Built environments notes
January 26, 2012
Members present:
Samara Klein [sklein@kchealthykids.org],Katie Dugan, Cindy Deblauw, Ann Cohen, Jan Neitzert
Laura Pickerell (note taker), Rhonda Smythe (with trailnet) [Rhonda@trailnet.org]
Christine Marx (with Wash U. in STL) stopped by [marxc@wudosis.wustl.edu]
Donna Merhle
What happens to Livable Streets website: *Katie will follow up with Amy Dunaway by the next
steering meeting to see if SLU will host the Livable Streets Website (February 22, 2012)
Cindy:
As part of our grant, go to communities and ask people what changes they have made as a result of
their training. Suggestions that we have received so far is to ask people what livable streets materials
they used. There will be a survey monkey evaluation to ask people what they are doing in response to
this program. Cindy will put questionnaire together that is brief and focused
In response to Cindy’s question, the group discussed possible questions for the survey and also
thought about how we can build on information gathered from Livable Streets for future work. Cindy
will make final decisions about the survey:
Questions/Possible Follow up
Getting people to realize that they have the power to make changes regarding their streets
What file/information/support do you need?
-Can join listserv to advocate
-Healthcare and livable streets website
What obstacles are there to progress?
What other tools would be helpful?
Are people most interested in local, state, or federal issues?
Where should we focus our attention?
Want to find out simple information and simple changes
-Did you share this information with friends/family or coworkers
-Did you start to see your community in a different way?
-Did you incorporate these changes into the work that you are already doing?
-At what stage is your community in the process and is it moving forward? (for example, Lee’s Summit
has done a good job with implementing their plan and making a lot of progress and measuring that
progress)
Are walkability audits a barrier to passing policy?
-It depends on the city
Walkability audits can be seen as an advocating tool. For people to come out and look at areas and
make an assessment of where they are and what improvements need to be made.
There will be an opportunity to talk to the health care group about park prescription
-Number one priority is healthy lifestyles with parks, open spaces are the delivery tool for this
prevention and alleviation of health problems. When physicians tell people that they have an ailment,
they do not promote healthy lifestyle as prevention. Want parks and recreation program brochures in
physician’s offices to give to people. Missouri society association of executives expressed interest in
this program.
-People do not understand why their insurance premiums are increasing disparity that needs to be
addressed between those that are healthy and unhealthy and healthy people paying for those that
are not.
-Healthier reform. Have to be very aware that there are two parts to the message. When you tell
people that they need to eat and live healthier they think you are telling them that it is their fault if
they become sick. There are a percentage of people that have issues that are preventable
-We want to provide resources for healthy food and physical activity. There needs to be follow-up like
a website that would tell people where parks are in their area. This would also be a way to look at
gaps in services provided and the needs within communities that do not have these services.
-It will be a year for the resources like the trails alliance to be met.
*See exercise is medicine prescription pad in park prescriptions packet
Healthy people, healthy places initiative
Questions from mocan handout:
What do you want to get out of mocan?
-Collaboration (for example the sodium task force that lead to discussion and dispersion that happened
within the last 6 months), networking opportunities and multidisciplinary projects, knowledge of what is
happening across the state, resources related to healthy living/physical activity, synergy
-Want to create awareness first and foremost
What do you want to get out of the mocan meetings?
-Region by region updates
-Ignite presentations discussed by Amy where people give short 5 minute presentations (with 15 timed
slides) that relate to their area and brings up opportunities for collaboration. This forces separate groups
to pull together.
-What is happening nationally? Highlight success stories around the country to model after instead of
trying to recreate ideas and programs from scratch
-The workgroup meetings play off of staff work. More collaboration amongst and between work groups
which we are currently trying to do but there should be more of
-Good food like tomatoes!!
The typical education session is 1 to 1.5 hours long and there needs to be a balance between
presentations and work group time.
What is the optimal number of education sessions?
-We don’t care how long it is as much as we care what they are about.
-Want to make sure sessions go beyond what we already know
-Every session has a “so what” session with practical implications which relate more directly to the work
of mocan and its partners
-What does this have to do with me and my program?
-What is the next step based on the presentation?
-With the data that you have presented, what can/will we do with it?
What activities in your work plan do you need funding for to implement?
-Exercise is Medicine prescription pad
-Should come up with a new 2012-2013 work plan. It’s time to think about what areas we want to move
toward. What are we passionate about right now?
What has been done with the list of people that have attended the livable streets training?
-We need to do an outreach with advocates all over the state that we are still working on their
behalf. We have created a community of different people across the state and we need to keep that up.
-Keep up with network created through Missouri livable streets
MoDot is an official member of mocan. They are not present today but they have been meeting with
Cindy Deblauw and Donna Merhle. We should welcome MoDot on the mocan website, list them as a
new member, send them an email with the website link, post a twitter update
For built environment we want policy change at MoDot
What new members can you invite to participate in Mocan?
-There are many groups that are involved but we need to reach out to inactive members
-There were 50 people who RSVP’d today but there are closer to 75 members
-New members with built environment would be helpful. Also visual mapping with people’s sphere of
influence
-The advisory group for livable streets will continue meeting.
Food systems opportunity for farmers markets in state park
-Participation in farmers markets have been declining on behalf of the consumer
-Trying to start new farmers markets when existing farmers markets are declining
-Moving farmers markets that move around to different areas
Samara will be unable to continue to Chair the Committee: Do we have a new committee chair or will
it split up?
-Ann is the Vice Chair for Built Environment Group, but has been unable to attend many meetings or
stay for meetings due to other commitments
-How much work is put into the program?
-It depends on the chair as well as the support from the board and what the tasks are
-Samara : The last work plan was based on Tre and livable streets so there needs to be a new
work plan that addresses the current issues that people have an interest in. The new work plan can be
entirely different. Built Environment includes many issues. Can overlap with present projects members
of the group are working on. Where is the present passion/ resources – direct new plan towards those
resources.
-Co-chairs can develop new work plan for this year
-a webinar or a google group that people can visit and ask questions
-Run an analysis of the survey results that can be presented back to everyone and the group can learn
from these results. How to overcome barriers but also being able to report the information back to all
of the people who were a part of the workshops
-Possibly Jan and Rhonda could co-chair the group (Rhonda will have to check and Jan said that her
organization is in support of this if it overlaps with her work with the Parks Department. She wants
support of co-chair.)
-Supporting the exercise prescription in which health care providers write prescriptions to
people to visit their local park and exercise. We can support trailed alliances to support and promote the
website
-Jan would really want support in general from the public for park funding
Look at the work plan that we have and see if we want to wrap up this work plan or what we need/want
to work on?
-We did everything that we set out to do in this work plan except for wrap-up in livable streets advocacy
workshops
-Amy suggested that we start over and include 2 priorities and work from there
-If the new work plan is built around the work of Jan, it would be best if she was a co-chair
-Jan and Rhonda (after checking with her organization) will be co-chairs to the built environment
organization
-Between now and the next meeting, Jan and Rhonda will have to write up a rough draft for the new
work plan.
A suggestion from Amy: choose 2 goals (with supporting activities) that can be accomplished in one year
otherwise it will be too overwhelming and things will not get done.
Jan: Donna and Cindy put a grant proposal together for healthy concessions for concession stands. We
are trying to balance out our message of healthy lifestyle with exercise as well as with proper foods.
Incentivizing vendors to improve foods and have more options. Kansas City has tried to offer a discount
to permitees to sell in their parks if they offer healthier options. Fields, stadiums, school yards, sporting
events will all be involved. Incentives need to be given to help people
2 preliminary goals
Proposed Goal 1
-Advocate for healthier options for food and beverage which can be outdoor concessions
-Ensure parks and infrastructure in parks are tied within healthy food options
First activity:
-quick search to see where this has been done successfully  Jan has done this research already and
now needs to report to the group what she knows so far and what exists
Proposed Goal 2
-Continue to engage and grow a state-wide advocacy network (maybe separate goal or maybe goes with
go Goal 4?
Proposed Goal 3
-Support the work of the trails alliance
Proposed Goal 4
Build Statewide Support for Parks
(Narrow goals down two two/maybe merge some of the goals.)
Challenges of the trails alliance is to reach out to those with spotty connections. We try to make
connections for people who do not have safe access to places.
*Communicate to the public the value of the parks to their health
One of the aspects of the trails alliance, using DNR as basis
*Submit the complete draft of the first work plan to the next meeting !
NEXT STEPS:
Cindy finish survey and collect information
Jan and Rhonda work on new draft plan, based on notes below, refocusing on parks and trails
Samara provide support for transition as needed.