Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/07/2011

Home

Statewide Health Improvement Program S ince February of 2010, I have been working for Clay County Public Health in West Central Minnesota as the Statewide Health Improve- ment Program Active Living Planner. The Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), an integral part of Minnesota's nation - leading 2008 health reform law, strives to help Minnesotans lead longer, healthier lives by pre- venting the chronic disease risk factors of to- bacco use and exposure, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. SHIP seeks to create sus- tainable, systemic changes in schools, work - sites, communities and health care organizations that make it easier for Minnesotans to incorpo- rate healthy behaviors into their daily lives. For more information, visit: http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship. In West Central Minnesota, the Public Health Departments of four counties (Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin) jointly applied for a SHIP grant and received the grant. The four counties decided to choose one city in each county to focus our efforts. The four cities are Detroit Lakes, Dilworth, Perham, and Brecken- ridge. As the Active Living Planner, my job is to help our four cities implement policies and practices that create active communities by in- creasing opportunities for non - motorized trans- portation (walking and biking) and access to community recreation facilities. My job has focused on working with city leaders in a sys- tematic approach to help leaders understand the link between community design and one's abil- ity to be physically active. The goal is policies that lead to improved community design and "complete streets." Specifically, here are some of the things that I've been working on: • Active Living Community Survey. SHIP Staff, in coordination with the North Dakota State Data Center, designed a survey to dis- tribute to our four Pilot Sites of Dilworth, planning minnesota March, 2011 by Patrick C. Hollister Detroit lakes, Perham, and Breckenridge. The majority of the questions on the survey were identical in each of the four cities, but each City was also given the opportunity to add questions specific to their City. The preliminary results of the surveys can be seen at the following link: http: / /www.ndsu. nodak .edu /sdc /presentations.html. Complete results will be available in early 2011. SHIP Staff has already begun using the information that we received from the survey returns to impress upon City leaders the importance of infrastructure improve- ments to facilitate more biking and walking and Active Living for their residents. We will continue to use this data to educate the public in each of our four cities, as well. Plans are being made to share the local re- sults through community input meetings in early 2011. • Highway 75 in Breckenridge. Mn /DOT is scheduled to resurface Highway 75 through Breckenridge in 2013. At SHIP's urging, Breckenridge, Wilkin County, and Mn/DOT District 4 are now meeting about the possi- bilities of accommodating cyclists and pe- destrians as part of the new Highway 75. SHIP Staff was inspired to push for this be- cause of the recent public input process in Alexandria regarding bike and pedestrian accommodation along Broadway Avenue. 5