Print ArticleDawn Emerick, President and CEO of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, writes a guest column for MetroJacksonville.com about the need to discuss and include how all policies impact the health of a community. With the goal to bring awareness to the relationship between health outcomes and healthy community design the Community First Hale & Hearty 7k is this Saturday.
Riverside was chosen for the Community First Hale & Hearty 7K because it models the 7 Principles of a Healthy Community Design and facilitates a Health in All Policies approach to neighborhood sustainability:
1. Encourage mixed land use and greater land density to shorten distances between homes, workplaces, schools and recreation so
people can walk or bike more easily to them.
2. Provide mobility options to reduce the dependence upon automobiles (a WalkScore of 70 or better)
3. Build good pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, including sidewalks and bike paths that are safely removed from automobile traffic
as well as good right of way laws and clear, easy-to-follow signage.
4. Ensure affordable housing is available for people of all income levels
5. Create community centers where people can gather and mingle as part of their daily activities.
6. Offer access to green space and parks
7. Create outlets for fresh fruits and vegetables, such as community gardens and farmers markets.
Health in All Policies can make an important contribution to social equity and the elimination of health disparities, especially when community input is incorporated into the planning, conduct, and communications processes of community design. The Community First Hale & Hearty 7K is an instrument to raise awareness of what a healthy designed community looks like and to equip residents to advocate for healthy design standards for their own communities.
Come run with us on June 1 at the Yate Riverside YMCA. Registration opens at 6:00 AM. Run begins at 7:30. After the 7K, stay and enjoy Community First Saturdays and RAM, both beginning at 10:00 AM. Special thanks to Community First Credit Union for their continued support for our Riverside 7K and second 7K run in Fernandina Beach this past March. A third Hale & Hearty 7K community will be announced soon.
Tell the Health Planning Council how you incorporate Health in All Policies in to your work and your communities. 
Written by Dawn Emerick, President & CEO of Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida
0 Comments so far
Jump into the conversation