As a result of the passage of H.R.1 (a.k.a. the One Big Beautiful Bill), the Long Beach Health Department has had to shutter its Healthy Active Long Beach (HALB) program.

The recently passed congressional legislation, which eliminated funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), brought on a loss of approximately $900,000 in federal funds for HALB.

Since launching in 2003, HALB has been a vital element of local health efforts, overseeing free nutrition and physical activity education to over 30,000 Long Beach residents annually. Through its efforts, the program worked to make the city healthier and provide equitable access to food and wellness resources. 

Due to the loss of HALB funding, the following services will no longer be offered by the Health Department at the conclusion of the program:

Nutrition, Physical Activity and Community Support: Evidence-based nutrition and fitness education for youth, adults, families and older adults, offered both directly from the City and through coordinated partnerships with community organizations.

Cooking and Food Education: Hands-on cooking classes and skill-building to promote healthy eating.

Youth Physical Activity Programs: School-based programs that promote physical activity and address obesity and chronic disease rates in Long Beach.

Healthy Market Partnership: Support for corner markets to improve access to fresh produce.

School Garden Support: Supplies and guidance for more than 30 local school gardens.

Community Outreach Events: Initiatives such as ReThink Your Drink and seasonal outreach campaigns encouraging active living.

Educational Materials: Free cookbooks, recipe cards, posters, signage and other wellness resources.

Fresh fruit (Farmers Market Long Beach Marina via Facebook)

Direct services concluded at the end of September 2025, however the Health Department received limited funding from the California Department of Public Health to aid the program’s transition through April 2026. With this funding, the department is distributing cookbooks, training guides and physical activity equipment to local partners citywide in order to maintain wellness education. 

The Health Department is working with various local partners to both study new public health opportunities and to continue offering certain HALB initiatives citywide. This includes Walk to School Week, an annual community-focused event for school-aged children and their families centered on physical activity, pedestrian safety and relieving traffic congestion near school zones. 

Learn more about the loss of federal funding in Long Beach and search for relevant program updates through longbeach.gov/FedFundingUpdates. Residents who are interested in uplifting local health efforts are encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation to the Health and Human Services Fund through the Long Beach Community Foundation.