Perris Selected for NLC's Community Health Accelerator

Perris Selected for NLC's Community Health AcceleratorPost Date:11/05/2025 10:04 AM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Perris Selected for National League of Cities' Community Health & Wellbeing Accelerator PERRIS, Calif. (August 19, 2025) - The City of Perris is committed to creating a future where wellness, equity, and opportunity are woven into the daily lives of all residents. Participation in the Community Health & Wellbeing Accelerator, a peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities (NLC), marks a pivotal step toward institutionalizing that commitment. Over the next twelve months, Perris will build a long-term, citywide framework that embeds sustainability and health equity into municipal policies, practices, services, and systems-transforming public health into a guiding principle of governance within our community. The primary goal of this framework is to develop a plan, guided by a cross-departmental team and supported by a stakeholder coalition, that will establish new policies, programs, sustainable infrastructure, and environmental changes aimed at achieving equitable access and long-term sustainability across all City services. "Improving health outcomes starts with understanding our residents' daily challenges and working together to remove barriers," said Mayor Michael M. Vargas. "This opportunity allows Perris to partner with national experts and local stakeholders to create solutions that are both practical and lasting. Our goal is to ensure every resident has the chance to live a healthy, fulfilling life-no matter their circumstances." "The zip code you're born in shouldn't impact how long you live," said Dr. Tonja Rucker, Interim Senior Executive Director for NLC's Center for Leadership, Education, Advancement & Development. "That's the guiding principle of this initiative, and we are excited to see the City of Perris seize this opportunity to improve the wellbeing of all their residents." Perris joins the following cities in the 2025-2026 cohort: City of Lawrence, IN City of Commerce City, CO City of Miramar, FL City of Providence, RI City of Las Vegas, NV For more information on the Community Health & Wellbeing Accelerator, visit https://www.nlc.org. ### Return to full list >>