June 16, 2008
The Health Collaborative Seeks Participants for Project Measure Up Volunteer Corps
May 3, 2008
Celebrate Mother's Day with Gifts that Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle
April 10, 2008
Enjoy a Fun, Fit Fiesta!
March 3, 2008
Make Family Fitness Activities Part of Your Spring Break
Community Participation Report
Community Assessment Neighborhood Meetings
Community priorities
When considering ideas about how to make their community a healthier, safer, better place to live, the top three classifications—infrastructure and environment, community programs, and education received almost equal attention from participants who attended the neighborhood meetings.
Across all nine meetings, infrastructure and environment received a total of 237 votes, indicating that participants believed items in this classification are the highest priority. Concerns were ranked highest for youth and young adults, second for middle-aged adults, and fourth highest for elders. This classification included the categories of infrastructure and environment (126 votes), consumer opportunities (58 votes), and transportation (53 votes).
The infrastructure and environment category suggestions include: Libraries; fix parks by adding lights; community center with after-school care; counseling center; parenting classes; better roads; more street lights; sidewalks and speed bumps; senior community center activities—recreation.
The consumer opportunities category suggestions include: Super Wal-Mart or HEB; Barnes and Noble; dance club; movie theater; and a variety of restaurants.
The transportation category suggestions include: VIA bus system: safe public transit; free transportation to doctor; transportation for seniors; and vastly improved public transit.
The second highest priority identified by participants in neighborhood meetings was community programs. This classification received 214 votes indicating the participants believe this is an important priority to make their neighborhoods healthier, safer and better places to live. This category was ranked second in priority for youth and young adults, and fourth for elders. In addition to community programs (102 votes), this classification includes community social activity (51 votes), public spaces (46 votes), programs for people dealing with problems (15 votes).
The community programs category suggestions include: better paying jobs; affordable after-school care programs; intramural sports; activities that don’t cost much (e.g. community gardens); more senior social activity and senior computer training.
The community social activity category suggestions include: more subdivision community events; neighborhood communication; volunteer companion program (example, adopt a grandparent); and communication with all age groups.
The public spaces category suggestions include: community center with affordable programs such as tutoring, child care, fitness; community gardens and workshops with kids; more public gathering space; and easy walking trails in parks.
The programs for people dealing with problems category suggestions include: alcohol/drug prevention and teaching kids to stay in school; support groups for alcohol and drugs; and alcohol/drug rehabilitation programs.
The third highest overall priority identified by participants for making their neighborhoods healthier, safer, better places to live was education. This classification received 193 votes. This category was ranked third in priority for young adults and fourth for middle-aged adults. In addition to education (36 votes), this classification includes life skills (37 votes), information referral (36 votes), strengthening families (34 votes), health education (25 votes), nutrition education (14 votes), and environment education (11 votes).
The education category suggestions include: education training and library and computer classes.
The life skills category suggestions include: financial education/savings, budget; financial planning services; information about health insurance; and budgeting financial planning for lower income credit counseling.
The information referral category suggestions include: make information on city programs more available (use 311 etc); retirement planning center info; and getting information out to seniors.
The strengthening families category suggestions include: parent education; structured involvement in home; affordable daycare; have pets spayed and interact with them.
The health education category suggestions include: more health education, especially at young ages; better health info; and education about the importance of regular exercise.
The nutrition education category suggestions include: nutrition education; eating habits/nutrition; and nutrition sites.
The environment education category suggestions include: alternate transit (bike or walk for fitness and decrease CO2 emissions); and education on making homes sustainable (use of solar power, rainwater collection, etc.).
Crime and safety ranked as the fourth highest in overall priority identified by participants in neighborhood meetings. This classification received 112 votes, indicating the participants believe this is an important priority to make their neighborhoods healthier, safer and better places to live. This category was ranked third in priority for all age groups except young adults, for which it was ranked fourth. In addition to crime and safety (87 votes), this classification included community safety (25 votes).
The crime and safety category suggestions include: higher police watch; crime - safety allows parks and neighborhoods to function; more police patrol; and more police and fire department.
The community safety category suggestions include: neighborhood night watch; safety in-service from fire and police; neighborhood association and neighborhood watch for safety; and more street lights in neighborhoods, crosswalks, front and back yards.
Other classifications include faith-based involvement (35 votes) and physical activity (30 votes). Suggestions for faith-based involvement include: church and spiritual involvement across all age groups.
Suggestions for physical activity include: more sporting events for youth; fitness center with child care, gymnastics, boxing lessons; affordable health / fitness facilities; and dance therapy.
Community priorities by age group
The priorities for developing a healthier, safer, better place to live varied depending on the age categories being considered. The response categories ranked highest in each age group are listed below:
Youth
Infrastructure and environment (44)—libraries
- community programs (38)—jobs
- crime and safety (35)—higher police watch
- public spaces (27)—community center with affordable programs such as child care and fitness
Young adults
Infrastructure and environment (48)—community center with after-school care, counseling center, parenting classes, Special Olympics,
- Community programs (39)—after-school programs
- Education (24)—education training
- Crime and safety (15)—crime—safety allows parks and neighborhoods to function
- Consumer opportunities (13)—Barnes and Noble
Middle-aged adults
- Transportation (27)—transportation for seniors
- Infrastructure and environment (18)—better roads, more street lights, sidewalks, and speed bumps
- Physical activity (17)—affordable health / fitness facilities
- Crime and safety (16)
- Consumer opportunities (15)—HEB and Home Depot
- Community social activity (12)—neighborhood communication
- Education (12)—library and computer classes
Elders
- Healthcare facilities (47)—local health service
- Information referral (23)—getting information out to seniors
- Healthcare (15)—affordable health care—have more & educate aggressively
- Access to healthcare (13)—better prices on prescription drugs
- Community social activity (37),—volunteer companion program (example adopt a grandparent)
- Community programs (17)—more senior social activity computer training
- Infrastructure and environment (16)—senior community center activities—recreation
It is important that efforts to support developing a healthier community retain the perspective that while community spans all ages, the need for community capacity is different for residents of different ages.
A comparative analysis of information collected during neighborhood meetings and the findings from the “Hearing Community Voices” meeting held in June shows considerable overlap in the ranking of community interests in supporting community health. This suggests that even though the participants of the “Hearing Community Voices” meeting had higher levels of formal education than the average for Bexar County, their interest in improving community capacity is not different from that of residents attending the smaller neighborhood-based meetings. This comparison also helps alleviate concerns that the northwest and north central areas of the county were not represented in neighborhood meetings, as they were included in the Hearing Community Voices meeting.