West DFW News

The DFW Hospital Council will bestow the Distinguished Health Service Award to Mayor Betsy Price for her significant contributions to improve the health of Fort Worth’s residents.

According to the City of Fort Worth, Price helped launch the FitWorth initiative, a citywide program focused on promoting active lifestyles and healthy habits to counter the rising tide of obesity, especially among children. Under Price’s leadership, the city has also added miles of new bike lanes to promote exercise and fitness making Fort Worth a major cycling community.

“Mayor Betsy Price has been a respected leader in North Texas for many years,” Stephen Love, president and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, said. “Her passion for people, fitness and health has been a trademark of her service. Her leadership in Fort Worth has set an example for all of us to follow.”

Price has also led Fort Worth to become one of the few cities to earn the official Blue Zone city designation. The Blue Zones Project focuses on innovative approaches to improving health through public policy and social involvement. The results of her hard work include double-digit drops in obesity and smoking as well as millions of dollars of health care savings.

Since 1948, the Distinguished Health Service Award has been presented to North Texas citizens in recognition of their efforts to improve health care. The award ceremony usually takes place each fall during a luncheon, but has been canceled due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, a video honoring the award recipients and event sponsors will be posted online.