The choice is clear, for the health benefits and taste; New York City drinking water is world-renowned for its quality. The campaign includes advertisements on New York City bus shelters, along with street teams who will distribute informational materials at various locations and events in the Bronx, starting with Boogie on the Boulevard, on June 26.

Bronx Health REACH Program Director, Charmaine Ruddock remarked, “Drinking more water is a simple lifestyle change that helps reduce the risk of certain chronic illnesses. Water is an accessible option for New Yorkers; increasing water consumption, particularly in communities with high obesity and overweight rates, can play an important role in improving the health of the residents and reducing health disparities.”

The Partnership for a Healthier New York City works with community organizations, residents, city agencies and community leaders to improve health by promoting community-driven solutions. The Institute for Family Health’s Bronx Health REACH program is the Bronx Borough Lead Organization for the Partnership, coordinating all activities in the Bronx. As part of the efforts to promote healthy beverages and improve eating, The Partnership for a Healthier New York City encourages New Yorkers to make water their beverage of choice.

The human body needs water to stay hydrated and healthy, and water is free of the calories in sugar-laden beverages that contribute to weight gain and diet-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease.  According to Steven Lawitts, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Commissioner, “The New York City water supply system
provides nearly 10 million New Yorkers with high quality tap water that is significantly less expensive than bottled water.”

New York City drinking water is of the highest quality. It is collected in protected reservoirs in upstate New York, up to 125 miles north of the city. DEP also has a comprehensive water quality monitoring program – testing the water at every step along its journey, from the streams that feed the upstate reservoirs, to the aqueducts that carry it to the city, to 1,000 monitoring stations located across the five boroughs. In total, DEP conducts more than half a million analyses of the water every year, testing for more than 250 different types of contaminants. The water meets or exceeds all state and federal guidelines. To learn more about New York City drinking water see DEP’s Annual Report.

This media campaign offers information to help New Yorkers feel comfortable drinking tap water, including contacting 311 for a free residential water testing kit, if they are concerned. The water media campaign ads will run through July 2016. For more information about the media campaign, please visit The Partnership for a Healthier New York City website.

This media campaign is 100% funded in the amount of $205,000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH).