New Mexico Health Impact Assessment Bill (2010)

New Mexico Senator Keller will introduce a bill during the 2010 legislative session that would require the analysis of health impacts of proposed legislation on community health. Health Impact Assessments would be supported by a fund generated by an annual assessment upon health insurers. According to Senator Keller, "understanding the social determinants of health and how they impact the cost of healthcare system and fundamental livability of our communities is critical to better decision making at all levels."

You can find the bill here:
http://www.humanimpact.org/doc-lib/finish/17/89
And more about HIA Policy here:
http://www.humanimpact.org/hia-policy

The International Community Trail: Street Trees

By Joanne McEntire, Trail Project Planner, J. McEntire llc

New street trees are a joy to behold! You’ll find them on Martin Luther King Blvd. between University and I-25, indicating its recent road diet. ACHIEVE recommends that trees are planted between sidewalks and curbs on the International Community Trail.

Trees offer shade and beauty and a traffic calming influence. I visited the three Trail sites with trees with Nick Kuhn, the City Forester. We started at Talin, where Sycamores are planted on Louisiana. The wide sidewalks with pavement design, planters, sculpture, and tile work create one of the best public spaces in the district.

When the UNM Health Clinic on Central and Texas was designed, the U included wide sidewalks with tree buffers and fully accessible entrances to the site. The Box Elders on Central are set in a large basin that catches some run-off from the sidewalks, which is helpful in harsh conditions.

The third site on the Trail is the driveway into Phil Chacon Park (or Kathryn), on the south side of Van Buren Middle School, where some trees were planted by a level, wide sidewalk.

We also visited the Wilson School Pool Park, where the sidewalk on Anderson is right against the curb. We imagined a basin of trees planted by the curb with a sidewalk meandering into the park, perhaps to accompany future pool and playground improvements that Councilor Garduño has recommended. The young Texas Oaks that were recently planted in the park had glowing leaves this autumn. Wilson and NACA students walk by the park, and Anderson and Cardenas would be much nicer with tree treatments.

Street trees are possible along the International District Trail if the city and neighbors make room for them. The city engineer might approve road diets on Trail streets, or property owners could provide space for them, as the UNM Clinic did.

Street trees have to be tough and resilient! Property owners should care for street trees so they can nurture the community for decades. Visit www.abqtrees.com for suggested trees, tree care information and funding opportunities. Send a note to jomcen@msn.com to obtain a list of small grant opportunities.  Envision a shaded Trail!

Health Equity

By Enrique Cardiel
Facilitator, International District Healthy Communities Coalition (IDHCC)

Health equity is often defined by what it is not. Health inequities are those differences in health outcomes that can be prevented by policies and actions and are therefore unfair. Given that health begins where we live, work, play, and love it is easy to see the fairness issues.

Ask yourself, “Are there parts of town that are unfairly neglected and underserved?” “Are there people unfairly blocked from access to resources?” And most importantly, “Why in a society where we are legally bound to fairness and equality of opportunities, do we see consistently unequal outcomes?”

While there is some subjectivity to answering these questions there is also a common sense. We know there are neglected parts of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, and they tend to be where poor people, Chicanos, Native Americans, African Americans, and immigrants live. We know there are barriers to people accessing resources such as education, clean air, and jobs based on where they live, what they look like, and their language.

We have recently spent a year discussing reform to the medical services insurance system of our country. We are far from a solution. It is time that we made it so that any one of us can see a doctor when they need to. And it is also time that we made it less necessary to do so. Not everyone has the same opportunities to make choices that ensure them a long and healthy life. It is time we that opportunity something we all have!

For an academic reading on Health Equity read
http://depts.washington.edu/eqhlth/pages/BezruchkaUSHealthInequality10Cor.pdf

House Approves Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Bill Awaits President’s Signature

WASHINGTON, DC—The House of Representatives today approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307), paving the way for President Obama to sign the legislation. The bill will improve school meals, support farmers through Farm to School programs, address skyrocketing obesity rates, and feed more hungry children.

The Community Food Security Coalition, whose members have worked tirelessly in support of child nutrition legislation in the 111^th Congress, applauds the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. As a co-host of the National Farm to School Network, CFSC has been particularly active in advocating new funding for Farm to School programs.

"Today, we celebrate a truly historic moment. We thank the sponsors of this legislation for providing leadership and including a first-time investment in Farm to School programs in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Funding this innovative and effective program will benefit America’s children and farmers through providing healthy foods and creating new markets,” stated Anupama Joshi, Co-Director of the National Farm to School Network.

“By connecting schools with local farmers, the bill creates a win-win for our nation’s children and farmers and builds on a proven method of combating childhood obesity. We congratulate Congress for providing tens of millions of dollars for Farm to School programs,” stated Marion Kalb, Co-Director of the National Farm to School Network.

With one in four children in this country at risk of hunger, and one in three obese or overweight, S. 3307 is a step in the right direction. However, the improvements it provides are paid for partly through cuts to food stamps. CFSC, its members and allies are committed to working with champions in the White House and Congress on timely measures to restore food stamp funding and protect federal nutrition programs from further cuts.

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The Community Food Security Coalition catalyzes food systems that are healthy, sustainable, just, and democratic by building community voice and capacity for change. The coalition’s diverse membership includes more than 400 social and economic justice, anti-hunger, environmental, community development, sustainable agriculture, community gardening, and other organizations.

Media Release by Allison Burket
Community Food Security Coalition
202-543-8602
allison.foodsecurity@gmail.com

www.foodsecurity.org

Social determinants of health

The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.

Go to the CDC and WHO websites for more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/
http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/