Case Study Oregon

8/10/2019 Case Study Oregon

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Steps Towards GreaHealth and Wea

Oreg

Whats Good for He

is Good for Busines

More walkable neighborhand fewer miles traveled bsounds like a modern twithe American Dream. And itthat many states are embrin response to their mouneeds to move people, imhealth and build their econo

More active transportatiwalking and biking - has shown to increase phactivity, improve health and health care costs.

People who drive less andmore also save money ontransportation costs and more disposable income -theyre more likely to sit at businesses in waneighborhoods.

Additionally, many peopespecially young professifamilies and older adults whoto age in place - are opting tin areas with lower speed so they can walk safely athe neighborhood. Wa

shopping districts with streets allow people to stoshop (and get some exercis

This case study provides of the most inventive mand solutions that help transportation, health commercial needs in Oregona few tips on how to bring to your community.PO Box 10581

Portland, OR(503) 757-8342 americawalks.org

From the trails around Mount Hood down to the coastal beaches by thePacic Ocean, Oregon is the ninth largest state in the U.S. and boasts avibrant economy represented, in part, by agriculture, forestry, sheries,tourism and technology.

Despite its reputation for access to wonderful hiking trails and idyllic,walkable towns and cities, Oregon shares many similar struggles withother states. Some of Oregons health outcomes need attention. Forexample, food insecurity has risen to 14.8 percent of adults aged 60 and

older. The ability to access healthy and affordable foods via thetransportation options across the state is a substantial health concern inOregon, as well as in other states.

Furthermore, the prevalence of both diabetes and obesity is rising. Nearly820,000 Oregonians are obese and almost 300,000 have diabetes. Thisrise can mean expanding health care costs for the state if no action istaken.

Providing opportunities for regular physical activity, such as walking,helps to improve the publics health. As such, there is a strong relationship

between a states percentages of walking and bicycling to work andhealth indicators, such as asthma, high blood pressure and physicalactivity.

Transportation decisions in Oregon and beyond are tied to acommunitys health and wealth. Every day, people use various modes oftransportation to get to work or school, to access markets and shoppingdestinations and to connect with friends and families.


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Work to tackle the states health problems is underway: Oregon has been identifying proactive ways toaddress these and other related issues. Through various approaches, such as a landmark memorandum

of understanding and health impact assessments, Oregon is at the forefront of managing successfuprograms that support transportation, health and economic efforts.

What helped accelerate activities around healthy transportation that also often supports access tolocal businesses and helps the regional economy in the state of Oregon was a memorandum ofunderstanding (MOU) between the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon Health

Authority, Public Health Division (OHA-PHD).

In 2012, staff at OHA-PHD has reached out to peers at ODOT to identify prospects for partnership as a

part of their health in all policies approach. Also emerging in part from interest in the Oregon Governorsofce in having non-traditional representatives serve on the Oregon Transportation Commission, theMOU was drafted over several months into 2013. Both the transportation and public health leaders atthese organizations were seeking opportunities to connect; the timing was serendipitous, as both werealigned in their thinking. The leader-to-leader discussions coupled with receptive audiences among thestaff at both agencies drove the success of the MOU.

The work in Oregon also goes well beyond the MOU. As detailed in the next section, ODOT also hasbeen active in including health in planning processes and safety projects, while OHA-PHD has beenencouraging statewide pedestrian safety for children and leveraging health impact assessment (HIA)as one kind of tool to help apply public health considerations to transportation planning and design,

among other assorted activities in the state.

Getting Started

Building Programs and Partnerships that Work

Steps Towards GreaterHealth and Wealth

Oregon

The MOU establishes that both state agencies agree to communicate, coordinate and collaborate onactivities that support their mutual goal to improve the link between public health and transportationpolicies and programs in Oregon. OHA-PHD and ODOT recognize that social determinants of health,such as living conditions and travel behaviors, are a key factor in the overall health of the populationand transportation is intrinsically linked with human health. ODOT and OHA-PHD will work together tomeet Oregonians mobility and health needs, while balancing the states other complex interests.

The MOU identies that ODOT and OHA-PHD will work collaboratively on the connections betweenpublic health and transportation to meet the states mobility and health needs via four objectives: sharedcommunication and planning, shared encouragement of safe and active transportation, collaborativeresearch and data analysis, leveraged resource and funding opportunities.

The MOU has made recent progress with regards to data sharing and analysis. A work plan on processesfor sharing data between ODOT and OHA-PHD, as well as communications regarding data sharingand other aspects of this work, is in development. Oregon has seen some other new partnershipsblossom in recent months as part of the MOU effort; the regional Area Commissions on Transportation(ACTs) were invited to meet with local health departments, specically those working on programs thatemphasize the built environment.


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Steps Towards GreaterHealth and Wealth

Oregon

Active Transportation has recently been created as a new section within ODOT, and it includes anactive transportation grant program using state and federal funds. The ODOT Active Transportation

Section brings many programs together to deliver solution-oriented projects that are appropriate forthe multimodal and community-focused transportation system serving Oregon. The economic andhealth benets of a multimodal system have been integrated as a part of decision-making. Also, healthhas been considered in assessing the ConnectOregon mobility program applications and in discussingState Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) projects.

At OHA-PHD, the Safe Kids Program is managed as a part of the Injury Prevention Section in theCenter for Prevention and Health Promotion; part of the program addresses pedestrian safety. From2009-2011, 13 children in Oregon were killed as pedestrians and 89 were hospitalized. The Safe Kidsprogram unites public and private organizations including emergency responders, law enforcement,

health and safety professionals as well as interested citizens who work together to reduce unintentionapreventable injury and death in Oregon's children. In August 2013, Safe Kids Worldwide released areport on teenagers walking behavior, and Safe Kids Central Oregon and Commute Options were oneof 24 Safe Kids Coalitions participating in this study. The program also received a NHTSA grant forstatewide pedestrian safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded OHA to pilot an HIA on Portland MetrosClimate Smart Communities Scenarios Project. The focus of the project is to select the best way toreduce greenhouse gas emissions in-state through strategies like reducing vehicle miles traveled. TheHIA found that proposed strategies in the project could increase physical activity and decrease roadwayinjuries.

Clackamas County, Oregon, conducted a combined Road Safety Audit / Health Impact Assessment(RSA/HIA) on a boulevard. The HIA provides a summary of the health impacts in the local communitygiven each proposed roadway safety solution in the RSA. Safety issues for pedestrians were carefullyconsidered as a part of this work. The HIA team addressed how potential safety treatments on theboulevard could impact physical activity and access to health supportive resources in the area.

Applying Recommendations

Build Leadership From the Top, Integrate Programs: Support had emerged not only from the Governors ofce, balso from ODOT and OHA-PHD leaders and staff. The MOU tied health and transportation together. More signicantly, it helpto ofcially connect the two state agencies together in their operations and projects and provided the initial impetus f

integrating programs across their disciplines. Once the conversation between agencies was formalized, collaboration broadenand deepened.

Unite Disciplines: The ODOT Active Transportation Section demonstrated an emphasis on solutions that support walkifrom a multi-disciplinary perspective. It moved away from a traditional, siloed approach seen in many jurisdictions. This mudisciplinary perspective further underlines the value of understanding each partners language, objectives and concerns, athen delegating roles appropriately and strategically.

Encourage Partnerships:The MOU, the HIAs and other expanding efforts in Oregon put the spotlight on growing relationshwith other non-traditional partners, such as county agencies, federal partners and health and transportation analysts.

Experiment:Oregon leveraged funding for programs on pedestrian safety for children, as well as used HIAs and RSAs as toto assess transportation projects on issues related to roadway safety and climate change. By bringing the right people to tprograms and assessments that encourage walking, the leaders behind these efforts were able to provide a larger perspecton issues related to public health, transportation and economics.


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Case Study Oregon