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New report on planning for public health
Last summer, the American Planning Association (APA) conducted a national web-based survey to identify draft and adopted comprehensive and sustainability plans that explicitly address public health. The newly-released survey report provides an overview of the public health topics addressed, public health data and data collection tools used, and the successes and challenges faced by local governments in the inclusion of public health into to the plan. In addition, the report includes a list of the 240 identified comprehensive plans and 27 sustainability plans that explicitly address health.
Visual display of best cities and states for bike commuters
Fast Company magazine has developed a set of infographics that show on a per-state basis what percentage of commuters use bikes; a summary of the ten most popular bicycling cities is also included. Note also how significantly female bicyclists factor into the analysis of these ten cities. So, how does your state rank compared to others? (Image from Dan Burden, PBIC)
Record low traffic deaths in 2010
In 2010, the number of traffic fatalities in the US decreased to the lowest levels since 1949. According to the US Department of Transportation, this decrease “comes despite a sharp increase in the number of miles Americans drove last year - 21 billion additional miles.” Read more about the record low traffic deaths on the blog of Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood: Fast Lane.
New funding opportunity with the Health Impact Project
 The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, is accepting brief proposals through June 1, 2011 for grants to conduct health impact assessments. The funding will enable awardees to develop a health impact assessment (HIA), which can help policy-makers and community members identify and address the potential, and often-overlooked, health implications of proposed policies and projects in a broad range of sectors such as agriculture, energy, transportation and development. More than 100 HIAs have been completed or are in progress in 23 states across the US, as shown in the Health Impact Project’s new interactive, searchable HIA map. The Health Impact Project will fund up to eight assessments to identify how policy proposals will impact health at the local, tribal or state levels. Grants will range from $25,000 to $125,000 and will support government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. To apply online, visit www.healthimpactproject.org. (Image from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
Mad Men make online pitch for High Speed Rail
Two lead actors from the hit television show Mad Men throw their support behind high-speed rail in a humorous new online video. The actors and U.S. PIRG developed the video as a way to build excitement for high-speed rail projects around the country. President Obama recently pledged more than $50 billion in federal funding over the next six years and announced a goal in his State of the Union to connect 80 percent of the country with high-speed rail in the next 25 years.
How transportation impacts access to healthy foods
A report written by the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute in conjunction with Esperanza Community Housing Corporation and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles analyzes food access in the context of transportation in South Los Angeles. The report suggests cutting-edge community driven policies and programs to link food access, transportation and land use to connect communities with healthy foods.
New CDC fact sheets highlight the costs of fatal crashes
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety. To kick off this period of enhanced focus on protecting lives on the world's — and our nation's — roads, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering new resources that highlight the tremendous cost burden of fatal crashes. Over 30,000 people are killed in motor vehicle crashes each year in the United States. In 2005, in addition to the impact on victims' family and friends, crash deaths resulted in $41 billion nationally in medical and work loss costs. A recent data analysis by CDC also found that on a state-level, these costs ranged from as high as $4.16 billion a year (California) to as low as $73 million (Vermont). For a fact sheet that contains fatal crash-related cost data for your state, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts, but note that the link will be live tomorrow on 5/11.
New report on transportation policy and access to health care
As Congress considers a reauthorization of our nation's surface transportation programs, which will allocate significant federal funds to transportation infrastructure, civil and human rights advocates have an opportunity to advance public health through participation in the transportation policymaking process. The Leadership Conference Education Fund's The Road to Health Care Parity: Transportation Policy and Access to Health Care examines how transportation policy can make a positive impact on health conditions by increasing options for commuters, reducing air pollution, and creating better connections to health services.
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