DEPARTMENT: Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Sandra Guerra, MD, MPH, Interim Deputy Public Health Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Council Districts 1-7
SUBJECT: A briefing on the Metro Health’s Healthy Neighborhoods program expansion model and plan for working in new neighborhoods.
SUMMARY:
Metro Health’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program Staff will provide a presentation on the plan to utilize the newly assigned $620,000 of general fund dollars, which includes the expansion of the Healthy Corner Store Project and the expansion of the Healthy Neighborhoods program into new neighborhoods.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Several chronic diseases are the leading causes of death that impact residents in San Antonio and Bexar County. Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of death and Diabetes is one of the top 5 causes of death in Bexar County. Many factors contribute to these diseases, including obesity, lack of physical activity, and poor diet. Other social determinants of health also impact overall health, such as socioeconomic status, educational level, and access to healthcare. In San Antonio, approximately 38% of adults are obese, while 28% of youth ages 8-18 years of age are obese. Approximately 43% of the residents in Bexar County did not meet any of the physical activity national recommendations (BRFSS 2017). The highest prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity rates occur in the most marginalized communities in the west, south and near east regions of the city; these are places that also experience food insecurity, poverty, and lack of access to resources.
Metro Health’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program is working in several low-income neighborhoods on the near east, south and west sides of the city to improve the overall health of the residents and to better connect them to health services. Healthy Neighborhoods partners with resident leaders to implement place-based environmental and policy projects to reduce chronic disease and support healthy lifestyles. The team uses the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) model in neighborhoods. Through many community-based initiatives (e.g., community garden at WIC Pecan Valley, Girls on the Run and Healthy Corner Stores), they work with numerous partners to support food security and increased health and wellness. Although the program has made significant progress across the city, COVID-19 has highlighted how food insecurity and chronic health conditions are ongoing and pressing issues.
The $500,000 in funding provided to the Healthy Neighborhoods program will help to tackle three major areas of program improvement: more support in the neighborhoods currently being provided with services, addition of new neighborhoods to be provided with services, and creation of a new Equity Communications & Education Specialist position which will increase the visibility of health messaging and resources within the neighborhoods served.
The Healthy Neighborhoods program currently serves 10 neighborhoods within Districts 1-7. As part of the expansion, new neighborhoods are being selected based on the combined data of the equity score (high need) and data from asset mapping (high opportunity) assessment. Wheatley Heights has been identified as one of the neighborhoods to expand the program to and an additional 2-3 neighborhoods will be identified by January. The next step is community engagement, which involves reaching out to Council staff and discussing the opportunity with the Council members. The program will also reach out to the neighborhood schools to ensure that they would like to partner and are receptive to the program’s services.
Healthy Neighborhoods will also use approximately $108,000 to work with 12 new stores in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 7 to expand the project to new areas of the city based on three criteria: is within a census tract identified as being a place with low food access per the USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas; accepts SNAP EBT; and the business owner expresses interest in the program. In addition, $12,000 will be used for ongoing support of the current eight (8) stores in District 3.
ISSUE:
Metro Health would like the opportunity to brief the Community Health and Equity Committee about the Healthy Neighborhoods program expansion and the Healthy Corner Stores expansion progress.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.