HEALTHY VALLEY 2000

THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTHY CITIES/COMMUNITIES MOVEMENT

The idea of a healthy cities/communities initiative to focus on improving the health and quality of life of cities and communities at the local level by organizing the business, government, and health sectors to address local issues and needs was first proposed in 1964.

However, the seeds of the idea did not germinate until 1985, when participants at the "Beyond Health Care Conference" in Toronto, Canada developed the idea of community health promotion that was quickly taken up by the World Health Organization. Soon European healthy community intiatives supported by W.H.O. began to spring up across the continent. In a little over ten years, this simple concept has become an international movement.

The U.S. Public Health Service launched the "Healthy People 2000" project in 1990 and explored developing a U.S. Healthy Community model in partnership with the National Civic League of Denver, Colorado. Along the way, the healthy community movement picked up national partners. The Healthcare Forum began an annual national Healthier Communities Summit in December 1993, with participation now over 2,000 attendees. The American Hospital Association, the United Way of America, the American Public Health Association and VHA Inc. among others, became active partners.

A collaboration of the American Hospital Association, VHA Inc., and the Catholic Hospital Association, with funding from the W.K.Kellog Foundation developed the National Community Care Network Demonstartion Projecrt. The $6 million, three year grant program will support the development of 20 community sites premised on the healthy community model. The sites were announced in September 1995.

In 1994, The Healthcare Forum released a national study of what the American public thinks is critical to their health. The study revealed that the public viewed individual health as directly related to the health of their communities. The study also showed that the public had lost cofidence in local govenment, business and community leaders and the media in developing solutions to community problems and wanted to play a more proactive role in the health of their communities and in defining needs and developing solutions to address those needs. The study provided conclusive evidence supporting the rapidly growing healthy comunity movement.

Today there are more than 1,500 Healthy Community projects in various stages of development worlwide. New community-based projects continue to emerge and additional national organizations are becoming partners or supporters of the Healthy Community movement. The "Coalition for Healthy Cities and Communities in the Uniited States" was recently established. The Coaliton is a partnership of national entities from the public and private sectors working to focus attention and resources on improving the health and quality of life of communities through community-based development and to support existing and new healthy commmunity initiatives by serving as a resource.