UCI’s Program in Public Health and a coalition of Orange County community groups have been awarded $1.3 million by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention for a three-year joint project to improve health and ease the burden of chronic disease in Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana. The CDC is distributing a total of $211 million to organizations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to combat chronic diseases nationwide. Awardees will coordinate efforts to achieve three overall aims: reduce rates of death and disability due to tobacco use; reduce the prevalence of obesity; and reduce rates of death and disability due to diabetes, heart disease and stroke. One goal of UCI and its partners is that at least 75 percent of residents in Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana have access to healthy food and beverages. They also hope to boost the number of people with access to physical activity opportunities and increase infrastructure components supporting community health activities. Among other strategies, the Orange County Partnership to Improve Community Health intends to work with schools on nutrition and physical education programs and discourage the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks. The OCPICH includes UCI, the Alliance for a Healthy Orange County, the O.C. Health Care Agency, the O.C. Department of Education, the O.C. Food Access Coalition, Special Service for Groups Inc., the Anaheim Family YMCA, and the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.