Healthy Portsmouth Takes Off!
Submission Date: December 2010
State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Virginia
States/Territories Involved: Virginia
Domain Addressed:Environmental Approaches
Public Health Issue:- Adults in Portsmouth, Virginia are less likely to be physically active and more likely to be obese, have diabetes and to smoke than adults in the state as a whole.
- Almost half of the children in Portsmouth schools are eligible for free lunch, an indication that they may also have poor diets and lack opportunities for physical activity.
- Health needs assessments and community stakeholder forums indicate many Portsmouth streets need improvement to conform to a “complete street” concept that would make them safe and accessible for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage healthy alternatives to the automobile.
- The Consortium for Infant and Child Health (CINCH) at Eastern Virginia Medical School, a community child health coalition, was awarded ACHIEVE funding by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to advance community leadership to prevent chronic diseases and related risk-factors through a local collaborative approach.
- CINCH, Portsmouth Health Department, Portsmouth YMCA, the Office of the Portsmouth City Manager, Department of Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services, Portsmouth Public Schools, the Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation, Portsmouth Redevelopment & Housing Authority, and WHRO Center for Regional Citizenship comprise Healthy Portsmouth, a core planning team that oversees the implementation of policy and environmental changes for a healthier city.
- Community focus areas are: increased walkability of city streets, enhanced school wellness, decreasing tobacco smoke exposure, promoting breastfeeding, and increasing health messages through a comprehensive community-wide media campaign.
- Leveraged $49,555 from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth grant to create a website, hold a leadership summit and implement a recommended strategy for increasing physical activity by enhancing walkability and pedestrian safety for Portsmouth Walks.
- Leveraged a $54,000 Virginia Department of Health CHAMPIONS grant to promote infant breastfeeding, a recommended obesity prevention strategy
- Established lactation rooms to support breastfeeding for employees and visitors in the City’s Children’s Museum of Virginia and in the Portsmouth Health Department, an environmental change example for others
- Leveraged a $10,000 Public Broadcasting Blueprint grant to produce a video highlighting Portsmouth’s walkability assessments and air it locally to raise awareness and garner support
- Planned the advancement of smoke-free indoor environment policies in multi-unit housing facilities which implement a Department of Housing & Urban Development recommendation
- Promoted the adoption of indoor/outdoor city property tobacco-free policies and stair usage through signage and stairwell improvements in a local hospital
Healthy Communities (general)
State Contact Information:
VA
Brannon Godfrey
Portsmouth Deputy City Manager
757-393-8641
godfreyb@portsmouthva.gov