For an enhanced digital experience, read this story in the ezine.
On September 28, NRPA made a commitment to reduce hunger and improve health and well-being across the nation at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
The conference, hosted by the Biden-Harris administration, was held for the first time in more than 50 years, with the goal of “ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases — while reducing related health disparities.” The strategy outlined is segmented into five pillars: (1) Improve food access and affordability; (2) Integrate nutrition and health; (3) Empower consumers to make and have access to healthy choices; (4) Support physical activity for all; and (5) Enhance nutrition and food security research.
Of these five pillars, parks and recreation has a direct impact on each — outnumbering most, if not all, other public services. This positioning of park and recreation professionals and their agencies to impact so many dimensions of public health is why we promote park and recreation agencies as Community Wellness Hubs. In one of this month’s feature stories, titled “Creating a Community Wellness Hub,” NRPA Senior Health Program Manager Maureen Neumann explains that serving in this role is not new for park and recreation agencies. “Rather, it’s reimagining the way in which programs, services and partnerships are delivered and accessed to support community health and well-being,” she writes. Through your programs and the green spaces you manage, you inherently have a positive impact on public health. By being intentional about implementing Community Wellness Hub models at departments across the country, we can exemplify to our elected officials, public health administrators and community members the integral ways in which parks and recreation contributes to this work.
One highlight of the Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health is that the administration announced it will promote active transportation and land-use
policies to increase physical activity — an action that will directly impact the way our community members interact with their local park and recreation spaces. Supporting this is a new Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program, established by the Inflation Reduction Act, that will fund projects to restore walkability and access, including to parks, in historically disadvantaged communities. The administration also called on state, local and territory governments to increase accessibility for community members with disabilities to exercise at local parks or recreation facilities. These are just a few examples of the many ways that parks and recreation will play a crucial role in increasing physical activity and reducing health disparities.
As part of our commitment, NRPA has pledged to support the strategy by providing training, as well as $5.5 million in grant funding, to park and recreation departments in more than 175 historically disinvested communities. More specifically, we have committed to serving 25 million meals at park and recreation sites, and the grant funding will promote access to programming and infrastructure that increases physical activity and improves mental health for 1.2 million community members by 2026.
Your many stories and case studies, the NRPA research report Parks and Recreation: Advancing Community Health and Well-Being, and other scientific data prove what we as a field already knew: park and recreation agencies are leaders in tackling public health threats, such as physical inactivity, chronic diseases, social isolation, food access and more. Thanks to our collective voices, the essential role of parks and recreation in advancing community health and well-being, resilience, and equity is being recognized by our national leaders, and our participation in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health is just the beginning.
Kristine Stratton is President and CEO of NRPA.