Online Program

333296
Supporting place based change across the US


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Monica H Vinluan, J.D., Healthy Living, YMCA of the USA, Washington, DC
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are increasingly asked to make an impact on public health, particularly those with national affiliate networks. They have the ability to reach large number of people in a variety of settings, infrastructure to allow for broad-scale dissemination of programs and strategies, and trust among those they serve.  The Y is one type of CBO impacting public health using a strategy that mirrors the socio-ecological model by addressing the places and levers that can impact a person’s ability achieve good health.

YMCA of the USA, national resource office to Ys across the county, has spent the last decade catalyzing community leadership teams to implement policy, systems, and environmental changes to transform communities into healthier ones.  The Y has funded nearly 250 community teams to collaborate with leaders from public and private sectors to ensure healthy living is within reach of the people who live in those communities.  To enhance the work at the community level, the Y has funded 20 state-level teams to effect state policy change.   Early signs suggest when state-level teams focus their work on complementary policies to that of their community counterparts; more progress is made towards the adoption and implementation of organizational policy than in states without such support.  This session will share the technical assistance strategies, assessment and sustainability tools that have been developed to create sustainable and equitable communities that have led to nearly 41,000 documented policy, systems and environmental changes.  It will also highlight key lessons learned and share success stories.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Discuss how nationwide community-based organizations can leverage their networks to impact public health. Identify the training, tools and strategies communities/states can use to improve the health of their communities/states. List the major healthier community initiatives that are making policy and environmental changes in communities throughout the country.

Keyword(s): Advocacy, Built Environment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Project Director of the Y's Healthier Communities Initiatives and I design technical assistance, on-going training opportunities for communities, and report on the progress participating communities are making in creating awareness about, providing opportunities for, and removing barriers to healthier lifestyles.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.