More than a dozen parks in Pinellas have outdoor fitness areas with workout stations that are self-powered. These “fitness zones” can be used at no cost whenever the park location is open.

The fitness areas are funded by a Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) grant awarded to the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by previous grants to combat obesity. For information about PICH in Pinellas, go to https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/wellness-programs/health-promo-school-health/index.html.

Other PICH projects in Pinellas include bottle-fill water stations in recreation areas, Fix-It stations that provide air and tools for bike repairs and wayfinding signs near widely used parks in the county.

To gauge the use of the “fitness zones” in parks, PICH is asking residents and visitors to complete an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/pinellasfitnesszones. The survey takes a few minutes to complete and can assist in determining how zones are used and where additional equipment could be installed. Respondents remain anonymous.

For the locations of all outdoor fitness zones in Pinellas, visit https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/wellness-programs/health-promo-school-health/_documents/pinellas-county-recreation-centers-and-fitness-zones.pdf.

For information about DOH-Pinellas, go to www.PinellasHealth.com. Follow us on Twitter @HealthyPinellas.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.