According to this blog from La Union Union Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), Colonia residents in Hidalgo County are working with LUPE to find assistance for the development of safe walking trails and parks for their children. Children living in colonias---small, impoverished settlements between the US-Mexican border---often lack clean and safe areas to play due to a lack of proper waste collection and street lighting in their neighborhoods. Often parents would rather keep their children indoors than have them end up playing near fields filled with waste. According to various blog entries posted by LUPE, in 2011 colonia residents were working with local officials to see what kind of improvements could be brought their ...
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced a bill that outlines critical public health and prevention initiatives to fight chronic disease, encourage healthier schools, communities and workplaces, and improve physical activity opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The Healthier Lifestyles and Prevention America (HeLP America) Act includes wellness provisions in a broad range of areas, including expanded access to fresh fruits and vegetables for all low-income elementary schools, tax incentives for businesses that offer comprehensive workplace wellness programs to their employees, improved physical activity and athletic opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and greater oversight with regard ...
The organizers behind Transit to Trails recognize that although few people of color visit national forests and other green spaces in Southern California, it does not mean that they do not value parks and green space. Cities that have fewer parks or wilderness areas have higher levels of childhood obesity. That's why Transit to Trails takes inner city youth and their families and friends on fun mountain, beach, and Los Angeles River hiking and biking trips. The project enriches their education about water, land, wildlife, and cultural history, and teaches the importance of physical activity and healthy eating for life-long health. Transit to Trails aims to diversify access to parks and support for green space. Although Latino children in Southern California are less likely to visit ...
Through the Healthy Place Initiative efforts to improve green space, and provide opportunities for out-of-school play time have been successful. The Healthy Place Initiative in Chicago is a $5.8 million project funded by the CDC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative (CPPW). Healthy Places focuses on four target areas including: food access, safe walking and biking, breastfeeding support, and school environments. There are many ways to get involved in efforts to make Chicago a healthier place to live. Resources This presentation from the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago (CLOCC), provides information on ways to improve Chicago's outdoor spaces. This interactive mapping tool will help you share your thoughts about ...
Sometimes it takes patience and perseverance for improvements to come to one's neighborhood. After waiting for 25 years, residents living in the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Area finally got the park they wanted. Although phase I has been completed residents look forward to seeing the second phase of park development begin. Phase II of The Beacon Hill Linear Park is scheduled to begin construction in late 2013, thanks largely in part to the efforts of City Councilman Diego Bernal, who secured funds for phase II through the city's 2012-2017 bond fund. Community leaders spoke at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of Phase I of the Beacon Hill Linear Park. John Karlis, Vice President of the Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association, spoke of the park's community garden and Cosima ...
A group of 24 Spanish speaking women in Bakersfield, who were part of a walking group, recognized the need for improvements in their local park. In order to get these improvements they worked with the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention (CCROP) Program to conduct a walkability assessment of their neighborhood. The information collected through the assessment was presented before the city council, and city officials agreed to provide resources for the improvements that were needed. Later the walking group was able to gather additional support from the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce ($10,000) to create a walking path. Once funds for the path were available, volunteers from throughout the community showed up to the park to construct the walking path and even the children ...
When city planners and public health officials work together great things can happen for a community. Take for instance the community of Kettleman city, in King's County. In 2005, specialists from both fields gathered for four lunchtime roundtables where health, the built environment, and smart growth codes were discussed. Soon the team met with community residents who expressed their greatest health and safety concerns, which included: a pedestrian crossing along Highway 41 used by children who walk to school, and lack of fresh produce in their community. With the help of the planning team, residents in Kettleman were able to get a $140,000 Cal Trans Environmental Justice Grant to determine what safety measures should be added to the crossway. Public health officials were also able to ...
The Sioux City school district has initiated a program which they hope will encourage children to walk to school. Through grants from the state department of public health, school officials will initiate an effort to create a network of parents and peers who would walk to school.
As a Blue Zones designated community, Sioux City hopes to help Iowa become the healthiest state by 2016. The Sioux City school district is initiating a one week walking program at each school, but hopes that parents will continue the program on their own. Read the full news article about the Sioux City's efforts to initiate more walking to ...
The Sonoma County Healthy and Sustainable Food Action Plan (Action Plan) is a collaborative effort between the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, the Sonoma County Food System Alliance and community stakeholders provides a county-wide framework to stimulate and coordinate improvements within our food system. The Action Plan encourages local governments, businesses, organizations and individuals to commit to specific actions so they can play a role in building a viable food system for Sonoma County that assists efforts to reduce childhood obesity. Highlights of the plan include support for policies that increase point-of-sale acceptance of CalFresh and WIC at farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms, and neighborhood stores, develop tax and zoning ...
