Charlotte and Mecklenburg county have come together to issue the Fit City Challenge in Charlotte NC.

Its basic mission is to try to make people walk 5 miles a week and eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. The idea is to get as many people moving and eating healthy so that the city's medical bills start going down instead of up.

I don't think that there are very many ways that you can slice it that this is a bad thing. Encouraging people to be fit is a great way to build community and to help people become healthy.
The more you read and think about it, the more difficult it is to be sure that you are eating healthy and doing the right things to be healthy. It's even more difficult to muster the energy and drive to get up and excercise everyday.

Many people need a little encouragement to either start or continue their exercise routine. Encouragement is also important in maintianing a healthy diet. 

This looks like it is another way that Charlotte and Mecklenburg have teamed up and pooled their resources to provide services to their residents. I'll keep my eye out on this one to see if it works.