Branding Transportation as Public Health

The Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Transportation Work Group is in the process of developing and implementing a grassroots network composed of key transportation leaders and agencies at national, state and local levels. Its core membership largely comprises a diverse group of section members, complemented by policy leaders from other sections, transportation professionals, urban and regional planners. This network will advocate collectively to Brand transportation as public health in an effort to increase awareness within the respective professional and service communities. The goal is to develop relationships amongst state agencies, advocacy groups, non-profit organizations, and private sector concerns to strategically position APHA's organizational credibility on transportation issue referendums. The emphasis will be on the implementation of practical solutions, effective partnerships, capacity building, sustainable change/growth, and alternative funding options that improve sociopolitical, environmental, and economic impacts within communities. Cultivating a thorough understanding of the built environment as it relates to the health and safety of communities will help to ensure the appropriate design, allocation and utilization of resources in an integrated, equitable, and sustainable manner for the future of America's transportation needs. The CHPPD Transportation Work Group will discuss the successes and challenges of this grass roots initiative.