San Diego's healthy works project: Collaboration between health and planning at a regional level

In March 2010, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) received $16.1 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the Healthy Works project. The overarching goal of the project is to expand the use of evidence-based strategies and programs to promote wellness and address the nationwide obesity epidemic. The projects will focus on systems and environmental change. HHSA has partnered with the San Diego County Association of Governments (SANDAG), University of California San Diego, San Diego County Office of Education, Community Healthy Improvement Partners, and San Diego State University, along with numerous community-based organizations to implement 16 initiatives across the County. SANDAG is implementing six initiatives related to the design of the built environment. These include: • Developing a health impact assessment and forecasting tool to identify high-need areas, integrate health principles in the CommunityViz sketch planning tool and the activity-based regional transportation model. • Developing comprehensive health-related goals, policies, implementation strategies, and performance measures for the regional transportation plan and the regional comprehensive plan (which is based on smart growth principles). • Provide pass-through grants to local jurisdictions, schools and school districts, tribal governments, and community-based organizations to incentivize the integration of health in local planning projects, promote active transportation, and support safe-routes-to-school (SRTS) efforts. • Developing a region-wide SRTS strategic plan that will provide a framework for SRTS planning and implementation at the local level. • Expand transportation demand management programs and services such as a month-long Bike-to-Work event, and enhanced web-based tools to coordinate walking school bus and bike buddies programs. • Begin implementation of the San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan which was adopted in 2010. SANDAG has formed a Public Health Stakeholder Group, which has broad representation from key health and planning organizations and agencies to guide the project.