Residents of Lyndhurst typically live 24 years longer than residents of the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, according to a recent analysis by the Cuyahoga County Place Matters Team. This health disparity is why the group, in collaboration with the Saint Luke's Foundation, has launched a speaker series at the City Club of Cleveland focused on creating healthier communities in Cuyahoga County.

"It shouldn't matter how much money you have, your community should still be thriving," says Sandy Chappelle, Senior Program Officer with the Saint Luke's Foundation and a leader of the Place Matters initiative. "Quality housing, safe streets and other factors all go into whether a community is healthy or not."

This past Tuesday, the Place Matters team hosted a City Club event with Ron Sims, former U.S. Department of Housing and Development Deputy Secretary, who spoke about how land use planning can impact public health outcomes.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald also announced the creation of the County Health Alliance, an effort that will draw upon Simms' expertise. The Alliance is a partnership between municipalities, health institutions, nonprofits and other groups to create healthier communities. Fitzgerald hopes to provide technical assistance and limited funding that will spur efforts at the local level.

The long-term goal of the Place Matters initiative, says Chappelle, is not to drive prescriptive policies, but rather to infuse knowledge of what makes healthy communities into larger, public policy decisions across the region.

"One example of unhealthy planning is that many new schools are built so that kids have to take the bus, which contributes to lack of physical activity and obesity," says Chappelle. "Yet now we're becoming increasingly aware that all sectors must work together to tackle poor health outcomes. People are also more aware that this is directly connected to our region's economic viability."

Source: Sandy Chappelle
Writer: Lee Chilcote