The American Planning Association – Illinois Chapter (APA-IL), in partnership with the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), have partnered with local planners and health professionals to receive grant funding to integrate health into local planning efforts. The Illinois coalitions were two selected among 18 coalitions from across the Nation:
Eastern Highlands Health District Community Health Response Team; Eastern Highlands, Connecticut
Healthy Savannah, Inc.; Chatham County, Georgia
Health Transformers; Vista Neighborhood, Boise, Idaho
Kane County Planning Cooperative; Kane County, Illinois
B-Well Bensenville Plan4Heath Coalition; Bensenville, Illinois
Reach Healthy Communities; Columbus, Indiana
Health by Design; Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana
Planning Healthy Iowa Communities; Linn County, Iowa
Kenton County Plan4Health Coalition; Kenton County, Kentucky
Inner Core Community Health Improvement Coalition; Metro Boston, Massachusetts
Healthy Eating, Active Living Partnership – Active Living Workgroup; St. Louis, Missouri
Plan4Health – Nashua, an initiative of the Greater Nashua Public Health Network; Nashua, New Hampshire
Trenton Healthy Communities Initiative; Trenton, New Jersey
Live Well Kingston; Kingston, New York
Columbus Public Health – Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board; Columbus, Ohio
Plan 4 Health Summit County; Summit County, Ohio
Austin-Vámonos Rundberg Coalition; Rundberg Neighborhood, Austin, Texas
Capital Region Healthy Communities, Dane County, Wisconsin
The B-Well Bensenville Plan4Helath Coalition has received a $120,000 grant to combat a determinant of chronic disease—lack of physical activity. The B-Well Bensenville Project will address physical inactivity, with a focus on the needs of low-income and Hispanic residents—the city’s most vulnerable populations. Efforts will include short-term solutions like raising awareness about new physical activity opportunities within the community and longer-term policy and environmental changes to reverse the sedentary nature of the community. The Kane County Planning Cooperative coalition received a $125,000 grant to combat one determinant of chronic disease – lack of access to nutritious foods. The Kane County Planning Cooperative seeks to expand and build partnerships beyond geographic borders to address inactivity and unhealthy diets by integrating health, transportation, and land use planning efforts. Strategies include advancing leadership; conducting food feasibility studies; implementing the Fit Kids plan; and assisting local governments with walkability studies in specific at-risk neighborhoods. In September 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the American Planning Association (APA) $3 million in funding to advance community-based strategies to improve heath and prevent chronic disease, under the CDC program National Implementation and Dissemination for Chronic Disease Prevention. As a result, the APA created an initiative, Plan4Health, a 15-month program that strengthens the connection between planning and public health and supports local and state coalitions working to advance public health through better planning and partnerships. The program is implemented in partnership with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and represents a major new collaboration between planners and public health professionals. The APA-IL/IPHA will continue to administer the grant and collaborate with both of Illinois’ winners. We are very excited about this new opportunity to form new relationships with other organizations in the public health field. The result of our efforts will help Illinois residents live healthier lives and continue to forward the APA-IL’s efforts to make great communities happen in Illinois!