Healthy Savannah

What Healthy Savannah does

Healthy Savannah is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public/private partnership founded in 2007 by former Savannah mayor Dr. Otis Johnson. The organization operates as a coalition of more than 200 businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and government agencies working to advance health equity for Black and Hispanic populations in Savannah and Chatham County's low-wealth neighborhoods. Its four strategic pillars — adult immunization, breastfeeding, nutrition, and physical activity — are funded primarily by a five-year, $5.1 million CDC REACH grant awarded in September 2023, co-administered with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia.

Program delivery occurs through weekly Healthy Walks, a 20+ organization Faith and Health Coalition, a Community Health Advocate (CHA) training corps, school-based initiatives (Walking School Bus, HPV outreach), and policy advocacy (Healthy Checkout Initiative, Savannah Chatham Food Policy Council). Additional funding has been received from CHC: Creating Healthier Communities ($150K HPV initiative, 2024), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Reinvestment Fund (2016 Invest Health grant), Center for Science in the Public Interest, Center for Black Health & Equity, and La Leche League. The organization provides all programs free of charge; it has no pricing model or earned revenue stream.

Leadership transitioned in January 2025, with Armand Turner appointed Executive Director after 17 years under Paula Kreissler. Healthy Savannah has been recognized with the CDC's 2022 Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity and American Public Health Association recognition for its CHA program. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its operating assets are the partner coalition, the trained CHA network, and federally validated program credibility.

Name

Healthy Savannah

Legal name

Healthy Savannah

Website

https://healthysavannah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Healthy Savannah is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition of 200+ partners that delivers CDC-funded community health programs — covering immunization, breastfeeding, nutrition, and physical activity — to Black and Hispanic residents of Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Public Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Equity, Community Health & Social Determinants Policy (HLAJAMAG), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Community health programs
• Public health initiatives
• Health equity advocacy
• Chronic disease prevention
• Nutrition and wellness education

Headquarters

HQ city

Savannah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. CDC REACH Grant Funding: Healthy Savannah receives significant grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant. The current five-year grant totals $5.1 million (endowed in 2023) and is administered jointly with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. A previous five-year $3.4 million REACH grant was awarded in 2018. The grants fund four strategic areas: adult immunization, breastfeeding, nutrition, and physical activity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Healthy Savannah is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public health coalition founded in 2007 by former Savannah Mayor Dr. Otis Johnson. It operates as a public/private partnership with more than 200 collaborating organizations to deliver community-based programs in adult immunization, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and physical activity aimed at reducing health disparities in Black and Hispanic communities in low-wealth neighborhoods of Savannah, Georgia.

Product overview

Healthy Savannah is a public/private partnership of more than 200 businesses, nonprofits, faith- and community-based organizations, schools, and healthcare and government agencies. The organization operates as a coalition focused on making Savannah a healthier place to live, work, and play through policy, systems, and environmental change. The core programs are organized under the CDC-funded REACH (Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) grant, which encompasses four strategic pillars: Physical Activity (including Healthy Walks and trail advocacy), Nutrition (including Nutrition Destination and the Healthy Checkout Initiative), Adult Immunization (including COVID-19, flu, and HPV vaccination programs), and Breastfeeding support. Additional programs include the Faith and Health Coalition with FAN Training, the Community Health Advocate training program, Healthy Kids family resources, and the Savannah Chatham Food Policy Council. The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an estimated 18-year history.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthy Walks A free community walking program designed to increase physical activity among Savannah residents, particularly in underserved neighborhoods, and to foster social connection through group walks.
• Nutrition Destination A nutrition education and healthy food access initiative that directs Savannah residents to healthier food choices and supports nutrition-focused behavior change.
• Adult Immunization Program A program focused on increasing adult immunization awareness and uptake in underserved Savannah communities, addressing vaccine-preventable disease disparities.
• Breastfeeding Program A community breastfeeding support program that helps mothers in underserved Savannah neighborhoods initiate and continue breastfeeding, managed by a dedicated program lead.
• Community Health Advocate Training A training program that equips community members to serve as local health advocates and extend the reach of Healthy Savannah's public health messaging.
• Healthy Checkout Initiative A retail-based initiative encouraging local stores to offer healthier items at checkout, supporting nutrition goals in Savannah neighborhoods.
• Faith and Health Coalition A coalition of faith-based partners led by a chair pastor that integrates health programming into Savannah's faith community to reach Black and Hispanic residents through trusted institutions.
• Healthy Kids A children's health program that brings nutrition, physical activity, and wellness education to Savannah-area youth through schools and youth-serving partners.
• HPV Vaccination Equity Initiative An initiative focused on closing HPV vaccination gaps in underserved Savannah communities through education and access support.
• REACH Grant Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 55 Community Health Advocates trained to share health information in neighborhoods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YMCA of Coastal GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Primary co-administrator of CDC REACH grant funding. Jointly manages the $5.1 million five-year Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health grant to promote health equity among Black and Hispanic populations in Savannah and Chatham County.
• Chatham County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in hosting health fairs, cervical cancer awareness events, and community health initiatives. Collaborates on vaccination programs and community baby showers.
• Faith and Health CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 20+ faith-based organizations of various faiths working together to encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors in places of worship. Coalition meets monthly and hosts annual Faith Walk event.
• Georgia Southern UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized as a Breastfeeding Welcome Here space providing designated lactation spaces. Hosts community events including Black Breastfeeding Week documentary screenings.
• Center for Science in the Public InterestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided grant funding for the Healthy Checkout Initiative to support public health policy changes in food and nutrition.
• Friends of Tide to TowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop Activity-Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations and improve pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure in Savannah neighborhoods.
• Gateway Community Service BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in breastfeeding-friendly workplace initiatives, creating lactation spaces for employees and clients across eight coastal Georgia counties.
• City of SavannahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healthy Checkout Initiative and zoning policy changes. Collaborates on improving food environments and pedestrian infrastructure.
• Savannah Chatham Food Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthy Savannah is working to re-establish and redesign the council to become more community-led in addressing nutrition and food insecurity in Chatham County.
• Equitable Cities (Charles T. Brown)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to take a closer look at how parks in priority neighborhoods can better serve communities.
• Savannah (GA) Chapter of The Links, IncorporatedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in hosting free Kids Health & Safety Fair for local children and families.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Community Catalyst: A national nonprofit health-advocacy organization building community power for health equity. Comparable in its community-led advocacy model targeting health disparities in communities of color.
• Prevention Institute: A national nonprofit focused on equitable prevention and community health through policy, systems, and environmental change strategies — the same approach Healthy Savannah uses. Highly comparable in methodology and upstream-prevention philosophy.
• PolicyLink: A national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy change. Comparable for its focus on health equity, community-driven policy advocacy, and addressing social determinants of health in low-wealth communities.
• National REACH Coalition: A national network of REACH grantees and community health-equity organizations. It is the most directly comparable peer because Healthy Savannah administers one of the flagship CDC REACH grants and operates within the same federal program framework and equity mission.
• Center for Black Health & Equity: A national health-equity nonprofit focused on Black communities through advocacy, policy, and community-based programs. Directly comparable as both an active Healthy Savannah funder and a peer operating in the same Black health-equity, policy/environmental-change space.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: National YMCA federation is a direct partner (co-administrator of Healthy Savannah's REACH grant) and an obvious broad incumbent operating community health, youth development, and chronic-disease prevention programming at national scale.
• Trust for America's Health: A nonprofit, nonpartisan public-health policy organization focused on disease prevention and health-equity advocacy. Comparable in mission, federal-grant ecosystem, and policy-change approach to community health.

Others

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: A leading national health-funder and a former Healthy Savannah funder (Invest Health, 2016). Comparable as a major ecosystem player shaping community health-equity grant strategy across the country.

Emerging players

• CityMatCH: A national public-health organization focused on maternal and child health in urban communities. Comparable given Healthy Savannah's maternal/child health focus via its breastfeeding and family-health programs and its CDC REACH scope.
• Build Healthy Places Network: A national organization catalyzing cross-sector investment in community health at the neighborhood level. Comparable in its focus on cross-sector partnerships and built-environment improvements that Healthy Savannah pursues through zoning and pedestrian-infrastructure work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HealthySavannah
• Facebookfacebook.com/healthysav
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialhltysav

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Healthy Savannah