The local community initiative, Woodbury Thrives, has a goal to improve the health of residents. Woodbury Magazine talked with local resident Simi Patnaik, new project manager, to learn more about her and Woodbury Thrives.
Can you give an overview of Woodbury Thrives?
This is a grassroots community effort that is pushing to make health an even greater priority in Woodbury. The city is already a healthy community, but Woodbury Thrives aims to make Woodbury even more intentional and unified when it comes to making health a part of their lifestyle.
What were you doing professionally before joining Woodbury Thrives?
I was a marketing consultant, so I’ve worked with a bunch of companies around the area. I’ve spent time doing a lot of brand management and project management work. This background really transfers well when it comes to project planning for Woodbury Thrives.
Give us an update.
We are still in the very beginning stages, but we plan to launch our first initiatives in 2017. We spoke to over 350 people asking, “What does health look like to you?” We are looking at that feedback and pulling out key themes to see what we can influence effectively.
Why is Woodbury Thrives important?
We want to help Woodbury continue to be a healthy community. I have two children, an 11-year-old and an 8-year-old…This is going to affect everyone including the future generations of our city. Woodbury Thrives is not a one-and-done type of initiative, but will be continuously evolving as the community evolves.
