Healthy Communities Initiative

Initiative History

Shasta County Public Health's strategic plan calls for taking policy and environmental approaches to preventing chronic disease and injury among residents. Since its adoption in 2004, awareness has increased about how land use planning affects human health. Building neighborhoods with access to parks, trails, open space and good connectivity and street design can prevent obesity, improve safety and reduce asthma. Public Health has reached out to local planning agencies for many collaborative efforts:

• Community Education & Outreach: Outreach events have educated the community on the connections between land use and health. Public Health has regional offices in the county's various communities, which helps us partner with planning and transportation agencies for outreach.
• Data Collection: Mini-grants were granted to all three cities in Shasta County to collect non-motorized transportation GIS data. This data includes bicycle, sidewalk, parks, trails and points of interest layers, and it has been used to update general plans and develop walking brochures.
• Development Review: Public Health, along with the county's three incorporated cities, reviews site plans for new developments as well as Environmental Impact Reports.
• Trainings/Workshops: Public Health has hosted workshops and trainings that have brought in speakers from around the nation to talk about mixed use development, community design, and pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly street development.

Healthy Shasta, a countywide collaborative, was formed in 2005 to "create a community where the healthy choice is the easy choice." It is made up of community leaders who are committed to obesity prevention. One of this group's initiatives is to "create healthy community design that supports healthy and active lifestyles." The combined efforts of Public Health and Healthy Shasta continue to make Shasta County a healthy place to live, work and play.