INSIGHT & INSPIRATION FROM APHA’S 2012 MIDYEAR MEETING

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24 Survive All In This Friends Prevention, Strategies & Thrive Together For Health Opportunity & Equity for Health Empowering Community Partners Building partnerships means more than gaining buy-in for a particular cause or action; it also means empowering community players with the tools and knowledge to make a difference and become leaders for change. In fact, empowerment may be the key to whether an effort lasts the test of time or slowly fades into the distance. Terrence Roche, senior director of organizational and community change at the YMCA of the USA, told session attendees about his organization’s experience in driving healthy change at the local level. The renewed efforts date back to 2002, Roche said, when people began asking: “Where is the Y?” It seemed people were noticing that the familiar organization was missing from national, and some local, discussions about serious health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. In response, YMCA developed a variety of efforts that shift the organization from working with people who are already proactive about their health to reaching out to those struggling with their well-being. The shift also meant getting out into communities — bringing healthy choices to the people, Roche said. Lauren Sogor, discusses the success of Text4baby, a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health.
25 Survive All In This Friends Prevention, Strategies & Thrive Together For Health Opportunity & Equity for Health “We’ve changed a lot over the years and have adapted to the needs of communities across our country as well as across the world,” he told meeting attendees. So, the YMCA began building and improving their capacity to not only make internal changes, but to work externally and empower community groups to become agents for healthy change. One example was the Y’s Healthier Communities Initiative, which works to build community partnerships that advocate for systems, policy and environmental changes that support healthy living for all. In communities that take part in the initiative, the YMCA plays the role of convener, bringing together a variety of stakeholders, such as schools, public health workers, insurers, elected officials, media and business leaders. Among the tools that community coalitions can use is YMCA’s Community Healthy Living Index, an easy-to-use assessment tool that anybody can use to measure how well their community supports healthy living. Roche said that even though YMCA isn’t able to provide the kind of funding support that federal agencies can, the focus on building community-wide partnerships puts local efforts on a good path toward sustainability. Roche reported that thanks to YMCA efforts, more than 200 communities have contributed to more than 26,000 policy, system or environmental changes that have impacted up to 46 million people. Just a few examples are: More than 100 new farmers markets, nearly 500 new community gardens, nearly 200 new walking trails and sidewalks, and more than 1,000 schools and workplaces with new food and vending policies that favor healthy choices. “A decade ago, it was sort of like ‘Where is the Y’ and we weren’t at the table,” Roche said. “But a decade later, we’ve actually set the table.” From sessions 2004/2009, Innovations in Community Prevention, June 27 Larry Cohen, founder and executive director of the Prevention Institute, speaks during APHA’s Midyear Meeting.
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INSIGHT & INSPIRATION FROM APHA’S 2012 MIDYEAR MEETING

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