The American Planning Association Provides Grants to 18 Local Coalitions to Combat Chronic Disease

The American Planning Association Provides Grants to 18 Local Coalitions to Combat Chronic Disease

WASHINGTON, DC — The American Planning Association (APA) has provided $2.25 million in grant money to 18 local coalitions around the United States through its Plan4Health initiative to combat two major determinants of chronic disease — lack of physical activity and lack of access to nutritious foods.

Plan4Health is a 15-month program that strengthens the connection between planning and public health. The program’s funding supports local and state coalitions working to advance public health through better planning and partnerships. Funding for Plan4Health was provided through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“This is an exciting new opportunity to improve the health of our communities through diverse partnerships,” said Anna Ricklin, AICP, manager of APA’s Planning and Community Health Center, which is administering the Plan4Health program. “Collaboration is key if we want to continue to create communities of lasting value that are equitable and healthy for all residents.”

Local coalition recipients were selected after a competitive review process. 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. APA chapters and APHA affiliates are part of the local coalitions that will help identify and implement innovative tactics to address lack of physical activity and the lack of readily available nutritious foods.

The following local coalitions have received financial support through Plan4Health:

  1. Eastern Highlands Health District Community Health Action Response Team; Northeastern Connecticut
  2. Healthy Savannah, Inc.; Chatham County, Georgia
  3. Idaho Plan4Health Coalition; Vista Neighborhood, Boise, Idaho
  4. B-Well Bensenville Plan4Heath Coalition; Bensenville, Illinois
  5. Kane County Planning Cooperative; Kane County, Illinois
  6. Reach Healthy Communities; Columbus, Indiana
  7. Health by Design; Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana
  8. Planning Healthy Iowa Communities; Linn County, Iowa
  9. Kenton County Plan4Health Coalition; Kenton County, Kentucky
  10. Inner Core Community Health Improvement Coalition; Metro Boston, Massachusetts
  11. Healthy Eating, Active Living Partnership – Active Living Workgroup; St. Louis, Missouri
  12. Plan4Health – Nashua, an initiative of the Greater Nashua Public Health Network; Nashua, New Hampshire
  13. Trenton Healthy Communities Initiative; Trenton, New Jersey
  14. Live Well Kingston; Kingston, New York
  15. Columbus Public Health – Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board; Columbus, Ohio
  16. Plan 4 Health Summit County; Summit County, Ohio
  17. Austin-Vámonos Rundberg Coalition; Rundberg Neighborhood, Austin, Texas
  18. Capital Region Healthy Communities; Dane County, Wisconsin

For more information about the Plan4Health program, visit www.plan4health.us or follow the hashtag #Plan4Health on Twitter.

Plan4Health is being administered through APA’s Planning and Community Health Center that is dedicated to integrating community health issues into local and regional planning practices by advancing research, outreach, education and policy.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning — physical, economic, and social — so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, with almost 40,000 members worldwide in nearly 100 countries.

Contact
Roberta Rewers, APA, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org