Creating healthier communities in California's Central Valley: A regional approach

By working collaboratively, public health departments, community based organizations and grassroots community members in California's Central Valley have been successful in creating healthier food and physical activity environments. The regional collaboration includes Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties as well as California State University, Fresno.

The process for creating healthier communities began with the engagement of grassroots residents in targeted communities and neighborhoods within each of the eight collaborating counties. These community members identified the challenges to healthy eating and active living which formed the action plans for environmental and policy change in each local area and guided the focus for regional activities.

The speaker will discuss the process utilized for engaging community residents as agents for change as well as the key relationships developed with non-traditional partners and decision makers in actualizing change. Moreover the speaker will share the advantages of working regionally in reframing obesity prevention efforts, leveraging resources and building sustainability of program goals.