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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michael J. Coughlin, MS, Department of Health and Human Services, City of Fall River, MA, One Government Center, Fall River, MA 02722, 508-324-2404, mcoughlin@fallriverma.org and David S. Weed, Psy D, Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy City Fall River, One Government Center, Fall River, MA 02722.

Healthy City Fall River (HCFR) is a model for creating a healthier community. A cooperative venture operated through the Mayor's Office of the City of Fall River, Massachusetts, HCFR that uses a community capacity building approach and employs a cross-section of activities and community resources to achieve improved health status and quality of community life. This ethnically diverse, working-class, mill town with a population of 92,000, faces numerous challenges associated with high rates of poverty, gang violence, substance abuse, racial conflict and low educational levels. In 2003, thirty visioning sessions conducted throughout the City involved over a thousand citizens to produce hundreds of recommendations that were subsequently voted on by citizens to produce five Action Priority Areas: Safety and Substance Abuse; Environment; Health Education; Adult Education, Job Training, and Employment; and Community Planning and Housing. In the past two years, ninety-eight efforts within the City that address one or more of the five Priority Areas have been identified, including eighteen new projects that have been funded by small "micro-grants" to encourage groups of residents and local organizations to take additional action. Each participant describes their goals, timeline and measures that are posted on the web site (www.healthycityfallriver.org) and on an ongoing display in City Hall. In April of each year, participants are invited to a celebration event to announce their progress and to receive recognition from community leaders. This asset-driven project demonstrates how citizen empowerment can help to improve the quality of life and health in a diverse, low-income community.

Learning Objectives:

• The workshop will demonstrate a city-based model for creating a healthier community.
• The presenters will articulate a series of steps communities can take to involve all sectors of the community in a comprehensive effort to mobilize a healthy community.
• After the workshop participants will be able to a) identify the key sectors to bring into the planning process; b) outline a plan for creating a community vision for a healthy community; c) how to develop an action plan with goals and objectives to move the community toward realizing its vision; d) how to compile and analyze data to measure progress; and e) how to set benchmarks and evaluate progress toward goals.

Keywords: Community Building, Community Participation

Related Web page: www.healthycityfallriver.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered