Jim Sallis believes that good health depends on great places. He also believes that information is power.
If more communities recognize the links between health and place, and have the tools to strengthen them, Sallis thinks we can begin to address some of the country's increasingly dire challenges from obesity and other chronic diseases related to physical activity.
Jim Sallis
Sallis is a distinguished professor of family and preventive medicine and director of the Active Living Research program at the University of California-San Diego. He will tour Oregon in October to share lessons from many years of gathering, developing, assessing and promoting such tools with communities around the country.
His tour begins Tuesday morning, Oct. 7 at Metro Regional Center. It's part of the annual Healthy Community Speaker Series sponsored by a range of public agencies and nonprofit organizations.
"I'm excited to come to Oregon," Sallis said. "It's a place often celebrated for its smart approach to planning, yet it faces many of the same health challenges as other states – especially among lower-income and minority communities. I hope to help spark some creative thinking about how to address those challenges, with tools that have worked elsewhere. There is a role for everyone to play."
Great challenges, growing collaboration
Sallis believes health depends on places like this being comfortable and safe for walking and bicycling.
Like many places, Oregon faces major health challenges exacerbated by physical inactivity. More than 1.8 million Oregonians, representing 62 percent of the population – and nearly a quarter of Oregon’s eighth- and eleventh-graders – are overweight or obese. In 2009, obesity-related illnesses cost the state about $1.6 billion in health care costs. Regardless of weight, physical inactivity itself is recognized as a major risk factor for most of the deadliest chronic diseases.
Fortunately, new collaboration is emerging between public health and planning as more research demonstrates the links between health and place.
Public health officials have long understood that toxins in air, water and food can harm human health. But many now recognize that the way communities are designed and laid out – and the extent to which transportation policies help or hinder walking and bicycling – can dramatically affect how many people suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Illustrating these links, Sallis' tour is cosponsored by both planning and health organizations, including the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division. Other statewide sponsors include nonprofits 1000 Friends of Oregon and the Oregon Public Health Institute, the Oregon Transportation and Growth Management Program and the cities of Salem and Eugene.
Oregon Public Health Division director Lillian Shirley will introduce Sallis when he speaks at Metro.
"Public health has always been about helping people avoid illness and be healthy," Shirley said. "If we leave out the prominent role that place plays in that process, we're missing an opportunity to address one of most important ways to enable better population health. Experts like Sallis help us make the connection stronger."
Lessons for Metro
Sallis' talk comes at a crucial time for Metro, too, which is increasingly aware of the imporance of health as an outcome of its planning projects – particularly through healthier transportation choices. In July, Metro adopted its first regional Active Transportation Plan. Major projects now underway – like the Southwest Corridor and Powell-Division Transit and Development Project – are including health among their goals. Further, Metro's Equity Strategy includes health equity among its objectives.
Metro Councilor Bob Stacey, who plans to attend the talk, said Metro could learn a lot from Sallis' experience.
"Great places support good health. New evidence makes it clearer all the time," Stacey said. "Metro has a big role to play, if we help create places where people can walk, bike or take transit more frequently. Jim Sallis brings tools and knowledge that can help Metro figure out where to invest to help more people live a healthy life."
At Metro Regional Center on October 7, Sallis will present tools that have worked elsewhere to help policy makers understand barriers to health, make needed changes and measure progress. He will also discuss the importance of collaboration and focus between professionals and communities. His presentation will be followed by an open discussion with guests.
RSVP for the free talk at Metro
Later in the day, Sallis will join city of Tigard officials for a walking tour as that city considers a strategic plan with walkability as its top goal. He will wrap up the day with a public event at the Beaverton Round.
His tour in Oregon will also include stops in Salem, Eugene and Bend – a lot of miles to cover in one short week.
"It will be a busy visit," Sallis said. "But these tools are vital to share. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have these conversations with people all over Oregon. My hope is to stimulate partnerships that create lasting change."