Get Outside and Explore St. Mary’s

The Chronic Disease Prevention Action Team is again hosting the More to Explore program for St. Mary’s County. The action team is part of the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership.

More to Explore encourages residents to explore parks, historical sites, and farmers markets right here in St. Mary’s.

How it works:

• Sign up online using the Virtual Passport or pick up a quick guide at your local library. It goes great with the summer reading program.
• Use the passport as your guide to get out and explore beautiful St. Mary’s County. When you visit a site listed in the passport, look around for a green More to Explore marker. On each marker you will find a “secret code” (hint: it’s usually a fitness word). Log the code in your passport or online through the St. Mary’s County Library’s summer reading program.
• Once you have visited 12 or more sites, you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a prize. Prize drawings are held in September.

The action team brings together community organizations and residents to coordinate local action around chronic disease prevention and control.

Healthy eating and active living are essential in the prevention and control of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure. These chronic diseases contribute to the leading causes of death nationally and here in St. Mary’s County.

By focusing on healthy eating and maintaining a physically active lifestyle, residents can help prevent these chronic diseases (and many other conditions) as well as the complications associated with them. When communities focus on strategies to support healthy eating and active living for their residents (like More to Explore), they improve population health and minimize the financial burden associated with chronic diseases.

Team meetings are open to any interested community members or organizations. Check out the meeting schedule here.