Community Health 4
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4. Community Health 4.1 OVERVIEW This chapter describes the existing conditions in the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan Area related to community health. Included are a snapshot of the regulatory framework, existing health conditions, key issues that impact health, and opportunities for improving the health of southwest Fresno residents. 4.2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK The southwest Fresno area has been the subject of a number of planning and health studies and local initiatives over the past decade. Some are short‐term, while others are long‐term community initiatives that will last a decade or more. Key initiatives and studies include the following. EDISON COMMUNITY PLAN (1977) Adopted in 1977, the Edison Community Plan covers the southwest Fresno area. The Edison Community Plan was designed to stimulate the long‐term balanced growth of the community. Its three objectives are: 1) improve the quality of the environment and the strategic provision of public facilities improvements; 2) provide housing to accommodate the housing needs of a broad range of socio‐economic groups though new development and rehabilitation; and 3) stimulate an increase of income level through economic and employment development programs. The plan establishes eight major proposals, of which six address land use and/or urban design concerns. Key areas for change include a new community center area, urban service delivery policies, development and preservation of housing, improving commercial services, open space and recreation plan, and street improvements, and improved transit service. WEST FRESNO ASSET MAP: COMMUNITY PLAN (2009) In 2009, the City of Fresno, West Fresno Coalition for Economic Development, and Ramsay Group conducted an asset mapping study and five‐year action plan for west Fresno. Area assets were grouped into three categories: 1) economic assets; 2) social capital (including education, faith‐based communities, and social services; and 3) quality of life. Twenty actions were identified for implementation. Many of the recommendations focus on encouraging new residential and commercial development, improving dilapidated or underutilized properties, improving education and training opportunities at schools, building and coordinating capacity among social and faith‐based services to address local needs, developing a health clinic; and hosting events that promote the area’s cultural diversity. PLACEWORKS 4-1 SOUTHWEST FRESNO SPECIFIC PLAN – EXISTING CONDITIONS PROFILE CITY OF FRESNO COMMUNITY HEALTH BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITY INITIATIVE, CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT In 2010, The California Endowment launched its Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative, a 10‐year strategic plan designed to improve health systems and the physical, social, economic and service structures that support healthy living and healthy behaviors in a defined project area. The Fresno Initiative is one of 14 place‐based initiatives selected across the state of California. This $10 million place‐based initiative covers a smaller and denser area of Fresno–the central, southeast, and southwest sectors. Four goals guide the work: 1) health systems are family centered and prioritize prevention; 2) schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors, and are a gateway for resources and services; 3) human services systems are family centered, prioritize prevention and promote opportunities for children, young adults and their families; and 4) physical, social, and economic environments support health. WEST FRESNO BROWNFIELDS ACTION PLAN, US EPA, 2011 In 2011, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded the “West Fresno Brownfields Action Plan” to improve awareness of brownfields issues and increase the capacity of community organizations and citizens in West Fresno to organize and facilitate community‐led revitalization of brownfield properties. In 2015, EPA awarded $175,000 to the City of Fresno to assist with planning for cleanup and reuse of potentially contaminated sites along Elm Avenue as part of the Brownfields Area‐Wide Planning program. The City will work with the community to develop an area‐wide plan and implementation strategy for the Elm Avenue Corridor that connects several economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The cleanup strategy is intended to assist in the transformation of the corridor to more community‐serving uses. The Elm Avenue Brownfields project s will be closely tied to the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan. BUILDING NEIGHBORHOOD CAPACITY PROGRAM – REVITALIZATION PLAN The Fresno Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (FBNCP) is part of the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program, a key component of the White House’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). The NRI aligns federal investments in neighborhoods that experience concentrated poverty, crime, low‐ performing schools, inadequate access to housing and healthcare, as well as poor economic conditions. FBNCP seeks to empower neighborhoods to develop and obtain resources to transform neighborhoods. Since 2011, FBNCP has been working in the El Dorado Park, Yokomi, and southwest Fresno communities in developing a revitalization plan. With respect to southwest Fresno, the BNCP has adopted a vision to be a safe, healthy thriving, and economically successful neighborhood for all residents. Small‐scale projects are underway to improve lighting, safety, neighborhood beautification, and other efforts. FRESNO GENERAL PLAN (2014) The Fresno General Plan, adopted in 2014, establishes a framework for health and wellness in Fresno, including southwest Fresno. The Healthy Communities Element focuses specifically on subjects not fully discussed in other elements of the general plan including the relationships between the built, natural, and social environments and community health and wellness outcomes, such as mortality, chronic disease, and the effects of drug abuse and crime. Other chapters of the General Plan, particularly the Urban Design Element, address issues of how the City’s form and structure contributes to healthy outcomes. 4-2 AUGUST 2015 SOUTHWEST FRESNO SPECIFIC PLAN - EXISTING CONDITIONS PROFILE CITY OF FRESNO COMMUNITY HEALTH 4.3 EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS Southwest Fresno residents have long experienced poorer health than other places in California. However, information documenting the health and service needs of southwest Fresno residents is generally limited. Hospital community health needs assessments were available only for a four‐county area and therefore of limited applicability to southwest Fresno. In addition, the Fresno County Public Health Department could provide only limited data until access to the California Department of Public Health records is provided. The California Endowment’s BHC Initiative had data for its project area (central, southeast, and southwest Fresno), while the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) had limited information on a zip code basis. As such, this assessment relies on a variety of sources to provide a health portrait for southwest Fresno. Table 4.1 provides a summary of key health indicators. Generally, adults and children within southwest Fresno experience poorer health conditions than residents of Fresno County and State of California. Adults have significantly higher rates of diabetes, asthma, fair to poor health conditions, and obesity. Although relatively little data is available for youth, anecdotal evidence and limited surveys show that children also experience poorer health outcomes than their peers in the county and California. TABLE 4.1 HEALTH PROFILE OF SOUTHWEST FRESNO City of Fresno State of SW Fresno Fresno County California Adults: Current Health Conditions Diabetes: Adults Ever Diagnosed with Diabetesa 10.8% 8.3% 8.7% 8.4% Health Status: Percentage of Adults 18‐64 in Fair to Poor Healtha 26.3% 22.5% 22.1% 17.9% Obesity: Percentage of Adults 18‐64 Who are Obesea 31.8% 28.5% 29.1% 24.8% Asthma: Percent of Adults 18+ Diagnosed with Asthmaa 16.7% 18.3% 17.9% 13.7% Children: Current Health Conditions Diabetes: Percentage of Children Diagnosed with Diabetesa N/A N/A N/A N/A Health Status: Percentage of Children in Fair to Poor Healtha N/A 7.6% 8.0% 6.0% Overweight: Percentage of Children Ages 12‐17 Who are Overweight/Obesea N/A 38.1% 37.1% 32.4% Asthma: Percent of Children Ages 0‐17 Diagnosed with Asthmaa N/A 21.2% 19.8% 15.4% Risk Factors Poverty: Percentage of Adults Living in Povertya 34.1% 22.3% 19.9% 13.0% Poverty: Percentage of Children Living in Povertya 54.0% 38.1% 35.0% 20.9% Smoking: Percentage of Adults 18+ who Currently Smokea 16.6% 16.3% 15.5% 13.8% Smoking Among Children: Percentage of Children who Currently Smokea N/A N/A N/A N/A Adults: Percentage of Adults 18‐64 who are Not Insureda 27.1% 22.3% 22.4% 21.4% Children: Percentage of Children who are Not Insureda N/A 8.4% 8.5% 4.2% Violent Crimes per 100,000 residentsb 696 463 476 394 Property Crimes per 100,000 residentsb 3,226 4,148 3,407 2,459 Adults 18+ who did not graduate from high or receive a GEDc 43.7% 24.7% 26.3% 18.7% c Population 16+ who were unemployed (2009‐2013) 17.8% 15.7%% 14.5% 11.5% a. Source: California Health Interview Survey, Neighborhood Edition. b. Source: California Attorney General Office, 2014; City of Fresno Police Department, 2014 c. Source: American Community Survey, 2009‐2013. PLACEWORKS 4-3 SOUTHWEST FRESNO SPECIFIC PLAN – EXISTING CONDITIONS PROFILE CITY OF FRESNO COMMUNITY HEALTH 4.4 ISSUES The aforementioned literature provides evidence that the City and County of Fresno, and the San Joaquin Valley as a whole, are known for a number of