I, like many others, have made a commitment to living healthier this year. I am resolved to find and eat a new fruit and vegetable each month, decrease my consumption of meat to a few times a week, and drink at least a half-gallon of water each day. I also plan to laugh more and spend more time outdoors. My personal goals aside, I also find myself more hopeful than at the start of many past years about the state of health in our nation as a whole.

• More Americans than ever before have access to the health care they need because of the Affordable Care Act;
• States throughout the nation are making significant progress in helping kids achieve a healthy weight;
• The disparities gap between black and white Americans’ life expectancies is narrowing.

To read the rest of this article by Dwayne Proctor, go to:http://www.rwjf.org/en/blogs/culture-of-health/2015/02/let_s_eliminate_heal.html?rid=EmvmzWP0BxoNrB-M3m1eVvs2_PeOPeob&et_cid=181742