Building Healthier Communities Through Collective Action
The Healthy Communities Action Team (HCAT) is a community-driven initiative focused on improving health outcomes across the Route 1 corridor by increasing access to healthy food, physical activity, and mental wellness resources.
As the backbone agency for the Route 1/Buckman Loop HCAT, LAZERA Ministries works alongside residents, grassroots leaders, and cross-sector partners to co-create solutions that reflect the lived experiences and needs of the community.
Powered by Community. Supported by VFHY.
This work is made possible through funding and support from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), statewide leader dedicated to helping young people make healthy choices.
Established by the Virginia General Assembly, VFHY works to prevent and reduce childhood obesity, youth tobacco use, and substance use across the Commonwealth.
Through its investment in Healthy Communities Action Teams, VFHY provides funding, training, and infrastructure support that allows communities like ours to:
Build and sustain local coalitions
Advance policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change
Increase access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity
Implement community-led strategies that prevent chronic disease
VFHY’s HCAT funding model is designed to strengthen long-term community capacity, supporting multi-year efforts that create lasting change and healthier environments for children and families.
Our Approach
HCAT is rooted in the belief that sustainable health outcomes are created when communities lead the way. Through a human-centered, equity-driven model, we:
Center lived experience in identifying barriers and solutions
Build community capacity to lead and sustain health initiatives
Strengthen partnerships between residents, nonprofits, and public systems
Advance policy, systems, and environmental change to support long-term wellness
This work aligns with LAZERA’s broader commitment to shared power, healing-centered practices, and creating equitable systems that support generational well-being.
What We Focus On
HCAT supports community-informed strategies that promote:
Access to Healthy Food
Expanding availability of nutritious food options and addressing food insecurity through community distribution, partnerships, and education.
Active Living
Creating more opportunities for safe, accessible physical activity through community-based programs and environmental improvements.
Mental Health & Stress Reduction
Integrating mindfulness, healing practices, and mental health support into community spaces to promote emotional well-being.
These strategies align with VFHY’s focus on key health behaviors such as increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, reducing stress, and promoting healthier daily habits to prevent childhood obesity.
Community Impact
Through HCAT, LAZERA Ministries is helping to build a healthier, more connected community by:
Increasing access to wellness resources where they are needed most
Empowering residents as leaders and decision-makers
Creating spaces for healing, connection, and collective action
Strengthening the infrastructure needed for long-term health equity
Why It Matters
Communities along the Route 1 corridor experience significant health disparities, shaped by systemic inequities and limited access to resources.
Through partnership with VFHY, LAZERA Ministries is working to ensure that solutions are not only community-informed, but community-led, sustainable, and rooted in equity.
We believe that when residents are equipped, supported, and trusted, they become powerful drivers of healthier futures for themselves and the next generation.
Get Involved
Whether you are a resident, partner organization, or volunteer, there is a role for you in building a healthier community.
Join us in creating environments where wellness, equity, and opportunity can thrive.
