The American Planning Association – Illinois Chapter (APA-IL), in partnership with the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), have partnered with local planners and health professionals to receive grant funding to integrate health into local planning efforts. The Illinois coalitions were two selected among 18 coalitions from across the Nation:

1. Eastern Highlands Health District Community Health Response Team; Eastern Highlands, Connecticut

2. Healthy Savannah, Inc.; Chatham County, Georgia

3. Health Transformers; Vista Neighborhood, Boise, Idaho

4. Kane County Planning Cooperative; Kane County, Illinois

5. B-Well Bensenville Plan4Heath Coalition; Bensenville, Illinois

6. Reach Healthy Communities; Columbus, Indiana

7. Health by Design; Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana

8. Planning Healthy Iowa Communities; Linn County, Iowa

9. Kenton County Plan4Health Coalition; Kenton County, Kentucky

10. Inner Core Community Health Improvement Coalition; Metro Boston, Massachusetts

11. Healthy Eating, Active Living Partnership – Active Living Workgroup; St. Louis, Missouri

12. Plan4Health – Nashua, an initiative of the Greater Nashua Public Health Network; Nashua, New Hampshire

13. Trenton Healthy Communities Initiative; Trenton, New Jersey

14. Live Well Kingston; Kingston, New York

15. Columbus Public Health – Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board; Columbus, Ohio

16. Plan 4 Health Summit County; Summit County, Ohio

17. Austin-Vámonos Rundberg Coalition; Rundberg Neighborhood, Austin, Texas

18. Capital Region Healthy Communities, Dane County, Wisconsin

The B-Well Bensenville Plan4Helath Coalition has received a $120,000 grant to combat a determinant of chronic disease—lack of physical activity. The B-Well Bensenville Project will address physical inactivity, with a focus on the needs of low-income and Hispanic residents—the city’s most vulnerable populations. Efforts will include short-term solutions like raising awareness about new physical activity opportunities within the community and longer-term policy and environmental changes to reverse the sedentary nature of the community. The Kane County Planning Cooperative coalition received a $125,000 grant to combat one determinant of chronic disease – lack of access to nutritious foods. The Kane County Planning Cooperative seeks to expand and build partnerships beyond geographic borders to address inactivity and unhealthy diets by integrating health, transportation, and land use planning efforts. Strategies include advancing leadership; conducting food feasibility studies; implementing the Fit Kids plan; and assisting local governments with walkability studies in specific at-risk neighborhoods. In September 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the American Planning Association (APA) $3 million in funding to advance community-based strategies to improve heath and prevent chronic disease, under the CDC program National Implementation and Dissemination for Chronic Disease Prevention. As a result, the APA created an initiative, Plan4Health, a 15-month program that strengthens the connection between planning and public health and supports local and state coalitions working to advance public health through better planning and partnerships. The program is implemented in partnership with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and represents a major new collaboration between planners and public health professionals. The APA-IL/IPHA will continue to administer the grant and collaborate with both of Illinois’ winners. We are very excited about this new opportunity to form new relationships with other organizations in the public health field. The result of our efforts will help Illinois residents live healthier lives and continue to forward the APA-IL’s efforts to make great communities happen in Illinois!

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