The Coachella Valley Health Collaborative will kick off its 2012 Healthy Lifestyle Challenge on January 11. Almost 1,000 Coachella Valley residents have participated in the collaborative’s previous challenges. It is expected that more than 1,500 people will participate in the 2012 challenge.

Geared toward local organizations, businesses and residents, the Challenge is a community call-to-action around living a healthier lifestyle. The Challenge was developed to help improve the health of Coachella Valley residents by promoting physical fitness and exercise.

The collaborative’s interactive website, which for 2012 is sponsored by Desert Oasis Healthcare, is designed to motivate people to improve their health by becoming more active. The website records an individual’s activity and converts it to steps on interactive maps. Individuals can see their progress and see how they match up against others participating in the various challenges.

All Coachella Valley residents are encouraged to participate in a challenge at no cost.

People can challenge friends and colleagues by walking, running, swimming, hiking, biking and even shopping. It all counts towards the final goal. Challengers can track their progress online, communicate with other participants online, and receive weekly motivating reminders and health tips.

The mission of the Coachella Valley Collaborative is to provide a meaningful forum for individuals, agencies, and organizations to improve the health and well-being of residents of eastern Riverside County. Serving diverse communities of the Coachella Valley through education and public advocacy, the Coachella Valley Health Collaborative is a catalyst to improve the health status of all residents and their accessibility to quality, state-of-the-art health care. A major goal is to improve health by increasing community collaboration and decreasing duplication and fragmentation of services.

The collaborative is supported by grants from the Desert Healthcare District, Desert Oasis Healthcare, Regional Access Project Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. The Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus provides professional oversight, financial services, office space and other services.

To register for the challenge visit www.mywellsite.com/cvhv. For more information about the Coachella Valley Health Collaborative, contact Gary Jeandron, Project Director, at (760) 341-2883, ext. 78163, e-mail [email protected] or visit cvhc.csusb.edu.