Designing a Healthy Eau Claire

Integrating health as part of community planning for the built environment in Eau Claire

Full Project Name:Transforming Eau Claire: Designing a Healthy CommunityPrimary Community Organization:Eau Claire City-County Health DepartmentPrimary Academic Partner:David Nelson, PhD, Family and Community MedicineAward Amount:$250,000

Award Date

July2015

Project Duration:30 months

Project Description Narrative:

When health is considered as part of city planning, the result is healthier, vibrant communities. Transforming Eau Claire seeks to create changes to community policies and practices to incorporate health impact and health outcomes as part of community planning for the built environment in Eau Claire. This shift in practice will have a long-term health impact on residents by enhancing opportunities for social connectedness and improving opportunities to reduce obesity and injury.

Community partners: City of Eau Claire Planning Department, Eau Claire Healthy Communities, Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope (JONAH), Mayo Clinic Health System, Medical College of Wisconsin Institute for Health and Equity

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Eau Claire City-County Health Department adopted the effort to infuse a health perspective by considering the impact on health across city departments, especially planning, as evidenced by their strategic plan priorities and organizational structure changes
Project staff provided health data for the Cannery district and other adjacent neighborhoods for an EPA brownfield site discovery application by the City
Advanced an ongoing process of institutionalizing how health is incorporated into community development decisions