Plan4Health - Louisiana

Plan4Health logo; man shopping for fresh vegetables

The APA has a new initiative linking planning and land use to health.  The APA in partnership with the American Public Health Association (APHA) has received $3 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control for the initiative, referred to as the Plan4Health.  The APA advertised a national Request for Proposals in the second and final round of grant funding for the Plan4Health initiative. The purpose of the funding is to improve the capacity of planning and public health professionals to advance community-based strategies providing access to physical activity and nutrition. APA state chapters are required to partner with state chapters of the APHA in pursuit of this grant funding.  This competitive grant process required a formal letter of intent by July 1st and the grant application submittal by July 31st.

 Although it seems elementary, the partnership between the APA LA, LPHA and other health organizations is just beginning.  The APA LA filed a letter of intent in late June requesting Plan4Health grant funding in the amount of $150,000 for capacity building with allied health organizations in the state under the category inactivity.  For details on the RFP, please go to https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/psecoalitions/.

The APA LA partnered with the Louisiana Public Health Association (LPHA) on a grant application submitted on July 30, 2015 under the APA Plan4Health Program. Plan4Health-Louisiana is intended to combat inactivity and offer opportunities to increase mobility options within the regional population, identify innovative and proven measures to improve local land use regulatory structures in order to reduce barriers and integrate safe access measures.

 Five strategies were developed with the ultimate goal of creating and implementing healthy design planning modules with statewide applicability, as follows:

  1. Develop a healthy land use design module and other tools to be applied to existing and new comprehensive plans as well as subdivision and zoning regulations that promote the integration of land use codes with the health of a community through the development of pedestrian-oriented design standards that reduce barriers to physical activity and promote safe and secure access from residential to commercial and health services, employment centers, recreational areas and transportation arteries.
  2. Generate the healthy land use design module utilizing the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Region as a pilot area but with statewide applicability.
  3. Promote collaboration among the APA LA, Louisiana Public Health Association (LPHA), Louisiana Regional Planning Commission (RPC) and other community stakeholders to analyze pertinent data, best practices and solicit public input.
  4. Formally package Plan4Health-Louisiana for publication and distribution. Present the healthy design planning modules, land use-oriented health assessments and other tools to governing authorities throughout the state via APA LA Sections, LPHA and other associated public health agencies. 
  5. Incorporate the Plan4Health – Louisiana healthy design planning modules, land use-oriented health assessments and other tools into APA LA Planning Commissioner Training and as an important component of annual APA LA conferences and continue to collaborate with LPHA and allied health agencies by inviting these organizations to participate in annual conferences.

Thanks to everyone for your support during this grant process.  We will let you know if we get the grant funding.

Lydia Z. Jemison, AICP, CFM
APA LA Chapter President
 

Comments

1

Good Morning:

So sorry to deliver some bad news:  APA notified us via the attached letter that our Plan4Health grant application was not approved for funding due to exceptional competitiveness.   We put maximum effort into this grant application, and that’s all we can do. 

Thanks for your support during this process, with a special note of gratitude to Ed Elam and Meredith Sonait for their extraordinary assistance!

Lydia

Lydia Z. Jemison, AICP, CFM

APA LA President