HEALTHY FUTURES HEALTHY FUTURES
TABLEOFCONTENTS HEALTHY FUTURES INITIATIVE PAGE 2 ExecutiveSummary MissionandVision InASnapshot HealthyFutureGoals 3 4 5 8 9 12 AdditionalResources GoalsandObjectives
Douglasville Parks and Recreation is dedicated to removing all barriers connected to health and wellness, chronic health conditions, and access to recreational needs. The Healthy Futures Initiative is a comprehensive plan to ignite, engage and eradicate critical healthcare disparities for the Douglasville community.
Identifying the key health components affecting the city of Douglasville and the vastserviceareaofthecountyandneighboringcities,providedareferencepoint to the goals in alignment with the initiative. The Healthy Futures Initiative gives specific goals and measures of success. The overall goal of this initiative is to reducechronicillnessesaffectingthecommunity,increaseaccesstofitness,and partner with organizations and community leaders to expand outreach and education.
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MISSION:
Ourmissionistoenhancethequalityoflifeinourcommunityand allwhointeractwithourparksystem,programs,andservices.
VISION:
Wewillprovideoptimumrecreationalfacilitiesandquality programstoensurethestandardofexcellenceforall.
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Wellstar Douglas Hospital released its 2022 Community Health Assessment Report and provided key health needs for Douglas County. The five main challengesforthecommunitydidnotchangefromthepreviousreport,published in2019,whichstatesthemainconcernstobe:
1 Accesstoappropriatecare
2. Chronicdisease
3. Behavioralhealth
4. Substanceabuse
5. Maternalandchildhealth
The most impacted residents within the community who are prone to the above concerns are typically minorities (including black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities), refugees and limited English-speaking residents, individuals with lowersocio-economicstatusandspecificallyaffectingresidentswithinthe30134 and 30122 area code, which the City of Douglasville holds some jurisdiction in. These, along with many others, are the foundation for enacting the Healthy FuturesInitiative
Douglasville- Douglas County, has severe health disparities which Douglasville Parks and Recreation can contribute to eradicating. According to the Wellstar Douglas 2022 Community Health Assessment Report, 17.4% of households in Douglas County live with one or more individuals. The report concludes with recommendations and ways to increase healthy living by decreasing chronic illnesses through access, behavioral health, healthy living, education, and preventivemeasures.
Cobb and Douglas Public Health rates obesity and being overweight as high concernsandrisksforhealthproblemsrelatedtothemsuchasstroke,diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure 367% of adults are overweight and 30% are obese. Adolescent and youth health development is also a top priority with emotional,mental,andphysicalhealthconditions.
DouglasvilleParksandRecreationHealthyFuturesInitiativeprovidesafoundation toprovidedata-drivengoals,measurableoutcomes,andcommunitysupportfor ahealthier,moresustainablelifestyle
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Douglas County - Population Health Score
THISOVERALLSCOREINCLUDESACCESSTOCARE,HEALTHYBEHAVIORS,HEALTH CONDITIONS,MENTALHEALTHANDRESULTINGHEALTHOUTCOMESWITHINCOMMUNITIES.
PROVIDED BY: USA NEWS
TOP HEALTH RELATED ISSUES IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
PROVIDED BY: WELLSTAR DOUGLAS
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Enhanceexistingspaceandincrease infrastructuretooptimizepark accessibilitytofitnessopportunities
Fosterenvironmentsthatsupport nutritioninternallyandexternally
Strengthencommunityrelationsthrough partnershipsandadvocacytoachievea healthiercity
Incorporateprogramsandeventsto alignwiththeEightDimensionsof Wellness
Promotethedevelopmentofhealthy behaviorsforalldiversepopulations andgroups
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Enhanceexistingspaceandincreaseinfrastructuretooptimize parkaccessibilitytofitnessopportunities
Convertunderutilizedspaceateachrecreationfacilitytoprovideanindoor workoutarea
Installoutdoorfitnessequipmentinallpassiveparks
Expandwalkingtracksandtrailstoaccommodatebicyclesandadditional walkingaccess
InitiatetheMobileRecreationUnitprogramtoallowaccesstounderserved communitiesandneighborhoodswithlittletonoparkspaceorrecreational services
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Fosterenvironmentsthatsupportnutritioninternallyand externally
Providehealthiervendingoptionstoincorporate20%morehealthyoptions
Ensurenutritionaleducationandresourcesforspecificagegroupsand culturalinclusivity
Buildcommunitypartnershipstoprovidegreatercommunityaccessto healthierfood
Implementacriteriareporttodetermineifeventsandmeetingsrequirefood andmaintainanoverallannualscoreof80inprovidinghealthyfoodoptions
Strengthencommunityrelationsthroughpartnershipsand advocacytoachieveahealthiercity
Partnerwithcommunityorganizations,nonprofits,localhospitals,and wellnesscenterstoexpandhealthcareaccessibility
Highlightindividualresultsandmeasuresuccesswithineachdeveloped programtoprovidestoriesanddataatcommunityeventsandsocialmedia platforms
RecognizecommunitypartnerachievementsanddedicationtotheHealthy FuturesInitiativeattheannualHeartofDouglasvillevolunteerappreciation
RecruitandtrainHealthyAmbassadorstoadvocate,volunteerandpromote physical,mental,andsocialhealth
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AdoptingNRPA'sSevenDimensionsofWellnessbyincorporating programsandeventstoalignwithpromotingholisticwellness amongourcommunity
SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING
SOCIAL
Inclusiveandwelcoming spaces
Socialconnections
Connectiontocommunity
PHYSICAL
Safespacesforphysical activityandrecreation
Healthyfood,chronic diseasemanagement andhealtheducation
Healthcareservices
INTELLECTUAL
Educationandenrichment
Lifelonglearningand experiences
CULTURAL
Communityeventsand celebrations
Visualandperformingarts
Culturalrelevanceandhumility
ECONOMIC
Mentoringandworkforce development
Jobs
Connectionstosocialservices andresources
EMOTIONAL
Social-emotionallearning andmindfulness
Connectionstobehavioral healthservices
Traumainformedlens
ENVIRONMENTAL
Greenspaceandprotected naturalhabitats
Climatechangemitigationand resilience
Connectiontotheoutdoors
Promotethedevelopmentofhealthybehaviorsforalldiverse populationsandgroups
Researchandreceivesubstantialupdatesregardingtargetedhealthrelations basedonspecificgroupsandhealthdisparitiesaffectingthemostcritical groupswithinDouglasville-DouglasCounty
Createandevaluateneedstofacilitatewaystodecreaseeffectsandprovide preventivemeasuresandprovidedatatosupportfeedback
Supportpoliciesinalignmentwithremovingbarrierstohealthyliving
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NationalParkServicedevelopedaninitiativetocombathealthdisparitiesin publicparkstitledHealthyParks,HealthyPeople.Thisinitiativeoutlinesthebenefit ofhealthandwellbeinginassociationwithnatureandoutdoorspace.Nature exposureprovidesphysiologicbenefits,lowersbloodpressure,stressand depressionandreductiontomortality.
Let’sEatHealthyisaninitiativetoteachyouthandfamilieshowtoadopthealthy eatinghabitswithintheirdailylives.Thesevalues,alongwiththeStrategic Framework,breaksdownhowanorganizationcanaccomplishsuchgoalsof increasingnutritionandeducationtolocalcommunitiesthroughpartnerships, advocacy,andevents.
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Resources
2022CommunityHealthNeedsAssessment(CHNA)WellstarDouglasHospital. WellstarCommunityHealthNeedsAssessment (nd) Retrievedfrom https://www.wellstar.org/community/community-health-needs-assessment
Cobb&DouglasPublicHealth.(2023,January20).RetrievedFebruary17,2023, fromhttps://cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/
HealthyPeople2030Framework.HealthyPeople2030Framework-Healthy People2030.(n.d.).RetrievedFebruary17,2023,from https://health.gov/healthypeople/about/healthy-people2030framework#:~:text=Healthy%20People%202030's%20overarching%20goals, and%20well%2Dbeing%20of%20all.
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/georgia/douglascounty
Let'seathealthy!Let'sEatHealthy+DairyCouncilofCaliforniaHomepage. (n.d.).RetrievedFebruary17,2023,fromhttps://www.healthyeating.org/ourcause/join-the-initiative
U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior.(n.d.).HealthyParksHealthyPeopleResources. NationalParksService.RetrievedFebruary17,2023,from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/healthandsafety/healthy-parks-healthypeople-resources.htm
NRPA’SSevenDimensionsofWell-Being https://www.nrpa.org/blog/advancing-systems-level-change-across-sevendimensions-of-well-being/
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PROGRESSREPORTS
PARTNERPROGRAMSFREEWORKSHOPS JANUARY2023
Monthlyfreefinancialclasses Medicare101classes
SocialandEmotionalhealthworkshopsforteengirls
LAUNCHEDMOBILERECUNIT MARCH2023
Attended49communityevents,neighborhoodsandschoolsto provide physicalrecreationactivities.Servicingover6,000youth
COBB&DOUGLASPUBLICHEALTHPARTNERSHIP APRIL2023
Co-hosted5communityevents,includingfreehealthscreenings, freeproduce giveawayandhealthfair.
GRANTFUNDINGFORHEALTHYFUTURES APRIL2023
$1000GRPAgrantand$25,000CobbandDouglasPublicHealth grantswerereceivedtopurchaseoutdoorfitnessequipmentand assistwithfreefitness/wellnessprograms
FREEHEALTHYFUTURESPROGRAMINITIATED
APRIL2023
HealthySnackAttackprogramforyouth,EMOJIprogramto teachemotionalhealthforyouth,freeworkshopsonKidney AwarenessandFatherhood,freefitnessandyogaclassfor adults.
BecameanofficialWalkwithADocsitetoinspirecommunity conversationsthroughmovement
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