News Releases from Headquarters›Office of the Administrator (AO)›Office of Policy (OP)
Trump Administration Provides Support for Community Health, Revitalization
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined other federal partners in announcing technical assistance to help six communities use local health facilities as a driver for improving health and revitalizing the local economy. The assistance is provided through Healthy Places for Healthy People (HP2), a federal initiative that engages with community leaders and health care partners to create walkable, healthy, economically vibrant downtowns and neighborhoods. HP2 supports the Trump Administration’s Exit Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America.
“EPA is committed to helping communities create healthy, thriving places to live, work, and raise families” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We look forward to working with these local partners on plans that can support revitalization while improving health and protecting the environment.”
During two-day workshops, a team of experts will help each community identify local assets that can be used to support health and economic revitalization. The technical assistance team will also help prepare an implementation plan and help identify potential resources from the participating federal agencies to support implementation.
2018 HP2 Community Projects:
Bunkie, LA – The City of Bunkie, Move Bunkie Forward, and Bunkie General Hospital are aiming to integrate main street revitalization strategies with health improvement efforts, seeking greater economic stability and improved human health.
Terrebonne Parish, LA – The Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe is relocating to a new community in Schriever, Louisiana after being displaced from an area of Louisiana that has experienced coastal land loss. The workshop will help them visualize an environmentally-friendly design with access to physical activity, healthy food, and health care.
Livingston, AL – The City of Livingston and University of West Alabama will collaborate to develop health and wellness initiatives in downtown Livingston, the Sumter County seat, in an effort to improve access to health care and healthy food, provide economic development opportunities, and support downtown revitalization efforts.
Osceola, MO – The West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, City of Osceola, Osceola Optimist Club, Osceola Schools, and St. Clair County Economic Development office are working with two hospitals that have invested in health clinics in Osceola to plan for new sidewalks, trails, and housing to serve an aging population. This work will tie health into broader economic development efforts that take advantage of the area’s natural assets to boost tourism and the economy.
Weldon, NC – The Town of Weldon, Halifax Community College, and Roanoke Valley Community Health Initiative are partnering to improve health care access and downtown walkability with the goal of improving economic, environmental, and community health.
Wenatchee, WA – The Trust for Public Land, City of Wenatchee, Confluence Health, Community Choice, and neighborhood residents are aiming to revitalize a park in South Wenatchee. The goal is to connect the park to downtown, support health-focused entrepreneurs, and help the community embed economic development considerations into efforts to improve the mental, physical, and environmental health for all residents.
Background
Assistance is sponsored by EPA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Delta Regional Authority. In 2017, HP2 helped ten communities create opportunities for healthy behaviors and lifestyles and downtown revitalization strategies for economic and environmental outcomes.
HP2 is one of several planning assistance programs that supports the Trump Administration’s Exit Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America. Other programs include Local Foods, Local Places, which helps communities grow the local food economy, and Cool & Connected, which focuses on using broadband resources to support revitalization.
For more information on Healthy Places for Healthy People:
https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/healthy-places-healthy-people
For more information on Local Foods, Local Places:
https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places
For more information on Cool & Connected:
https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/cool-connected