Issue 9
December 2016
Safe Routes to School in Boston
Safe Routes to School Boston (SRTS) is a city-wide effort to make walking to school safe, popular and fun. SRTS is a nationally recognized "Best Practice" for encouraging safe and active transportation to school, and is one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HI-5 policy interventions , with a goal that SRTS policies and programs can lead to a health impact in 5 years. Boston's goal is to create safer environments, both inside and outside of the school building, for students to get daily physical activity that enhances their health and their academic performance.

Currently, only 21% of Boston Public Schools (BPS) students in kindergarten through grade 8 walk to school though more students live close enough to the school where they could feasibly walk if they chose to do so. Students who walk arrive with increased readiness to learn because physical activity boosts a student's ability to focus, concentrate and learn the material being taught. Walking to school can increase attendance, while reducing traffic congestion surrounding the school which creates a safer environment for walkers and bikers. Walking or biking to school can also be a key way to get more minutes of physical activity into the school day and help schools meet the national standard of 60 minutes a day.

SRTS Boston's program:
 
The Let's Get Healthy, Boston! SRTS team is led by the BPS Health and Wellness Department. It also includes key BPS departments such as transportation, safety services, and communications, and city partners including the Boston Police Department, Boston Public Works Department and Boston Transportation Department.
 
SRTS Boston is working on three levels: Individual schools, district-wide and city-wide.
 
Individual schools: There are 12 schools participating in the in-depth SRTS program this year.   Principals, physical education and other teachers, staff, parents and wellness champions are collaborating to offer programs and communicate to students and parents. Initiatives include:
  • Evaluating neighborhood sidewalks and streets to identify safer walking route options as well as needed repairs for the City to address.
  • Teaching families and students safe walk route options using maps created for our school
  • Educating students on safe walking behaviors through a pedestrian safety curriculum in Physical Education classes
  • Sharing safe walking tips with parents and guardians so they can model these behaviors
  • Encouraging families to use Bos:311 to report issues such as broken walk signals and worn crosswalk markings
  • Encouraging families and students to try walking at fun events such as Walk to School day
BPS district supporting SRTS: BPS is implementing a district wide communication plan to supply all schools with more information about the program in order for every school to be active in some level. The district is coordinating messaging on why now is the right time for a SRTS program, and how schools and communities can be involved. In addition, LGHB evaluation team at the Harvard Prevention Research center are managing a district-wide evaluation to look at changes in transportation to school behaviors.

The city of Boston is prioritizing SRTS: LGHB is partnering with other city agencies and departments to better align our work, including integrating messaging into Mayor Walsh's Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to INSERT VISION ZERO GOAL, which is right in line with SRTS goals. In addition, SRTS Boston encourages residents to make their walking and biking environment safer by reporting issues to Boston 311. LGHB is also excited to be working with BPW, BTD and the Toole Design Group to complete walking infrastructure audits and make repairs that increase students' ability to walk safely to school.

Thank you to the City of Boston and  the Boston Transportation Department for the 25 MPH speed limit change that goes into effect on date January 9th, 2017! 

Highlights of this Year's Program

Walk to School 2016-
Walk
 to School Day (WTSD) is an annual event to promote SRTS nationally. This year on October 5, 2016, 11 SRTS Boston schools participated in a WTSD event. The WTSD events varied at different schools as each school adapts a walking route to fit their needs. Some schools start from the outside point of the school and walk in using specific walking routes. Other schools have their buses drop off students a few blocks from the school, and the students walk those last blocks together. Yet another option, this year, the Quincy Elementary School coordinated a "Walking Parade" where students walked 4 times around the school building for WTSD which is equivalent to 1 mile. Prior to students reporting to their classes schools coordinated a brief assembly to talk about key points, and educate students on all the benefits of walking.

LGHB and BPS were thrilled to have Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Police Commissioner William B. Evans, and other City Officials joined WTSD at the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester. The Mayor and Commissioner paraded students into the building to start the school day. LGHB thanks the Mayor, Commissioner and the City Officials for supporting WTSD and the SRTS Boston program.

Wellness Champions-  In order to ensure that SRTS is being effectively coordinated each school has Wellness Champions. Wellness Champions are teachers, administrators, school staff, parents, or anyone else who comes from within the school community.  Wellness Champions are provided with professional development, and are educated on the SRTS program through three trainings during the school year. Champions lead and coordinate all components of the program in their specific school and are integral to the program's success within the school. (Put all these as bullets under the highlights section- preferred routs, pedestrian safety.

Preferred Walking Route Maps-  Earlier this year SRTS partnered with the Toole Design Group, LCC. and created preferred walk route maps for each scho ol, so far 11 maps have been created, and others are in process. The maps were created using results from walk audits, co n versat ions with parents and others in the sch ool community. The maps were shared with parents to show them safe routes that their
 students can now walk to school with  th e prefe rred yet safer route. This year the Boston SRTS program plans to promote the maps on a district wife level, and provide e ach school with assistance on how they choose to disseminate  their walking route map.
 
Pedestrian Safety Education-  BPS is working to ensure students have access to pedestrian safety lessons during physical education classes. All schools participating in this year's program will implement a pedestrian safety curriculum as part of PE. Other schools in the district are able to opt-in to the curriculum and the LGHB team hopes to see the number of schools teaching pedestrian safety grow.

Stay informed and connected with Boston SRTS through the website  and by using the #SafeRoutesBoston and #BPSWalktoSchoolDay hashtags. Joi n us for Another WTSD in the spring!
Diving in: 
A Healthy Community Champion 
Community of Practice
What is a community of practice, you mask ask? Just as it implies, a community of practice (COP) is a group of people who share a concern or a passion learn how to do it better as they connect and interact regularly. A year ago, Healthy Community Champions Coordinators working on active transportation (bicycling, walking, and public transit) started their own community of practice. The goals of the monthly community of practice meetings are to create sustainable cross-neighborhood connections, build relationships, and share successes, troubleshoot challenges, and brainstorm new ideas and strategies. Coordinators also learn from each other to improve or adapt strategies in their neighborhoods. 

 
All participants in the active transportation COP are very passionate about this topic and understand how important the role active transportation plays in the quality of life of their neighbors. They understand the significance of active transit as part of a holistic approach to health.  

"We are all passionate about this and we are looking int
o ways to include active transit into our community programming and continuing this initiative after funding has stopped, because we value this topic to better our community," says Tiffany Cogwell, Talbot-Norfolk-Triangle Healthy Community Champion Coordinator.

According to Tiffany Cogwell, one of the main goals of the COP for 2017 is to "work together to create and implement a sustainable viable walk route and bike route for neighbors so that daily walks and bike rides become more of the norm and the chosen avenue for daily exercise and easy back and forth route that individuals will use more often." 
Eat Healthy this Holiday Season!
The holiday season is about family, fun and food! It's usually a challenge to get friends and family to eat healthy during this season. It's the season with delicious dishes and treats that are packed with calories and can add a few pounds. Here are some tips to help you eat healthy this holiday season! 
 
  Swap the SALT and SPICE it up - Consider using herbs and spices such as rosemary and cloves, instead of salt. For an ingredient guide for adding flavor to your food, check out the BPHC Swap the Salt webpage.

 
 
 
 
Go Fresh 
Instead of canned products, use fresh fruits and vegetables in your dishes.  If you must use canned products, rinse thoroughly with water to remove the sodium before cooking and serving.

ReThink Your Drink! Instead of sugar-sweetened beverages that are packed with calories and sugar, try fruit infused water. This will help you infused the water intake at dinner with and add some flavor to the water. Follow the recipe below to make this Strawberry, Basil, Cucumber Infused Water. 


Pay attention to your portions   - Be conscious of how much you put on your plate; try to balance the meat on your plate with more vegetables than refined and processed carbohydrates. 

Have a Happy & Healthy Holiday Season!
Partner of the Month
Organization: East Boston Social Centers, Inc    
Neighborhood: East Boston
Topic Area/s: Smoke Free Housing & Active Transportation

Why did your organization become involved in this project?  We were looking to expand our Parent Partner Models, looking for different opportunities for the parents to do additional work in the community. The Healthy Community Champions model seemed a natural fit for East Boston with our history of successful community collaboration.Our group believes that adults who smoke in homes where there are children could benefit greatly by some basic education about the short and long term effects of secondhand smoke on their children, as well as the benefits of being active.

So far, what have you enjoyed the most about being a Healthy Community Champion Organization? The success of our Parents HCC's has been overwhelming. Watching the Team grow as leaders in the community has been unbelievable. They are recognized in the community as "the lady that signs you up for Hubway" or "she leads the walking group" as well as "talk to her, she will help you talk to your landlord about going smoke free". We enjoy the successes of Hubway sign ups as well as converting entire housing locations to go smoke free. The sense of accomplishment is an awesome feeling!

What improvements does your organization hope to accomplish in your community through the work the Healthy Community Champions are doing? Our team goal is to educate the community on the importance of being active, and the benefits that it will bring to them. We also want to educate the community on the effects of smoking, especially on the children, with second hand smoke. We want to educate land lords, and let them know the benefits of going smoke free. Help them to realize the savings on their property when smoking tenants move out.

Please share some of the work your Healthy Community Champions have been doing to improve healthy lifestyles in your community? The team has participated in a variety of different activities including a walking group, which incorporated into the weekly Peace Walk with the Boston Police Department. They attend different community meetings within their neighborhoods, and present to the groups on Hubway memberships as well. They have participated in the weekly farmers market, getting pledges from families to go smoke free! They have signed up the most low-income Hubway memberships in the city, even going the step beyond and taking the person directly to the Hubway station to get their key fob!  Before we got the actual stations in East Boston, they would go in town to a docking station and retrieve the key for them. They truly are full service!!

Could you share some success and challenges that you have faced through this project?   Coming from a community "on the other side of the tunnel" we are always faced with having to travel distances to meetings/trainings/events, etc. Public transportation is very burdensome to get to other parts of the city from East Boston.  And secondly, we lost two of our original HCC's. That created a bit of a void for a short time, but we have successfully transitioned our two new HCC's into their roles.

How has the knowledge you have acquired so far through the training impacted the work you are doing in the community? Thinking back to the Saturday workshops last summer, the team was impacted in many ways through the training that we received. One of the biggest that we still talk about now was learning about the effects of smoking and especially second hand smoke. And furthermore, learning about the costs associated to a landlord when a smoking tenant moves out. We also learned such valuable skills which included how to advocate for a certain something, whether it is on a personal level or for the community as a whole. We learned how to work as a team, although sometimes a little difficult, but in the end, the TEAM persevered! 

What is one piece of advice you'd like to share with other organization in Boston who'd like to take action to improve their health and the health of their community?  There are so many resources in Boston, take advantage of as many as you can! Advocate for your families, no matter what. Inequities in health and healthy communities are rampant in inner cities, and it's up to us to help bridge that divide. Also, know your community. Know your families, what do they need, what do they want. Then ACT!
Would you like to be featured in our newsletter?

If your organization is doing work in any of our 3 focus areas  (active transit, healthy food /beverages, smoke-free housing)
 please contact
 
Stephanie Voltaire at  617-534-2064 or email at svoltaire@bphc.org


For more information about Let's Get Healthy, Boston! please contact
Stephanie Voltaire
Boston Public Health Commission 
617-534-2064
svoltaire@bphc.org

Let's Get Healthy, Boston!, 
a Partnerships to Improve Community Health project (PICH), is a partnership of the Boston Alliance for Community Health and the Boston Public Health Commission to make it easier for residents to make healthy choices in physical activity, nutrition and smoke-free housing. 

 

This three-year initiative is funded by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the prevalence of obesity, tobacco use and exposure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in the city of Boston.

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