Public Health Element
Public Health Element
The City of Encinitas recently received a SANDAG Healthy Communities Planning Grant to fund the creation of a stand-alone Public Health Element during the City’s current Comprehensive General Plan Update (CGPU) process. Although Public Health Elements are not mandatory under state law, an increasing number of California cities are utilizing general plans, community plans, and specific plans to address issues intersecting planning and public health. The Public Health Element project is being developed to address a range of issues that were identified throughout the Comprehensive General Plan Update visioning process, including but not limited to, promotion of healthy lifestyles, physical activity, safe pedestrian and bike routes, nutrition, local/healthy food access, personal safety, mental and respiratory health.
Although the City of Encinitas has already implemented an extensive outreach program as part of the CGPU; given that public health overlaps with many aspects of community life, additional community outreach was conducted over the summer of 2011 to ensure that the program goals and objectives are consistent with current values and reflect what the community would like to achieve in the next 20+years. As part of the program, the City conducted two public workshops and administered several different surveys in order to collect original background and Encinitas-specific data. Some of the survey questions were patterned after the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). (CHIS is the nation's largest state health survey.) Some of the other questions related to potential policy issues. The City will also be able to track and monitor changes in Encinitas over time.
Senior Survey (Same survey as the citywide survey, but with senior specific questions)
The youth survey was administered at partcipating elementary, middle, and high schools in the city. Surveys were designed primarily to obtain safe routes to school information; however some schools expanded the survey questionnaire to include other health related questions. Please contact the Planning Department at 760-943-2101 to see the results. Please note that the results from all surveys will be presented in the white paper (see note below).
The first public workshop was held on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at the Community and Senior Center (1140 Oakcrest Park Drive) at 6:00 pm.
The second public workshop was held on Monday, July 18, 2011 at the Community and Senior Center at 6:00 pm. Survey results were presented.
As a part of the plannnig process, the City developed a series of white papers on public health. The document will formally record all survey results and existing conditions analysis and help summarize the range of issues and opportunities that will most likely determine the quality of life and health related well-being in Encinitas in the year 2035.
As a part of the plannnig process, the City also developed a Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Scorecard Program. The document will be used as a resources to help community groups, school districts, and the city shape programs, share strategies, take advantage of funding opportunities and lay out in detail the specific priority projects that will facilitate bicycle and pedestrian access and safety at each school.
It is anticipated that this document will be updated and amended over time.
