HEAL Alabama to hold grand opening in Vestavia Hills

HEAL Alabama will open its world headquarters in Vestavia Hills with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, June 23 at noon. The headquarters is located at 1360 Montgomery Highway, suite 116. 

Elected local and state leaders, business leaders and various sports stars will be in attendance along with more than 70 educational leaders. The ribbon cutting event will include a media tour of the facility, which includes a television studio and test kitchen.

HEAL Alabama was formed as a nonprofit in 2007 by founder Christy Swaid with a mission to measurably improve children’s health. The nonprofit organization provides a free 20-week health curriculum to elementary schools for daily implementation during P.E. As of May 2015, the program is in 88 of Alabama’s 750 elementary schools, with funding provided by BlueCross Blue Shield of Alabama, Alabama Power and the Alabama State Department of Education.

“If we stay consistent and effective at the ground level, we can change the demographic of the state of Alabama,” Swaid said. “If every elementary school in Alabama could begin doing the HEAL program, we could turn around our state’s health demographic. That means our children will have a greater chance to succeed academically and to thrive socially. Ultimately, that can have a profound effect on Alabama’s healthcare system, and its future economy.”