On the Move to ACHIEVE Community Change for Better Health
Submission Date: December 2008
State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: New York
States/Territories Involved: New York
Domain Addressed:Environmental Approaches
Public Health Issue:- Salamanca is a small city within Cattaraugus County which ranks 51st out of 62 New York counties in terms of poor health outcomes. More than 1 in 4 adults report that they did not engage in physical activity in the last month and 25% of the Salamanca population are smokers which is higher than the national smoking rate.
- Salamanca is unique because it is subject to both city and tribal government councils due to its location on the Seneca Nation reservation.
- A broad cross section of community members working with expert technical assistance and community ‘coaches’ is a successful model for beneficial environment and policy change to improve health.
- With funding from an Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) grant and led by community ‘coaches’ from the health department, the YMCA, and nearby Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Salamanca community developed a diverse Community Health Action Response Team. The team includes key stakeholders representing the tribal council, tribal health, business, law enforcement, the mayor’s office, city and county councils, media, schools, youth bureau, and rural health.
- Team participation in the ACHIEVE Action Institute jump-started their learning about policy and environmental change to promote health and the development of local strategies. Having the mayor’s office, law enforcement, tribal representatives and popular local media on the team has proved especially important for garnering broad community support for initiatives to improve the community environment through policy change.
- Initial team discussion focused on strategies for making Salamanca more pedestrian and bicyclist-friendly and on youth smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
- ACHIEVE’s successes now allow residents of both Salamanca and the Allegany Seneca Nation Territory — a total of approximately 14,000 people — to experience smoke-free outdoor recreational spaces since Salamanca instituted 100% smoke free parks and playgrounds.
- Salamanca’s 5,000+ residents and millions of annual visitors to the town and nearby attractions have more opportunities for physical activity like walking and biking after 1) replacement of 150 sidewalk blocks by the city of Salamanca and 2) revitalization of the Pennsy Trail and maintenance through regular ‘clean-up’ days (photo) to keep it safe and make it inviting for all users
- The Salamanca Youth Bureau increased exercise options for over 11,000 local youth through installation of outdoor exercise equipment and instructional signage.
- Another Salamanca Youth Bureau effort increases daily physical activity and provides healthy food benefiting 60 youth through receipt of a 3-year CATCH grant.
- Salamanca’s demonstrated capacity to implement improvements to the built environment and local policies helped the Cattaraugus County Department of Health apply for and receive a $450,000 Community Transformation Grant which will be used partly to further advance the ongoing healthy community efforts in Salamanca along with an additional $49,000 leveraged from other sources.
Healthy Communities (general), Social Determinants of Health
State Contact Information:
New York
Deb Nichols
Cattaraugus County Public Health
716-701-3383
DJNichols@cattco.org