Sen. Gustavo Rivera Leads By Example In Effort To Make The Bronx Healthy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Bronx lawmaker is leading by example, continuing to exercise more and eat better in an effort to get his constituents to do the same.
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera doesn't have a health clinic like his predecessor Pedro Espada Jr., but he did launch a health initiative called "Bronx Changing Attitudes Now."
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"Following the Robert Wood Johnson foundation report that declared that the Bronx was the unhealthiest county [in the state], my idea was what can we do not only to bring attention to this issue, but do something about it," Rivera told 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon.
Rivera has dropped nearly 30 pounds in the past year while updating followers on his Facebook page of his progress.
He has also held public weigh-ins.
"My weigh-ins would also be health fairs. We would have doctors, nutritionists and other experts in health be able to talk to Bronxites directly, have them weigh themselves," he said.
The next weigh-in will take place on June 2 in St. James Park.
Rivera also has three health-related bills in the works in Albany. One of those is the so-called "Happy Meal Bill," which is aims at ensuring nutritional standards for meals that restaurants service with a toy.
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