FARMINGTON — Franklin County has been chosen as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s second annual RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize.

As a finalist, Franklin County is one step closer to the prize which honors communities whose efforts illustrate an enduring commitment toward creating a culture of health for residents, according to a Healthy Community Coalition press release.

Franklin County was selected along with 11 other communities from across the nation for their health improvement efforts and will be considered for the prize, which will be announced in June. More than 250 community applications were considered.

Other finalists are: Bexar County, Texas; Brownsville, Texas; Buncombe County, N.C.; Canton, Ohio; Durham County, N.C.; East Baton Rouge Parish, La.; Sitka, Alaska; Spokane County, Wash.; Taos Pueblo Tribal Community, N.M.; Van Buren County, Iowa; and Williamson, W.V.

“We are honored to have advanced as a RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize finalist community,” said Jennifer McCormack, Healthy Community Coalition executive director, in the release.

The RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize is an annual no-strings-attached $25,000 cash prize that will be awarded to up to six of the finalist communities in June.

The prize was launched to further the work of the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The program provides data, tools and potential solutions to help policy-makers and the public improve the many factors that influence health in their community.

The rankings show communities where there are areas to improve and the roadmaps show how communities can take action to expand opportunities for healthier choices. The RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize honors communities that are creating a culture of health.

For more information, visit countyhealthrankings.org.

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