Parks & Recreation - June 2016

Safe Routes to Parks | Commit to Health: Foods of the Month | HEEPS of Benefits JUNE 2016 W W W. N R PA . O R G

Parks Are the Best Medicine Healthcare providers can be the strongest advocates for parks Page 46

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contents june 2016

Dr. David Sabgir enjoys a weekly walk with his patients and community members.

Cover and cover story digital illustrations by Kim Lewis

volume 51 | number 6 | www.parksandrecreation.org

COVER STORY

FEATURES

46 Parks Are the Best Medicine

52 Safe Routes to Parks: Prioritizing

Community Investments, Maximizing Resources

The practice of prescribing a walk in the park to treat a variety of ailments is gaining momentum, as parks, recreation and public health providers find common ground Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH

NRPA and its partners are continuing to work

for equitable access to parks and open green spaces

Rachel Banner

56 Recreational Programs Rev It Up NRPA’s Commit to Health initiative helps park

4

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and recreation agencies cultivate healthy behaviors during out-of-school time Dr. Danielle Hollar

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contents june

departments

columns

12 Community Center

8 Perspectives

Forest Therapy Can Promote Healing and Bring New Park Visitors 12

Healthy Data Trends Susan Trautman, CPRP

From the Director’s Chair 14 Our Dogs, Our Bodies, Ourselves 18 Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation RevUp 20 NRPA Connect Hot Topics 23 Notable News 23

24 By the Numbers

10 Editor’s Letter Parks Panacea Gina Mullins-Cohen

30 Advocacy

Advocating for Parks and Healthy Populations Oliver Spurgeon III

Living the Teen Dream

26 People for Parks GirlTrek’s Moving Meditation

28 Member to Member HEEPS of Benefits Tyler Tapps, Ph.D., CPRP and Janet Bartnik, M.S., CPRP

62 NRPA Update Meet the NRPA Health and Wellness Advisory Panel 62 How to Use NRPA’s Commit to Health: Foods of the Month Program 64 2016 NRPA Annual Conference: What’s New in Health and Wellness Education 66 Member Spotlight: Amy Teegarden 68

32 Law Review Legal Relationship Shapes AED Use Requirement James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

40 Future Leaders Young Professionals Need Fitness, Too Nathaniel Jaramillo

42 Conservation Why Walking in the Woods Is Bad for Your Health Richard J. Dolesh

44 Social Equity Improving Park Funding Measures to Achieve Smarter Equitable Investments Jon Christensen

Member Benefit: Networking and Leadership Opportunities You Won’t Find Anywhere Else 70 Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge 70 Professional Development Calendar 71

Page 44

72 Operations SwimATX: An Innovative Lifeguard Training Program

74 Products 76 Marketplace 79 Reader Service and Advertiser Index 80 Park Bench Rooftop Oasis Samantha Bartram

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P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R PA’ S L E A D E R S

Healthy Data Trends I recently had the pleasure of attending the NRPA Data-Driven Government and Parks and Recreation Innovation Lab in Boston. To be truthful, I wasn’t sure how I would react to spending three days learning about technology and its place in government. However, despite my Boomer upbringing and my own technology-deficit disorder, I was blown away by Boston’s use of technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness. I learned about the dashboards being used by Mayor Marty Walsh to quantify results in performance. I and my colleagues got an inside glimpse at research and data visualization at MIT, and I was amazed by studies that tracked recycled trash across the country, robots in sewers that could predict where disease would spread in neighborhoods, and the use of cell phones to capture crowd behaviors. More importantly, I learned from fellow professionals about why and how the use of data could help demonstrate the impact of parks and open space on good health.

I listened to conversations about Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department’s study on how “greenness,” or having trees in neighborhoods, was linked to better health in distressed areas. I heard about Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C.’s work with police departments and how crime among young people was reduced when late-night recreation programs were available.

Like all NRPA member organizations, Great Rivers Greenway shares the anecdotes of users who say their walking clubs, fitness classes or just time in nature improves their daily lives. These are the stories I like to share when I am speaking to groups, but they would be stronger and more compelling if supported by hard data.

So, I have to ask myself, if all this data and information is out there, why does our industry continue to struggle for funding? Why is it always the last in line for budget allocations?

And, perhaps most importantly, how do we distill important research data into meaningful sound bites that make sense to the public and elected officials?

This month’s issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is dedicated to NRPA’s Health and Wellness Pillar, and includes many stories of the deep, demonstrable connections between parks, open green space and public health, both mental and physical. Every day the evidence of park and recreation’s positive health impacts is mounting — I challenge all of us to gather the personal testimonies of constituents whose health has been improved by their involvement with parks and recreation and then support those stories with hard data to make the most compelling case for fully funding our work.

It is imperative to take advantage of this moment, when both public opinion and hard data are on the side of parks and recreation. We’re already making a tremendous impact on the health of our citizens and communities — it seems there’s nowhere to go but up.

SUSAN K . T R AU TM AN, CPR P Chair of the Board of Directors 8

Parks & Recreation

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2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | www.nrpa.org

NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jack Kardys

Chair of the Board of Directors Susan Trautman, CPRP

Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

Great Rivers Greenway District St. Louis, Missouri

Michael Kelly

Chair-Elect Stephen Eckelberry

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Brian Knapp

Past Chair Detrick L. Stanford, CPRP Clayton County Parks and Recreation Jonesboro, Georgia

Treasurer Neelay Bhatt PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Secretary Roslyn Johnson Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

NOVA Parks Fairfax, Virginia

Detrick L. Stanford, CPRP Clayton County Parks and Recreation Jonesboro, Georgia

Molly Stevens Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Austin, Texas

William “Joe” Turner Houston Parks and Recreation Houston, Texas

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman Lexington, South Carolina

NATURAL DOG PARK PRODUCTS

Anne S. Close Fort Mill, South Carolina

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James H. Evans

Leon T. Andrews

New York, New York

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Rosemary Hall Evans Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Rebecca Benná, CPRP Five River Metro Parks Dayton, Ohio

Earl T. Groves

Neelay Bhatt

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Gastonia, North Carolina

PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Richmond, Virginia

Kevin Coyle

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Harnish Streams and Valleys Fort Worth, Texas

Roslyn Johnson Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

Harry G. Haskell Kathryn A. Porter Mendham, New Jersey

Perry J. Segura New Iberia, Louisiana

R. Dean Tice Round Hill, Virginia

Eugene A. Young, CPRP Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 6 |

Parks & Recreation

9

EDITOR’S LET TER

Park Panacea It seems like every day more and more studies are confirming what we have known all along — parks and recreation are critical to the health and well-being of all communities.

A few months ago, the authors of a study that looked at parks and well-being in urban U.S. cities using the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, stated that their work, combined with already-existing bodies of research, “suggests that parks have a unique capacity to enhance multiple components of well-being, such as physical health and sense of community.”

This month’s Parks & Recreation magazine, our Health and Wellness Pillar issue, expands on the idea of connecting parks with public health. There is growing awareness that we can’t simply medicate our way out of the various health issues facing our country. We need a more comprehensive approach that looks at the underlying causes and calls for a synergistic relationship between public health and parks and recreation.

In the cover feature, “Parks Are the Best Medicine,” beginning on page 46, Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH, NRPA’s vice president of strategic health initiatives, highlights Park RX, a program that is a great example of collaboration between parks and recreation and public health. Through programs like Parks RX, the medical community is recognizing the importance of utilizing parks and open green spaces as tools in their efforts to achieve healthy outcomes for their patients.

On page 52, in “Safe Routes to Parks: Prioritizing Community Investments, Maximizing Resources,” NRPA Program Manager Rachel Banner looks at the continuing need to provide equitable access to parks and public spaces. In order for parks to be a viable resource for programs like Park RX, they must first be accessible to those who need them and provide a safe, welcoming environment.

Establishing healthy eating habits is critically important for the success of any wellness plan. In “Recreational Programs Rev It Up,” starting on page 56, Dr. Danielle Hollar shares the latest results from NRPA’s Commit to Health initiative, designed to teach children healthy eating guidelines.

An old African proverb says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” When it comes to health — on an individual as well as national level — everyone, from children and parents to recreation program facilitators, mayors and public health providers, needs to lend their labors. We can’t afford to overlook any potential partners when it comes to improving the health of our communities.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director 10 Parks & Recreation

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Samantha Bartram sbartram@nrpa.org MANAGING EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Catrina Belt cbelt@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design www.creativebydesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Dana Storm 703.858.2174 dstorm@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Mike Abbaté Keith Anderson Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Gwendolyn Chambers Brendan Daley Ryan Eaker Mariela Fernandez Robert García Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert Sandra Gonzalez Greg Harrison Tim Herd Mareya Ibrahim Edward Krafcik Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Gil Peñalosa Dr. Kevin Riley Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

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Community Center Forest Therapy Can Promote Healing and Bring New Park Visitors

By Joan Mooney

M

any park visitors enjoy a walk in the woods, sometimes with a nature guide. But, two California state parks are offering a very different experience with guided forest therapy walks. With a forest therapy walk, “there’s a lot more intention to it,” says Amos Clifford, founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. “It’s a practice that has to do with developing sensory awareness, using the senses as a way to intentionally invite in the healing power of the forest.”

Forest therapy originated in Japan, where a practice known as Shinrin Yoku, literally “forest bathing,” was recognized by the Forest Agency (the equivalent of the U.S. Forest Service) in the 1980s. The Japanese Society of Forest Medicine was created by a highly credentialed group of scientists and medical doctors to promote research on forest medicine, including the therapeutic effects of forests on human health. The science behind the practice is based on breathing in phytoncides (wood essential oils), which are antimicrobial volatile organic

compounds derived from trees. Forest therapy is now recognized in Japan as a stress management activity.

The practice came to the United States through Clifford, a longtime wilderness guide who had led wilderness trips for troubled youth and was looking for a way to bring the beneficial effects of nature to a wider audience. He started leading forest therapy walks in Sonoma County, California, and founded the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, which trains forest therapy guides from around the world.

Forest therapy walks allow participants quiet time in nature for reflection, connection adn sharing.

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On a forest therapy walk, says Clifford, “We would offer a series of invitations to guide you into a deeper awareness of your senses, what is around you and what is inside you — and doing that in a way that’s very gentle.” One invitation is to walk slowly for 15 or 20 minutes and observe what is in motion in the park — a rushing stream, a rustling of wind in the trees, perhaps a lizard skittering along the bank of the stream.

“When we do that, the body and mind naturally start calming down,” Clifford says. Initially, people on the walk start stressing out, thinking about all the things they should be doing, and they become impatient or bored. It normally takes them about an hour to relax and become aware of the environment.

Clifford’s organization has offered forest therapy walks in partnership with Sugarloaf Ridge State Park for three years. The park was among those in California closed in 2011 because of state budget cuts. Since 2012, Sugarloaf has been managed by the Sonoma Ecology Center, a private nonprofit organization. The Center publicizes the walks on its events website.

“We talk a little about forest therapy,” says John Roney, manager of the Ecology Center. “It doesn’t take long for people to get the idea.”

The most common participant on the Sonoma County walks is a woman in her 50s or 60s, adds Clifford. “One reason is, they often feel excluded from other kinds of nature activities. They

don’t want to do a 4-mile hike to the top of the mountain because they’re afraid they’ll hold everybody up, and they may not feel safe if they go by themselves.”

Roney appreciates that forest therapy walks “bring health benefits to people.” “We looked at the research that’s been done [in Japan and elsewhere] overseas about the health benefits, and it’s very compelling,” he says.

So compelling, in fact, that Roney plans to meet with the three biggest health providers in the area — Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and St. Joseph Health — to propose a program whereby doctors would prescribe forest therapy walks to their patients, who could then have the park fee waived. Roney hopes to roll out the program this summer in several California state and county parks.

In a similar public-private partnership, nonprofit Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods manages Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, which also offers forest therapy walks.

Stewards Programs Coordinator Sequoia Etcheverry has led a couple of walks and plans more for the summer.

She says she aims for people to experience a “deep nature connection.”

Etcheverry invites people on her walks to participate in simple activities, such as “follow your pleasure.”

A participant may discover that the sunlight on her skin is bringing her joy, and Etcheverry encourages her to immerse herself in the experience and explore it for 10 or 15 minutes.

People are invited to share their experience with the group afterward, an important part of the walk.

“People said, ‘I feel like I’m in a family,’” Etcheverry says. “And they were strangers half an hour before.

Two of the women were in tears when they were sharing.”

Michele Luna, executive director of the Stewards program, is pleased the park can offer the forest therapy walks as a way to engage the community and offer the practice’s physical and mental health benefits. Stewards will also be part of the medical prescription program.

You don’t need a deep redwood forest to offer forest therapy walks.

“We did one in a city neighborhood three-quarters of a mile from the freeway, in a pocket park,” Clifford says.

“We don’t need ideal conditions.”

Joan Mooney is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer (joanhmooney@gmail.com).

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 6 |

Parks & Recreation

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Community Center

From the Director’s Chair

P

articularly in the health and wellness space, many objectives are shared among park and recreation departments and their public health counterparts. Active lifestyles, exposure to natural environments and strong community connections all contribute to an overall climate of health — as it happens, all are also available through local parks and recreation, often with little or no financial barrier for entry. Savvy directors recognize the opportunities for collaboration between their agencies and public health providers and actively work to cultivate these connections for the betterment of their constituents, especially those in traditionally underserved populations.

This month, we reached out to Jesús Aguirre, superintendent at Seattle Parks and Recreation in Washington state; Jack Kardys, director of Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department in Florida; and Douglas R. Kupper, director of the Oklahoma City Department of Parks and Recreation to ask the following question: What initiatives at your agency have shown the greatest success in addressing health inequities in your community? Below are their observations:

Jesús Aguirre At Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) we support healthy people, healthy environments and strong communities, with a special focus on ensuring access to our neediest and historically under-represented residents. This year, we are embarking on an exciting new program designed to get people up and moving.

Our “Get Moving” initiative focuses on people from communities of color, immigrant communities, people with disabilities and folks from our LGBTQ community, especially youth and seniors, in communities where people are disproportionately affected by health disparities.

With funding from our newly cre14 Parks & Recreation

ated Seattle Park District, SPR provides grants to local nonprofits, small businesses and community groups that offer innovative and culturally relevant events and projects designed to get people involved in community sports, active recreation and physical fitness activities. Our goal is to reach 1,000 new participants this year.

SPR reached out widely in target communities and awarded grants to 14 projects for our initial year.

Funded initiatives include an intergenerational program focusing on African-American fathers and sons; a training program by a Latino leadership development group to help youth become coaches; a cultural dance program by an organization that supports the Lao community, especially youth, with scholarships and activities that preserve their culture; and an African Diaspora dance classes by an organization that invests in young women of color as future leaders through mentoring and programs that equip them with confidence and resiliency.

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Jack Kardys Perhaps the important initiative that has served as the blueprint for health equity in Miami-Dade County is the Parks and Open Space Master Plan, unanimously adopted in 2008 by the Board of County Commissioners.

During the past eight years, not only have all 35 municipalities, the school board, three state parks and two national parks in Miami-Dade adopted its principles — equity, access, seamlessness, sustainability, multiple benefits and beauty — but they also recognized that a great park system is much more than ballfields and summer programs. Rather, it is a system of great parks, public spaces, natural and cultural areas connected by great greenways, trails, blueways and complete streets that serve as safe, linear parks.

Despite significant budget reductions between 2008 and 2014, Miami-Dade Parks managed to make significant gains in community health equity by being recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama as a national model for health in park afterschool programs through our Fit2Play program, publishing four articles in national public health and medical journals for the healthy community outcomes from evidence-based programs and designs, building 140 miles of the 500-mile greenway system, and

investing $300+ million in park system capital improvements, 22 community fitness zones, five community and senior centers and a dozen playgrounds.

And, while we have made significant progress in some regards, we have a long way to go to realizing the vision and road map that was adopted for this community. In Miami-Dade it starts with the Parks and Open Space Master Plan and greater investment in parks and public spaces. Second, we encourage citizen park champions to attend key community events, budget hearings and town hall meetings to get informed and help spread the word on the importance of parks. Third, we ask people to volunteer their time for the revitalization and beautification projects that benefit the community, by joining the Conservation Corps volunteer team.

Our success is measured by community health gains and the cohesion of the community around the belief that there is power in a great park system to create a healthier, happier and more prosperous Miami-Dade County!

Douglas R. Kupper If you want a prescription for community health, you have to start with the parks department. This new philosophy is paving the way for the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department to become a leading wellness provider in the

city. Beginning in May 2014, our department has moved away from traditional recreation models and replaced them with more fitness fare. New adult leagues put an emphasis on year-round exercise, and a new cadre of more than 20 summer camps provides local children with opportunities to explore nature and the outdoors, as well as participate in fitness-based programs, sports, science and the arts.

There’s also a new emphasis on partnerships. In 2015, the department won a $35,000 grant to provide health programming to area seniors.

The grant enabled the department to partner with a local university and grocery store to create a new wellness program with an emphasis on senior exercise and nutrition.

We are also developing a new Wellness and Learning Campus in conjunction with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.

Located on parkland in one of Oklahoma City’s least healthy ZIP codes, the campus, when built, will provide a full array of wellness services, including health evaluations, exercise classes, diabetes and heart testing, and cooking classes for residents spanning all age groups.

The biggest equalizer of community health is our trails and sidewalks.

In a city spanning 621 square miles, walkability can be a challenge, but our trails system, which boasts almost 100 miles of linear multiuse trails, provides cyclists, walkers and runners in a variety of neighborhoods with the ideal safe place to get in their miles. And more trails, as well as in-park paths and neighborhood sidewalks are on the way.

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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Community Center

Our Dogs, Our Bodies, Ourselves

By Samantha Bartram

T

he obesity epidemic in the United States sadly is not confined to humans. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), almost 53 percent of dogs and 58 percent of cats in the United States are considered overweight or obese. It seems our furry friends are in as great a need of regular exercise as the almost 70 percent of U.S. adults diagnosed as overweight or obese.

Where those populations overlap, however, there is room for healthy improvements. Experts point to decreased blood pressure and more successful fitness outcomes among dog owners, versus those without a canine walking companion. Research published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health showed dog owners were more likely to reach their fitness goals — meanwhile, researchers at Michigan State University found that dog owners are 34 percent more likely to fit in the recommended 150 minutes of walking per week than non-dog owners.

Pet Park Prescriptions Park Prescriptions for humans — the practice of physicians prescribing time outdoors, often in local parks, as therapy for various ailments — is quickly catching on across the country. Doctors and other public health providers are taking note that parks exist in almost every neighborhood, are largely free to use and already feature the types of amenities that get people up and active, like walking and cycling trails. Now, veterinarians are beginning to catch on, melding existing research like that cited above with the convenient

availability of local parks. “As a veterinarian, I know that people [aren’t the only ones] grappling with the consequences of underactivity, such as diabetes and heart and respiratory disease,” Dr. Joseph Kinnarney, a mixed-animal practitioner in Reidsville, North Carolina, and president of the Reidsville Veterinary Hospital, said during his April remarks to announce AMVA’s support of U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s “Step It Up!” campaign. “I see the results of our sedentary lifestyles every day in my veterinary patients.

The good news is that by making small positive changes in our daily lives — like taking the opportunity for a short walk with our pets — we can improve our health together.”

It makes perfect sense that veterinarians would align their patients’ goals with those of Step It Up! — the

Resources The American Veterinary Medical Association offers several tips and precautions to consider when developing a walking regimen with your dog: Walking with Your Pet www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Walking-with-Your-Pet.aspx Disease Precautions for Dog Walkers www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Pages/ disease-precautions-dog-walkers.aspx Your Pet’s Healthy Weight www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/ yourpetshealthyweight.aspx More information about the U.S. Surgeon General’s Step It Up! Campaign: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/ walking-and-walkable-communities

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program encourages brisk walking to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes in people, but, when a leashed dog is added to the mix, positive health outcomes realized by human walkers naturally extend to their four-legged friends. “The AVMA is so happy to join with the National Park Service and the Surgeon General’s Office in urging the public to Step It Up!” Kinnarney said. “Walking benefits the physical and mental health of people and their pets. Walking is a way to promote health and prevent disease and is accessible, cost-effective and can be customized to you and your pet.”

Walking to Promote Baseline Health It’s important to remember that dogs require regular walks for a healthy life, whether or not they’re battling weight problems. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so do humans! Adults between the ages of 18 and 64 need at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week just to maintain good physical health.

Compounding problems like obesity, diabetes and heart disease only underline the necessity of regular exercise for all species.

“Is there really any better way to honor your pet than to commit to a healthy lifestyle for both of you?” Kinnarney asked. To that end, AVMA has added simple guidelines and tips to its website, www.avma.org, designed to help pet owners develop an exercise regimen that works both for their dog and themselves. “Give it a try and see if you don’t both feel better,” Kinnarney urged.

Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@ nrpa.org).

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Community Center

Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation RevUp Targeting the socioeconomic, psychological and emotional aspects of health

By J. Thomas Lovell, Jr., CPRP

T

he health of residents in Kansas and Missouri “is going downhill” read the headline in the Sunday, January 4, 2015, Kansas City Star.

Many of the findings, taken from the United Health Foundation, are based on simple factors, such as smoking, vaccinations, exercise and good eating habits. This is nothing new, but there is more. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every state in the country has a prevalence of obesity greater than 20 percent: 36 states have a rate greater than 25 percent and 12 states — including Missouri — are listed at more than 30 percent.

Unfortunately, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is not immune and our children need a “vaccine.” Within our community, all private and public fitness/ nutrition providers need to ramp up their programs and help our citizens develop the skills and tools necessary to change their lifestyle habits and assist them with improving their health.

Likewise, our businesses and families need to assume responsibility for their

employees, family members and themselves. Good community wellness and health makes “cents” and sense.

Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation (LSPR) has been serving Lee’s Summit since 1968 and, at all levels, is committed to continue having a strong presence in our community’s fitness and wellness solution. We provide 26 neighborhood parks, three community centers, more than 73

Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation is serving as a leader for public health in the community with its new RevUP Community Wellness Program.

miles of walking trails and a family waterpark, along with other programs and special events for the well-being of our community. Our population has increased from 28,000 in 1980 to approximately 95,000 today and is projected to be more than 116,000 by 2020. Over the years, this growth has presented many challenges, and we anticipate more throughout the next decade, but the current health of our community and nation is one of the most significant challenges facing us.

Obesity brings with it many health concerns — high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer and diabetes — all of

Did You Know…?

Of the adults in the United States…

• More than 66 percent are obese or overweight • 55 percent do not get enough physical activity • 26 percent are completely inactive • Only 25 percent eat recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables • 33 percent will have diabetes by 2050 and 75 percent of these cases will develop cardiovascular disease On average…

• Annual health care costs are $6,600 more for people with diabetes than for those without • Medical costs for obese adults is 77 percent higher than for a healthy adult Source: Anderson, D., Stay Well Health Management, 2008

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Community Center

which reduce the quality of life for the individual and, oftentimes, the family. Currently, at the national level, an estimated 16 percent of children between the ages of six and 18 are considered obese or overweight.

This is up from 5.7 percent in 1980.

In the state of Missouri, a recent assessment of 20,000 fifth and ninth graders found that 40 percent were overweight or at risk of being overweight. Research indicates that 80 percent of overweight adolescents will go on to become obese adults, so the future health for these children is in serious jeopardy. Causes of these conditions include a lack of physical activity, poor dietary habits and an inability to implement positive lifestyle choices (behaviors). As children grow up in these environments, they develop similar lifestyles and make similar lifestyle choices, thus continuing the cycle of obesity.

22 Parks & Recreation

Through the RevUP Community Wellness Program, LSPR uses specific action to improve physical, social, economic and psychological components of wellness.

While some communities are addressing these issues through education, LSPR knows this is only part of the solution. Education has to be converted to behavior changes. In Lee’s Summit, we have taken what we think are the best practices for health and wellness and merged

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them with a program called RevUp. Because health and wellness go far beyond the physical factors that influence sickness and disease, LSPR focuses on the implementation of effective programs that target the socioeconomic, psychological and emotional aspects of health. Through the RevUp Community Wellness Program, LSPR uses specific action to improve physical, social, economic and psychological components of wellness. Community members can take part in a 12-week, all inclusive, lifestyle change program that provides them with the skills and knowledge necessary to develop sustainable healthy habits. The program includes the following: • Health risk assessments that raise awareness of potential underlying lifestyle causes of disease that may exist • Small-group personal training • A nutrition-change program focusing on specific real-world knowledge for improving dietary habits • At least six points of contact each week with participants to improve social wellness and accountability Participants are assigned a personal trainer and coach to provide individual care and support. Sponsorships from local hospitals help reduce the cost of participation as well as increase our citizen’s ability to access these programs. More than 800 citizens have participated in the program as individuals and couples, as well as employees of private, nonprofit businesses and nonprofit organizations.

I encourage each of you not to be one of the negative statistics. “Move More, Eat Less,” “Use It or Lose It,” and “Start Now!” J. Thomas Lovell, Jr., CPRP, is the Administrator of Parks and Recreation at Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation (tlovell@ cityofls.net).

Notable News Hot Topics

T

he weather isn’t the only thing heating up this month! There are lots of conversations happening on NRPA Connect. Check out this preview of the latest, hottest conversations:

1

Dog park weight limits: How do you specify admission criteria for small versus large dog parks? What are the appropriate weight limits for each? Some of your colleagues’ recommendations include signs suggesting small and frail dogs only, allowing older dogs to join that may be larger, but slower and unsteady.

2

Maintenance of hill-training paths: Professionals weigh in on the most effective ways to stop erosion on man-made hills and trails.

Crushed concrete is the most popular suggestion — read more to find out why!

3

Texting patrons: This thread discusses the different service options for texting patrons to notify them of canceled games, swim lessons, fitness classes and more.

4

Nonprofit discounts: Many agencies receive requests for reduced fees for nonprofit organizations. What guidelines do you put in place to ensure consistent policies?

Have an answer or suggestion you would like to share? Visit www.nrpa connect.org to join the conversation.

— Hayley Herzing, NRPA’s Membership Programs Manager

n Olympic Day, celebrated worldwide every year on June 23, is meant to promote fitness, well-being, culture and education for people of all ages and abilities, and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

From May 31 to June 30, the U.S. Olympic Committee encourages communities across the United States to celebrate Olympic Day 2016 through educational programming and other activities. Organizations can register to host an event at any time during the month of June. More information can be found at www.teamusa.org/ About-the-USOC/In-the-Community/Olympic-Day.aspx.

n For 10 years, Steve Hawkins, lead horticulturist for the National Trail Parks and Recreation Department (NTPRD) in Springfield, Ohio, has spearheaded the seeding, growing and planting operation of the flowers that help to beautify the city and its parks in two NTPRD greenhouses. This operation saves the city tens of thousands of dollars. “What we buy for probably $700 to $800 is probably equal to $10,000 if you had to go buy them,” says Hawkins. To help with the planting and upkeep of the flowers, inmates from the Clark County Jail work alongside parks employees, further helping to keep down operational costs.

n A new law, signed May 11 by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, voids any attempt by cities and counties to impose their own rules about where drones can or cannot be flown. The final measure does allow cities to ban their use in parks — provided that at least one park does permit drones to be flown. That does not apply, however, if a community has only one park.

n Findings of a new study, conducted by the World Health Organization, of more than 3,000 cities around the world, show that “the amount of microscopic particle pollution increased 8 percent between 2008 and 2013,” and that pollution is particularly bad in low- and middle-income regions, where some 98 percent of cities don’t meet the WHO guidelines on air quality compared to 56 percent in wealthy parts of the world. It’s a catch-22 situation however, because some of the same toxic particles that contribute to the deaths of more than 3 million people worldwide each year also help to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight back out into space. To read the entire article, visit www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/12/air-pollutionrising-at-an-alarming-rate-in-worldscities.

n The Corner Project, a Manhattan nonprofit that provides health services to intravenous drug users, unveiled the city’s first public syringe drop box in any city park. This pilot project is a collaboration between the nonprofit and NYC Parks Department and is located in the Haven Park Underpass near 177th Street and New Haven Avenue in Fort Washington Park. The location was chosen because it is close to three of the most heavily concentrated syringe pickup spots. In order to integrate the design of the drop box into the landscape of the park, it is shaped like a daisy, with three hollow stems for depositing syringes.

For more news from around the industry, visit www.parksandrecreation.org/2016/June/Notable-News.

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By the Numbers

Living the Teen Dream If you could have lived anywhere in the United States as a teenager, where would it have been? SmartAsset recently released a study that ranks the best (and most fun) cities in the country for teens. After analyzing data, such as the number of recreational opportunities, teen unemployment rates and walking scores, the financial company ranked the 25 best cities for teens to live and thrive. Check out some key findings about the top 10:

#6 – Lexington, KY Highest number of public outdoor basketball hoops: 72 (23 per 100,000 residents)

#5 – Santa Ana, CA

Highest state minimum wage in the country: $10

#2 – Madison, WI

Highest concentration of skate parks, disc golf courses and public beaches: 6 per 100,000 residents

#4 – Omaha, NE Ranked 10th overall for concentration of movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades: 4.7 per 100,000 residents

#7 – Lincoln, NE

#1 – Irvine, CA

Ranked sixth for concentration of bowling alleys, arcades and movie theaters: 5.2 per 100,000 residents

Highest average graduation rate: 96%

#8 – San Diego, CA Second highest number of public beaches: 26 (Chicago has 32)

#9 – Lubbock, TX

Highest concentration of teenagers: 8.3% of population is 15-19 years old

#10 – Plano, TX

Second highest graduation rate: 94%

#3 – Pittsburgh, PA Ranked ninth for concentration of baseball diamonds, basketball hoops, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades: 4.8 per 100,000 residents

Source: SmartAsset, “The Best Cities for Teens,” https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-for-teens 24 Parks & Recreation

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People for Parks GirlTrek’s Moving Meditation

The walking group for African-American women supports health while promoting solidarity

By Samantha Bartram

“W

hen black women walk, things change,” says Vanessa Garrison, co-founder and chief of operations at GirlTrek. Garrison isn’t just talking about physical health, although positive change in that department is certainly an outcome of involvement with GirlTrek. Rather, she’s referring to a host of social impacts that result from the mobilization and action of African-American women. GirlTrek aims to provide a platform for one of the world’s most-marginalized populations to get healthy, gain confidence and transform neighborhoods. the message,” Garrison recalls. “We received about 600 responses from all across the country. At the end of 10 weeks, we weren’t prepared for what happened. The success stories flooded in and people didn’t want it to end.

We heard, ‘This is changing my life.

When are we going to do it again?’”

Struck by the overwhelming response and personally moved by the

GirlTrek

Inspiration and Action Six years ago, Garrison and her friend and GirlTrek co-founder, T. Morgan Dixon, were struck with an idea — a 10-week challenge inviting black women to head outside and start walking. “We emailed 200 friends, family members, colleagues — basically all of the black women we know — and asked them to forward

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impact of the 10-week challenge, Garrison and Dixon formed GirlTrek, a revolutionary approach to fitness and community. “The reality is, black women and girls are living under some trying circumstances in today’s world,” Garrison says. “They live in communities that are under extreme stress, whether it be from crime, health disparities, blight or even gentrification. We believe that when these women become active, they become powerful agents for change, and GirlTrek is here to support them.”

Walking and Civil Rights GirlTrek challenges its members to walk once a day, every day, in solidarity and in health. As Garrison puts it, “Walking is often underestimated. It may be the single best way to improve your overall health. Walking works: It is affordable, accessible and culturally relevant.” That last descriptor may give some pause, but Garrison sees GirlTrek as deeply rooted in the Civil Rights movements of yesteryear and today. She points to the influence of Fanny Lou Hamer, the lauded voting rights activist, as having a significant impact on the formation and mission of GirlTrek.

“Before [Fanny Lou Hamer] was the iconic Civil Rights activist, she was one of us,” Garrison says. “Her formal education was limited. The most powerful thing about Fannie Lou Hamer wasn’t her heart-wrenching story of being jailed and beaten.

One Million Walking Already, more than 60,000 African-American women and 250,000 supporters have pledged to walk as part of GirlTrek. By 2018, however, Garrison hopes to entice 1 million mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and grandmas to head to their local park or walking trail every day “as a declaration of self-care — a practical step toward healthier lives and a historic strategy of collective action,” she says.

That parks are ubiquitous across the United States and, in most cases, free and open to the public, make them an ideal setting to achieve GirlTrek’s 1 million walkers goal. “Parks are a way to get out in nature and use the free resources around you,” Garrison says, citing GirlTrek neighborhood captains in Florida’s Broward County and Houston, Texas, who lead multiple walks per week in their local parks.

“Eighty-two percent of black women are over a healthy weight,” she continues. “Half of us are obese.

One-hundred-forty-eight black women die every day from heart disease.

GirlTrek

Fannie Lou Hamer’s power was her voice. It was authentic. Everyday. Relatable.”

Garrison asked herself, what would happen if she rallied all the “everyday” women around her to get up and get moving? “What if we found and mobilized all of the Fannies, the Harriets, the Ida B’s and Ella Bakers in our communities today?” Garrison continues. “What if we asked them to start a new kind of health movement with us? To walk for healing. What if every woman who — in Mrs. Hamer’s words — was ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired,’ rallied? Grassroots leadership is how change has always happened in our community.”

That is more than smoking, gun violence and HIV/AIDS combined.

Simply put, black women are dying younger, faster and at higher rates from preventable obesity-related diseases than any other group of women in the country and nobody is talking about it!

“We know that two-thirds of black women [regularly engage] in little or no leisure time physical activity — because we have no leisure time.

From the time our feet hit the floor in the morning to the time we close our

eyes at night, our steps are ordered, by our jobs, sometimes two or three jobs, or our efforts to find a job… For [the women involved with GirlTrek], walking has become a keystone habit that leads to a cascade of tiny rebellions against disease.”

To learn more, join an existing GirlTrek group or for information on how to become a GirlTrek team leader, visit www.girltrek.org.

Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@ nrpa.org).

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Member to Member HEEPS of Benefits

By Tyler Tapps, Ph.D., CPRP and Janet Bartnik, M.S., CPRP

D

id you know that parks, trails and playgrounds are three of the top five most important community amenities requested by people seeking or building new homes? This is according to the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders. Studies show that there is a link between the built environment and the physical, social and economic health of a community. For the last half-century, we have been developing vehicle-dependent environments that foster obesity, poor health, social isolation and high infrastructure costs. Planning for park and recreation facilities can promote active lifestyles, build healthy communities and lower healthcare costs. Therefore, we would like to take time to discuss what we call “HEEPS” (Health, Environment, Economic, Psychological and Social) of benefits that are great promotional pieces for health and park and recreation agencies.

And, health benefits are not limited to increases in physical activity made easy due to proximity of parks and trails. The American Planning Association’s (APA) briefing, “How cities use parks to…Improve Public Health,” includes references to studies showing that exposure to nature results in lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels, enhanced survival after a heart attack, more rapid recovery from surgery and fewer minor medical complaints.

Health Benefits NRPA highlights the contribution of public parks to the physical activity and health of community residents — almost 100 percent of parks provide an outlet for physical activity to occur.

Also, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) suggests that people exercise more when they have access to parks. Some

Environmental Benefits Did you know that during the course of 50 years one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen and $62,000 of pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion? This is all according to the U.S. Forest Service, which also says people recover from illnesses or injuries more quickly when they have a view of trees and nature from their windows.

Even the American Public Works Association (APWA), which often cites drawbacks of the natural environment, recognizes the benefits of trees, noting that they multiply with tree size, because larger trees support more leaf surface area than smaller trees.

Professor and author C. Donald Ahrens in 2006 discussed the value of parks and open space in reducing the effects of urban “heat islands.”

Heat islands are created by excessive amounts of paved surfaces, buildings and population density. These result in temperatures averaging 2-10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal temps.

The consequences include costlier air conditioning bills, increased pollution

28 Parks & Recreation

of the overall benefits of physical activity are reduction of the risk of heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer and diabetes. Further, the benefits of physical activity are multiplied when one considers that the cost of medical care is up to 40 percent higher for an obese patient versus someone of a healthy weight.

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and higher mortality rates. Remember the often-negative APWA? The association recognizes that in hot, arid climates, increasing street shade by 20 percent increases the pavement condition index and extends the resurfacing cycle from every six to 13 years, reducing street maintenance costs by 50 percent.

TPL also lists environmental benefits related to stormwater runoff, which presents significant issues in communities where impervious surfaces, such as roads, sidewalks, parking lots and rooftops, prevent water from soaking into the ground. The American Forests Resource Center considers trees, and likely undeveloped park spaces, a “less expensive stormwater management system.”

And stormwater that is slowed naturally before entering a stream is likely to contain fewer pollutants.

Economic Benefits Perhaps you are seeking park and recreation benefits beyond those related to the environment and health?

Surely, money is something to grab the attention. Studies show that wellplanned park and recreation systems can serve as a catalyst for economic development. How? Access to parks can increase property values, stimulate the creation of jobs at the seasonal, part-time and full-time levels and provide a foundation for place-based economic development. According to NRPA and the APA, parks actually attract consumers to downtown regions, spur the opening of concessionaires and local restaurants, and increase tourism. Official measurements of the economic impact that parks have can be difficult to calculate. However, TPL has developed a guide for measuring the economic value of a city park system that

measures property value, direct use, health, community cohesion, clean water, clean air and tourism. NRPA’s recent report, The Economic Impact of Local Parks, also aims to quantify the significant benefits offered by a robust park and recreation system (www.nrpa.org/parkeconreport).

And, what do we know about the next generation? They choose the community in which they want to live before they start looking for a job.

Millennials are interested in communities that are rich with amenities — and what amenities are often at the heart of quality-of-life? You guessed it — parks, recreation and trails.

Communities desiring to maintain relevance to the next generation of workers need to have high-quality park systems to bring these college grads home, or to encourage more to call them home. Author, researcher and park champion John Crompton finds the same to be true for what he calls GRAMPIES, the Growing number of Retired, Active, Monied People in Excellent Shape. And this group, different from the Millennials, consists of positive taxpayers, generating more in taxes for the municipality than they cost to the city.

Psychological Benefits So, while the above benefits affect us all, psychological health is really about the individual and not a community health issue, right? Wrong. A study conducted in 2014 and reported in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics found that mental health is significantly related to residential distance from parks. This research has resulted in a shift in attention to the built environment as a key determinant of health for both physical and mental population health.

Psychology Today asks the question,

“Do Parks Make People Happier?”

A longitudinal study conducted in Great Britain over a period of 18 years found that living near parks does affect people’s mental health, even when controlling for marriage and employment variables.

Social Benefits According to NRPA’s ongoing analyses of social equity and parks, public parks help provide equal access to nature and green spaces for all citizens regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, ability, ethnicity or age. Park and recreation agencies can foster community “buy-in” or pride, bring people together and connect them to each other and to nature. Community pride is often linked to the creation of more stable neighborhoods.

Additionally, TPL links parks and recreation to reductions in crime, including reducing juvenile delinquency. Studies show that students involved in recreational activities are less likely to miss school, more likely to graduate and go on to college, and score roughly 10 percent higher than youth not engaged in recreational programs.

According to NRPA, successful parks have four key qualities. They are (1) accessible, (2) allow people to engage in activities, (3) comfortable, and (4) sociable places. It is critically important that we start looking at these qualities as mechanisms to house our HEEPS of benefits and start spreading the word about how parks offer much more value than just a place to sit.

Tyler Tapps, Ph.D., CPRP, is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University (tytapps@nwmissouri.edu). Janet Bartnik, M.S., CPRP, is the Director at Liberty Parks and Recreation in Missouri (jbartnik@ ci.liberty.mo.us).

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ADVOCACY

Advocating for Parks and Healthy Populations

By Oliver Spurgeon III

P

ublic health threats can emerge at a moment’s notice and sometimes last a lifetime. When most Americans think of public health, it conjures thoughts of the traditional battles against obesity, cancer, heart disease, smoking and other chronic diseases that have plagued Americans for decades. Traditional public health efforts have been backed by massive media and advertising campaigns — think “Just Say No,” the famous anti-drug initiative helmed by former First Lady Nancy Regan during the 1980s. They also required long, drawn-out research and education efforts to find cures or reduce usage. It often took years to diagnose potential causes and symptoms before the public became aware, let alone for governments to act. For decades, these public health battles have been funded by bouncing levels of public dollars from state, local and federal governments, and bolstered by private giving campaigns, long-term commitments from endowments and the selfless largess of many well-heeled celebrities.

The most recent public health threats, including the toxic drinking water plaguing residents of Flint, Michigan; sexually transmitted and mosquito-driven outbreaks of Zika

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in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and elsewhere; travel-related confirmations of Zika in the continental United States; and the scourge of opioid addiction rag-

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ing throughout rural farming communities, suburban cul-de-sacs and urban jungles around the nation, have moved across states lines and international borders like tidal waves. The unprecedented speed of these crises — especially the opioid pandemic — has taken entire communities captive in their wake with surprising quickness. However, unlike the addiction episodes of the “Just Say No” era, where entire communities were swallowed whole before the public conscious was awakened, public health advocates, including park and recre-

ation agencies, are working to make sure state, local and national leaders are aware of emerging threats before they become national problems.

Armed with reams of data, the latest research and enough personal stories to melt the hearts and open the wallets of the toughest fiscal hawks, public health advocates have moved into the 21st century and away from the sequestered approaches of the past. Instead of hiding in their laboratories and sending leather-bound journals of wonky academic papers that were filled with unintelligible parochial jargon, confusing charts and NASA-approved graphs to mayors, governors and members of Congress — often without any layman’s explanation of what these journals and articles were about — public health advocates are meeting leaders on their own turf: in state legislatures, city councils and the halls of Congress.

In the case of park and recreation agencies, Jayni Rasmussen, NRPA’s advocacy and outreach specialist, has created the Park Champions initiative. Park Champions is NRPA’s effort to develop local park and recreation advocates in all 50 states who are dedicated to ensuring elected officials at every level understand the important role park and recreation agencies play in building communities and changing lives. Park Champions has turned the traditional idea of advocacy on its head. Instead of constantly meeting leaders where they are to deliver our message of public health, Park Champions embraces a show-and-tell model. Our greatest assets are the picturesque parks that we manage and the inviting and accessible recreation centers that we run, whose doors are open to anyone and everyone, and the wonder

Instead of constantly meeting leaders where they are to deliver our message of public health, Park Champions embraces a show-andtell model. ful children, adults and seniors who we serve. Park Champions allows us to leverage our assets in a way that most other public health advocates can’t. Scientists can’t bring members of Congress out to local parks to discuss the importance of mosquito abatement and Zika preparation.

Researchers can’t invite the mayor to a community meeting to discuss anti-drug awareness. Doctors can’t host a peewee league tee-ball game to

talk about childhood obesity with the governor — but Park Champions can do all of the previously mentioned activities with ease.

As the country grapples with Zika prevention and preparation efforts, combats the opioid pandemic and continues to fight and fund the traditional public health battles of the past — especially those related to obesity and physical inactivity — park and recreation agencies are uniquely positioned to not only tell elected officials about the importance of public health, but to also show them why public health matters through visits to our agencies.

Our advocacy efforts are incomplete without a motivated and committed legion of Park Champions in every state. To find out more about NRPA’s Park Champions initiative, visit www. nrpa.org/park-champions.

Oliver Spurgeon III is NRPA’s Government Affairs Manager (ospurgeon@nrpa.org).

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L AW R E V I E W

Legal Relationship Shapes AED Use Requirement

By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

A

ssuming a relationship that imposes a legal duty (e.g., coach/ athlete, instructor/participant, landowner/invitee), in the event of any injury, one must act like the reasonable person under the circumstances to avoid negligence liability. In response to changes in available technology, the applicable legal standard of reasonable care may slowly become more demanding over time. As yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exotic safety precautions become more commonplace and expected, all reasonable persons must conform to a generally accepted higher standard of reasonable care to avoid potential negligence liability in the event of an injury.

The AED (automated external defibrillator) is an example of available technology that may arguably be evolving from an option to an expectation in determining the legal standard of reasonable care under certain limited circumstances. The AED is a portable electronic device that uses a brief electroshock to restore normal function in someone experiencing cardiac arrest. The AED is designed to be used by an ordinary layperson

32 Parks & Recreation

responding to a cardiac emergency.

Training in AED use has become commonplace in many first-aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) classes for individuals and agencies.

Clearly, in response to a cardiac event, utilization of a readily available AED may save a life. Moreover, advances in technology have made the AED easy to acquire and use. The question, however, is whether the failure to acquire or utilize available AED

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technology will necessarily provide a basis for negligence liability.

Despite the ready availability of such life-saving technology, at this point in time, the failure to utilize an available AED would not necessarily provide a legal basis for negligence liability. On the contrary, under traditional common law, in the absence of a legal relationship, there is no duty to rescue an imperiled stranger. Moreover, given the existence of a legal relationship, in the event of a serious or life-threatening event, reasonable care would usually require nothing more than prompt summoning of competent medical attention.

In practical terms, in the event of a cardiac emergency, the generally applicable legal duty would be satisfied in most emergency situations by simply calling 911. Once the 911 call is made

summoning the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), the common law would not require any further action or treatment, including CPR or AED use for a cardiac emergency. To avoid negligence liability, once help has been summoned, one must simply avoid any conduct or “treatment” that would aggravate an injury during a cardiac emergency.

In the case described herein, this traditional common-law principle was superseded by a state law that required public schools participating in interscholastic sports to acquire and provide AED training.

Generally, courts will narrowly construe and limit the scope and applicability of any statute that alters traditional common-law principles. In other words, a statute that required AED acquisition and training for public schools would not be more broadly construed by a court to include similar situations or public entities like public parks and recreation. On the contrary, courts will generally assume that the legislature would have specified and included additional entities in the expressed language of the statute if the legislative intent was indeed to require AED acquisition and training beyond public schools involved in interscholastic sports.

Accordingly, in the absence of expressed statutory language to the contrary, one would expect the traditional common-law principle would remain in effect in the event of a cardiac emergency, i.e., no duty beyond prompt summoning of competent medical attention (calling 911). Similarly, in the absence of expressed statutory language to the contrary, it is unlikely that reasonable care under the circumstances would necessarily

require AED use and availability in public parks and recreation programs to avoid negligence liability in the event of a cardiac emergency.

In addition, the availability of various forms of limited governmental immunity for public park and recreation agencies in many jurisdictions further limits negligence liability exposure in the event of a cardiac emergency. Further, to en-

The question, however, is whether the failure to acquire or utilize available AED technolgoy will necessarily provide a basis for negligence liability. courage AED use without fear of liability, many jurisdictions also provide limited immunity statutes for individuals who attempt to utilize this life-saving technology.

At some point in time, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, AED use may become so ubiquitous that an AED would be used by any reasonable person under the circumstances. If so, failure to do so might provide a basis for negligence liability under such circumstances. However, in light of limited governmental immunity laws and AED immunity laws available in many jurisdictions, liability will remain an unlikely exception under most circumstances. Similarly, any future legislation would more likely

increase immunity, rather than increase AED liability exposure.

Available AED Not Used In the case of Limones v. School District of Lee County, 161 So. 3d 384; 2015 Fla. LEXIS 625 (4/2/2015), 15-year-old Abel Limones, Jr., suddenly collapsed during a high school soccer game. As described below, the state supreme court determined that a jury should consider what might be construed as reasonable care under the circumstances during this particular cardiac emergency, including use of an AED required by law.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:40 p.m. on November 13, 2008. There was no evidence to suggest that Abel collapsed due to a collision with another player.

The event involved a soccer game between East Lee County High School, Abel’s school, and Riverdale High School, the host school.

Both schools belong to the Lee County School District in Florida.

When Abel was unable to rise, Thomas Busatta, the coach for East Lee County High School, immediately ran onto the field to check his

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player. Abel tried to speak to Busatta, but within three minutes of the collapse, he appeared to stop breathing and lost consciousness. Busatta was unable to detect a pulse. An administrator from Riverdale High School, who called 911, and two parents in the stands, who were nurses, joined Busatta on the field. Busatta and one nurse began to perform CPR on Abel.

Busatta, who was certified in the use of an AED, testified that he yelled for the device. The AED in the possession of Riverdale High School was actually at the game facility located at the end of the soccer field, but it was never brought to Busatta to assist in reviving Abel on the field.

Emergency responders from the fire department arrived at approximately 7:50 p.m. and applied their semi-automatic AED to revive Abel, but that was not unsuccessful. Next, responders from the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) arrived and utilized a fully automatic AED on Abel and also administered several drugs in an attempt to restore his heartbeat. After application of shocks and 34 Parks & Recreation

drugs, emergency responders revived Abel, but not until approximately 8:06 p.m., 26 minutes after his initial collapse. Although Abel survived, he suffered a severe brain injury due to a lack of oxygen over the time delay involved. As a result, he now remains in a nearly persistent vegetative state that will require full-time care for the remainder of his life.

Negligence Complaint In the complaint, plaintiff alleged the School Board of Lee County “breached both a common-law duty and a statutory duty as imposed by section 1006.165, Florida Statutes (2008) when it failed to apply an AED on Abel after his collapse.” At the time, Section 1006.165, Florida Statutes required “all public schools that participate in the Florida High School Athletic Association to acquire an AED, train personnel in its use and register its location with the local EMS.” In the opinion of plaintiff ’s medical expert, Abel “would not have suffered the brain injury that left

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him in the current permanent vegetative state…if shocks from an AED had been administered earlier, oxygen would have been restored to Abel’s brain sooner.”

The school board moved for summary judgment, which the trial court granted and entered final judgment in favor of the school board. Limones appealed.

The appeals court recognized that the school board “owed a duty to supervise its students, which in the context of student athletes included a duty to prevent aggravation of an injury.” In so doing, the appeals court considered and evaluated whether post-injury efforts in connection with satisfying the duty to Abel should have included making available, diagnosing the need for, or using an AED. In the opinion of the appeals court, “reasonably prudent post-injury efforts did not require [the school board]…to provide, diagnose the need for, or use an AED.” The state supreme court granted Limones’ petition to review this decision.

Negligence Legal Duty As noted by the state supreme court, “a plaintiff must establish the four elements of duty, breach, proximate causation and damages” in order “to succeed on a claim of negligence.”

While the court would determine “the existence of a duty,” the state supreme court acknowledged the jury would apply this legal standard to determine whether or not the conduct of a particular defendant constituted negligence. Moreover, the court noted that the judicial “inquiry necessary to establish a duty is limited.”

The court must simply determine whether a statute, regulation or the common law imposes a duty of care upon the defendant. The judicial

determination of the existence of a duty is a minimal threshold that merely opens the courthouse doors...

Once a court has concluded that a duty exists, Florida law neither requires nor allows the court to further expand its consideration into how a reasonably prudent person would or should act under the circumstances as a matter of law.

According to the state supreme court, “It is peculiarly a jury function to determine what precautions are reasonably required in the exercise of a particular duty of due care.”

As noted by the state supreme court, in this particular instance, the lower courts had recognized a clearly established common-law duty that “school employees must reasonably supervise students during activities that are subject to the control of the school.” Specifically, the lower courts had found “the duty of supervision owed by a school to its students included a duty to prevent aggravation of an injury.”

That being said, the state supreme court found the appeals court had “incorrectly expanded Florida law and invaded the province of the jury when it further considered whether post-injury efforts required respondent [school board] to make available, diagnose the need for, or use the AED on Abel.”

able care toward the person in need of protection or aid.”

In particular, the state supreme court found, “Florida courts have recognized a special relationship between schools and their students based on the fact

that a school functions at least partially in the place of parents during the school day and school-sponsored activities.” Further, the court found the “special relationship requires a school to reasonably supervise its students

Common-Law Duty Citing a generally applicable legal principle, the state supreme court noted, “a party does not have a duty to take affirmative action to protect or aid another unless a special relationship exists which creates such a duty.” However, when a special legal relationship exists, the state supreme court acknowledged, “the law requires the party to act with reason

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during all activities that are subject to the control of the school.” Once a court finds this special relationship exists under the circumstances of a particular case, the jury, not the court, would “determine whether, under the relevant circumstances, the school employee has acted unreasonably and, therefore, breached the duty owed.”

In particular, the state supreme court found Florida courts have “recognized that the duty of supervision creates the following specific duties owed to student athletes: (1) schools must adequately instruct student athletes; (2) schools must provide proper equipment; (3) schools must reasonably match participants; (4) schools must adequately supervise athletic events; and (5) schools must take appropriate measures after a student is injured to prevent aggravation of the injury.” In so doing, the state supreme court noted further that other jurisdictions “have acknowledged similar duties owed to student athletes.”

Accordingly, since “Abel was a student who was injured while he participated in a school-sponsored soccer game under the supervision

of school officials,” the state supreme court concluded the school board “owed Abel a duty of supervision and to act with reasonable care under the circumstances.” Specifically, the state supreme court found the school board owed Abel a legal duty to “take appropriate post-injury efforts to avoid or mitigate further aggravation of his injury.”

Reasonable Care Jury Issue The state supreme court noted further that “reasonable care under the circumstances” is a legal standard that “may fluctuate with time, the student’s age and activity, the extent of the injury, the available responder(s) and other facts.” In particular, the court found reasonable care will fluctuate over time in response to “advancements with technology and equipment available today.” Within the context of this case, the state supreme court noted that equipment like a “portable AED to treat an injury were most probably unavailable 20 years ago, and may be obsolete 20 years from now.”

As a result, the state supreme court

would “leave it to the jury to determine, under the evidence presented, whether the particular actions of respondent’s [i.e. school board] employees satisfied or breached the duty of reasonable care owed.” In so doing, the state supreme court rejected the decision of the appeals court to “narrowly frame the issue” as to whether the school board had “a specified duty to diagnose the need for or use an AED on Abel.” In the opinion of the state supreme court, “reasonable care under the circumstances is not and should not be a fixed concept,” but a “factual matter for the jury” to consider.

We reject the attempt below [by the appeals court] to specifically define each element in the scope of the duty as a matter of law, as this case attempted to remove all factual elements from the law and digitalize every aspect of human conduct.

In the opinion of the state supreme court, “the flexible nature of reasonable care delineated here can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.” Otherwise, the state supreme court noted a defined legal duty “could require every high school to provide an AED at every athletic practice and contest, the result could be great expense.” While the applicable legal duty to use “reasonable care to supervise and assist students” remained unchanged, the state supreme court found “the methods and means of fulfilling that duty will depend on the circumstances.”

Different Legal Relationships As cited by the lower courts, an earlier decision had “determined that the duty owed by a commercial health club to an adult customer only required employees of the club to reasonably summon emergency responders for a patron in cardiac

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distress.” Similarly, the state supreme court noted; “Some courts in other jurisdictions have determined that fitness clubs and other commercial entities do not owe a legal duty to provide AEDs to adult customers.”

However, in the opinion of the state supreme court, a “critical distinction” existed between “the commercial context and legal relationship” of an adult customer in a health club and “a student involved in school activities with school board officials.”

Despite the fact the business proprietor-customer and school district-student relationships are both recognized as relationships, these relationships are markedly different.

We initially note that the proprietor-customer relationship most frequently involves two adult parties, whereas the school-student relationship usually involves a minor. Furthermore, the business invitee freely enters into a commercial relationship with the proprietor.

As characterized by the state supreme court, compulsory education involves a unique legal relationship that creates “a specific duty of supervision owed to students and a duty to aid students that is not otherwise owed to the business customer.” Moreover, the court noted: “The Florida legislature has specifically mandated that high schools that participate in interscholastic athletics acquire an AED and train appropriate personnel in its use. § 1006.165(1)-(2), Fla. Stat.” In so doing, the state supreme court underscored the fact that “the legislature has not so regulated health clubs or other commercial facilities, even though the foreseeability for the need to use an AED may be similar in both contexts.”

Accordingly, the state supreme

court concluded the legal “relationship between a commercial entity and its patron quite simply cannot be compared to that between a school and its students.” As a result, the state supreme court found earlier

decisions that found no legal duty to provide AEDs to adults in a commercial context were “not comparable” to the facts in a case involving a cardiac event during an interscholastic sporting event.

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AED Use Immunity?

Having found the school board “owed a common-law duty to Abel,” the state supreme court then considered whether statutory immunity would apply under state law. As cited by the court, “Section 1006.165 requires all public schools that are members of the Florida High School Athletic Association to have an operational AED on school property and to train all employees or volunteers who are reasonably expected to use the device in its application. § 1006.165(1)-(2), Fla. Stat.” Moreover, the court noted that the use of AEDs by employees and volunteers was also covered by immunity provisions in the Florida Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. Specifically, in pertinent part, this state law provided as follows: Any person who uses or attempts to use an [AED] on a victim of a perceived medical emergency, without objection of the victim of the perceived medical emergency, is immune from civil liability for any harm resulting from the use or attempted use of such device…any person who acquired the device and makes it available for use, including, but not limited to, a community organization is immune from such liability. § 768.1325(3), Fla. Stat.

Under this law, there is no immunity for criminal misuse, gross negligence or similarly egregious misuse of an AED. § 768.1325(4)(a).

Under a “plain reading of the statute,” the state supreme court found “this subsection creates two classes of parties that may be immune from liability arising from the misuse of AEDs: users (actual or attempted) and acquirers.” Further, as characterized by the court, “users” were clearly “immune from civil liability for any harm resulting from the use or attempted use” of an AED. 38 Parks & Recreation

§ 768.1325(3), Fla. Stat. Additionally, the state supreme court found “acquirers are immune from ‘such liability,’” meaning the “liability for any harm resulting from the use or attempted use” referenced in the prior

In the opinion of the state supreme court, “reasonable care under the circumstances is not and should not be a fixed concept...” sentence. (Emphasis of court) As a result, in the opinion of the state supreme court, “acquirers are not immune due to the mere fact that they have purchased and made available an AED which has not been used.”

Rather, the state supreme court found an AED acquirer is only “entitled to immunity from the harm that may result only when an AED is actually used or attempted to be used.” (Emphasis of court) In this particular instance, the court noted, “no actual or attempted use of an AED occurred in this case until emergency responders arrived.”

Accordingly, the state supreme court held the school board was “not entitled to immunity” under the Florida Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. As described by the court, “this straightforward reading of the statute” was consistent with the “legislative intent” of the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act: The passage of section 1006.165 [requiring AEDs for public school athletics] demonstrates that the legislature was clearly concerned about the risk of cardiac arrest among high

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school athletes. The legislature also explicitly linked this statute to the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, which grants immunity for the use — actual or attempted — of an AED. The emphasis on the use or attempted use of an AED in the statute underscores the intent of the legislature to encourage bystanders to use a potentially life-saving AED when appropriate.

According to the state supreme court, extending “the shield of immunity to those who make no attempt to use an AED would defeat the intended purpose of the statute and discourage the use of AEDs in emergency situations.” As a result, the court concluded, “immunity is with regard to harm caused by the use of an AED, not a failure to otherwise use reasonable care.” (Emphasis of court) Conclusion Having found the school board “owed a common-law duty to supervise Abel,” once he was stricken, the state supreme court concluded the school board “owed a duty to take reasonable measures and come to his aid to prevent aggravation of his injury.” As a result, a jury would determine whether the alleged failure to utilize an available AED had violated the legal duty of reasonable care and aggravated the injury sustained by Abel under the circumstances of this particular case.

The state supreme court, therefore, voided the “no legal duty” decision of the appeals court and remanded (i.e., sent back) this case to the trial court for further proceedings before a jury.

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism at George Mason University (jkozlows@gmu. edu). Webpage with link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): http:// mason.gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

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FUTURE LEADERS

Young Professionals Need Fitness, Too

By Nathaniel Jaramillo

Y

oung professionals are often on the front lines of providing health and wellness opportunities for the citizens in their communities.

Many work in recreation facilities with immediate access to fitness equipment. And yet, young professionals, who often work evenings, weekends and odd hours, easily lose sight of their own personal fitness as they are creating opportunities for others. How can we care so much for the health and wellness of others and neglect our own? Shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t park and recreation professionals be a walking billboard for health and wellness?

As young professionals with nontraditional schedules, getting into a normal routine of physical activity is a little more difficult. I personally worked a late evening shift or a very early morning shift for three years and often found myself sleeping in or being tired at about 6 p.m. every night.

With these hours, staying at work an extra hour, half hour, or even 15 minutes is the last thing you want to do (even though a free gym is footsteps away). Park and recreation profes-

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sionals are committed to getting the community active and moving, but, we spend so much time working and helping others be active that we often forget about one person: ourselves!

Finding a balance between work and personal fitness, and helping others find that balance, has become a mission in my own life. In my role as a park and recreation professional and as the owner and head coach at Axle CrossFit in Las Vegas, Nevada, I have the daily job of motivating the

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everyday worker to stay active and healthy. I am not a fitness expert, and I do not have the secret to getting sixpack abs, but what I have found is a balance between a 15-hour workday and a fitness experience that I enjoy.

You should be able to as well. Here are some tips for young professionals to get active and make health and wellness a part of their lives, not just in the lives of those they serve: Make Fitness a Priority/Routine One of the biggest mistakes people make is not making fitness a priority. This may not be breaking news to anyone, but if something is not a priority to you, then you will most likely not get it done. A routine can turn fitness from a chore to something you look forward to.

Use Your Park and Recreation Facilities…Seriously Spending one more minute in the place you work, before or after your workday, might seem like the worst idea in the world. But, with free access to your facilities, how can you not consider this option? The answer might be that you explore other facilities within your system. Does your community have more than one recreation center? How about trails systems, outdoor fitness or sport facilities? Your work, every day, contributes to the success of this system.

You have earned the right to participate in this system.

treadmill for an hour can become very mundane and boring. To shake things up, find something that you actually enjoy doing and have fun with it. It doesn’t matter if it is boxing, dancing, rock climbing, swimming, Zumba or even Jazzercise! The bottom line is, if

you enjoy doing it, you will be able to sustain it as a fitness activity.

Nathaniel Jaramillo is a Recreation Specialist for Clark County Parks and Recreation in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the owner and head coach at Axle CrossFit (nate34@clarkcountynv.gov).

Teach a Class at Your Park and Recreation Facilities Fitness instructors get their share of fitness! Not only are they exercising, but talking at the same time increases the aerobic intensity of their workout. Why shouldn’t this be you?

Join a Gym or Attend a Group Class with a Co-worker Do you do things with your coworkers; for example, grab lunch or meet for social activities? Why not exercise together? Studies have shown that duos who join fitness clubs together had a 6.3 percent dropout rate compared to the 43 percent dropout rate of fitness members who joined solo. The benefits of group fitness include having someone to whom you are accountable, and vice versa, as well as making fitness a social experience and becoming more comfortable in a new environment.

Find a Fitness Activity You Enjoy I know every single person in our field knows how to have fun, so this shouldn’t be an issue for most of you.

But going to the gym and walking on a

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Why Walking in the Woods Is Bad for Your Health

By Richard J. Dolesh

I

want to tell you that if you want to stay healthy, don’t go in the woods.

This may come as a surprise to some of you who have been reading my columns and articles about the true joy of being in nature. Well, I have reconsidered, and I’ll tell you why.

You can’t believe all the hazards you will encounter when you go for a walk in the woods. There are so many things to fear about being out in nature that I can hardly list them all.

First, there is poison ivy everywhere.

You know, “leaves of three, let it be.”

What a joke. You can’t “let it be.” It will find you and rub up against you even if you are walking sideways. The woods are so thick with poison ivy vines that they kill the trees and stand by themselves waving and swaying in the breeze, just waiting to fall on you and rub all over you if you even venture into the woods.

And snakes, oh my gosh, every42 Parks & Recreation

where you look — under a fallen rotted tree, flipping over a big rock, kicking through some leaves — big snakes, little snakes, brightly colored snakes, slithery midnight-black snakes. They are everywhere.

Don’t forget about insects. They are the worst! There are so many kinds, I can’t believe how some people find them fascinating. Ticks hang off the tips of tree leaves or hungrily wait perched on the tops of tall grasses, just waiting to latch onto you, bite and not let go! I shiver just to think about it.

And chiggers, biting flies, mosquitoes — all standing by for their chance to get in your hair or on your

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body. They’ll land right on you and you don’t even know it until they sink their stinger or their proboscis, or whatever that thing is, in you! Gives me chills!

And bees, come on. There are bumblebees, honey bees, mason bees, listen to this — there is even a bee named the “confusing bee.” What is this? Talk about a bumbling bee. At least they are mostly dying off from pesticides, thank goodness. We ought to be spraying more of whatever that is that deep-sixes those nasty little buggers. I won’t even talk about wasps — what good are wasps? It’s not like they pollinate flowers or are vital to agriculture like bees — they just fly around with a chip on their shoulder waiting to plunge their one-inch long stinger into your soft parts. You have to have eyes in the back of your head!

Not to mention the diseases you can be exposed to while walking in the woods. Lyme disease, Zika virus disease, Chikungunya, West Nile virus — I could go on, believe me. You can make yourself sick just thinking about the ways you can get sick from spending time in the woods.

The wildlife you can see when you are walking in the woods — big deal.

It’s just a bunch of deer and wild turkeys and great-horned owls and flying squirrels and song birds — you can see all that on TV. Same goes for the woodland wildflowers — columbine, Jack-in-the-pulpit, showy orchis, trillium, cardinal flower and the ferns like Lady fern, Maidenhair fern and Cinnamon fern. Go to a nursery if you want to see them. Oh, wait… you can’t see those in a commercial nursery — those flowers and ferns only grow in the woods. Well, so what, they’re no big deal. They only bloom once a year anyway.

Look, forget about the fact that medical research is now showing that walking in the woods actually produces calming brain waves in kids and adults. And, it just isn’t true that people’s creativity, productivity and general health are all improved by daily doses of nature, no matter what all that scientific evidence now claims.

You can take drugs for all those benefits. And as far as physical health goes, you can cure obesity in many ways — surgery, for one. You simply don’t have to go on daily walks in nature.

Sure, there are some who say all these hazards can be easily avoided if you take your time, be aware and become a part of the natural environment in which you are walking.

They say, just take a few precautions like wearing loose, long-sleeved lightweight clothing and sturdy shoes.

Use bug spray, wear a hat and sun

screen when you need it, and learn what real hazards are from those who know how to avoid them.

Come on! You believe all this stuff ?

I know many parents and kids are starting to believe that this kind of activity actually does improve your physical, emotional and even spiritual health. Oh, spare me. Put the

notions about health benefits and medical research findings of spending time in nature in the trash! You want to stay healthy, at least for a short while? Forget about walking in the woods.

Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Conservation and Parks (rdolesh@nrpa.org).

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Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

SOCIAL EQUITY

Improving Park Funding Measures to Achieve Smarter Equitable Investments

By Jon Christensen

A

GreenInfo Network

cross the United States, voters regularly pass multi-million-dollar environmental funding measures at the state and local level. During the past three decades, voters have approved 1,703 measures providing $164 billion in funding for land conservation — including parks and recreation facilities — in 45 out of 50 states.

Proposition 84 spent $2 billion on 2,174 local projects — represented by the colorful dots on this California map.

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Yet, we rarely if ever look back at who has benefited from all that spending.

What if we did look back and learn? Could we then make smarter investments in the future?

At UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, we did a first-ofits-kind, systematic analysis of spending under the last major environmental

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bond approved by California voters in 2006. Proposition 84 authorized $5.4 billion to improve parks, natural resource protection and water quality, safety and supply across the state.

Most of that money has now been spent. And, for the first time ever, we have good enough data to ask some crucial questions.

Where was that funding spent?

Who benefited? And, were funds spent according to priorities stated in the measure approved by voters?

While our study only covered one bond measure in one state, we hope that we will be able to do more studies like this in California and in other states, as open data reporting requirements continue to improve and spread throughout the country.

Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

Our study analyzed $2 billion of Prop. 84 funding spent on 2,174 projects with identifiable local impacts in California communities. We found decidedly mixed results. Our study was not an audit of individual projects. Nor did we examine purely environmental benefits. We looked at benefits for people and communities, and we found that when those priorities were clearly spelled out, funds were spent according to those priorities. But, when priorities were left vague, spending was not closely aligned with those priorities.

Overall, although “local parks and urban greening” were listed as priorities for Prop. 84, we found that communities that lack parks received less funding than those that already have parks.

We found that rural areas, with lower population density, received just as much funding as urban areas.

Residents in rural areas within a halfmile walking distance of funded projects saw $7,475 per capita in spending in their neighborhoods, while residents in urban areas saw only $209 in per-capita spending.

And, we found that less funding was spent in disadvantaged communities, which were prioritized in several sections of the proposition, than was spent in communities with higher median household income.

There was a bright spot in Prop. 84: $400 million was set aside for competitive grants administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation for “underserved communities” to create “parks in neighborhoods where none currently exist.”

The criteria and process for selecting projects were carefully spelled out in a separate law: AB 31, the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Act of 2008, sponsored

Kids play at the opening of Faith and Hope Park, built by the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust with funding from Prop. 84.

by Sen. Kevin de León (D-CA-24), then assembly member, now president pro-tem of the California State Senate.

That worked. The money went to the priorities approved by voters.

Looking ahead, a $3 billion parks bond sponsored by assembly member Eduardo Garcia could be on the statewide ballot in California this fall. Sen. de León is also working on a bill. Garcia’s bill incorporates some of the lessons of Prop. 84 — a third of the money would be administered under AB 31, and a good portion of the funding would be distributed proportional to population.

That’s a good start. People need to be put into the equation for environmental bond spending, but it could go further.

More of the funding could be explicitly prioritized for disadvantaged communities that have not historically seen the benefits of spending on parks — proportional to their population, at least, if not more because of their greater need.

There should also be more explicit articulation of priorities and criteria for every section of funding — not just for parks, but also for other con-

servation and natural resource protection projects.

And explicit requirements for better data reporting need to be written into law so that we can look back at how our money was spent and learn how to do even better in the future.

The same thing could be said about the 1,702 other similar funding measures passed around the country during the past three decades, and, more importantly, measures on the ballot this year. At least $1.4 billion is already at stake on upcoming ballots in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Jersey.

But the real opportunity is to get this right on parks and recreation funding measures that have not yet been finalized in cities, counties and states nationwide. The key is in the careful writing of ballot measures to include clear priorities, explicit criteria and data-reporting requirements.

Results will follow.

To view the full report and an interactive view of the data, visit http:// environment.ucla.edu/prop84.

Jon Christensen is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA (jonchristensen@ ioes.ucla.edu).

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Parks Are the Best

Medicine

By Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH

I

n 1879, a physician in Elmira, New York, had a dream. He wanted to build a place where his patients could exercise. So, Dr. Edwin Eldridge purchased a tract of undeveloped wilderness land and turned it into a garden of great beauty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a world-class, Victorian-style park named Eldridge Park. He believed this park could become a place where the community would gather and people would recreate, thereby improving their health. The park stands today in Elmira as a place of beauty that still lives up to its historic traditions of improving the health of those who visit it.

Parks as medicine is not a new concept. Frederick Law Olmsted, the noted landscape architect of the 19th century, strongly believed that parks could improve people, particularly their health. He noted that overexposure to certain aspects of city life led to â&#x20AC;&#x153;nervous tension, over-anxiety, hasteful disposition, impatience [and] irritability.â&#x20AC;? Olmsted firmly believed that the green spaces in parks could benefit both physical and

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mental health. But, while the connection between parks and health was evident, the field of medicine traditionally focused on training physicians and healthcare providers to diagnose and treat — not prevent — disease and illness. Over time, many healthcare providers lost sight of the benefits of parks as medicine, but, today, a growing body of research is producing evidence that parks really are some of the best medicine there is.

The Movement Prescribing parks is rapidly increasing across the United States as it is being recognized by the medical community as a low-cost intervention that utilizes a known, generally trusted and accessible resource — parks — to influence positive health outcomes. National medical organizations are supporting this notion as well. The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) launched a “Lifestyle Medicine” curriculum for medical professionals that promotes healthy lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, nutrition, etc.) as a means of preventing and treating chronic diseases.

As recognition of parks as medicine continues to grow, park professionals should seize the opportunity.

“Every patient comes with an ‘invisible backpack’ that has all the things that could be standing in the way of good health: depression, obesity, lack of education around lifestyle choices, etc.,” says Danielle Pere, associate executive director for ACPM. “Physicians are not taught enough about counseling a patient on lifestyle choices and how they impact chronic disease. We also don’t have right now a medical system that supports talking to patients about lifestyle due to time limitations and financial pressures.

This curriculum helps them think about the whole person, beyond what they learned in medical school.”

As recognition of parks as medicine continues to grow, park profes-

Participants enjoy the sunshine during one of Dr. David Sabgir’s Walk with a Doc events.

Dr. Sabgir created the program in 2005 to encourage healthier behaviors in his patients.

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sionals should seize the opportunity. Healthcare providers can be the strongest advocates for parks, as they look for cost-effective, impactful and fun ways to get their patients healthy.

This partnership benefits not only the patients who may lack access to services and the means to improve their own health, but also the parks by increasing use and quality of programs and services.

“We Love Parks” Medical professionals may be busy with their everyday jobs, but many of them are natural park champions.

One physician from Ohio was so taken with the effects of nature that he developed his own program to walk with his patients once a week.

“I came across studies all the time that show the undeniable benefits of simply being in nature,” says Dr. David Sabgir, a board-certified cardiologist who practices with Mount Carmel Clinical Cardiovascular Specialists. “Many of these benefits are related to mental health. Time in nature leads to increased ability to focus, lower rates of depression and anxiety, higher sleep quality, and the list goes on. All of these have significant, positive consequences for the heart, lungs and many other organ systems.”

Dr. Sabgir created the Walk with a Doc (WWAD) program in 2005 to encourage healthy lifestyles among patients through regular walks with their doctor at their local park or trail.

Almost 250 doctors across the country, from cardiologists, family practitioners and pediatricians, to vascular surgeons and psychiatrists, are running WWAD programs. Of these programs, the most successful ones take place in parks. “The parks provide the perfect space to experience these health boosts,” Sabgir says. “Personally, I believe a 30-minute walk in the

park is likely the single best thing you can do for your short- and long-term mental and physical health.”

Dr. Lourdes Forster, MD, FAAP, an associate professor of pediatrics and the medical director at UHealth Pediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, was introduced to parks at a young age. “My parents emigrated from Cuba to Miami in the 1960s,” says Dr. Forster. “I was one of five kids, and I loved to play and be outside. Parks are where I went in the summer.” Today, Dr. Forster is excited to take what she experienced as a child and incorporate that into her profession. She works with Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department on a park prescriptions program that prescribes wellness to children using the department’s Fit2Play™ afterschool program. “For my kids — some affluent, some poor — it’s all the same for them at the park. It allows me to give them an opportunity to improve their health without feeling like there’s no way to do it.”

Joyce Blair Wilson, a family nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator, came to Sandpoint, Idaho, to make a difference. She works with the Kaniksu Land Trust in north Idaho and northwest Montana on the “RX Parks and Trails” program and was thrilled to discover all the parks and trails available in the area. “Being part of this program has enhanced my knowledge of nature,” she says.

“As a result of this program, my patients are visiting parks more!” Wilson helps her patients experience nature and become healthier by walking with 15 to 20 of them every Sunday.

“Even during inclement weather, my patients prefer being outdoors rather than in an indoor, warm pool.”

“Parks Are a Resource to Us” Agencies can enhance a provider’s abil

Agencies can enhance a provider’s ability to refer his or her patients to parks in a number of ways. ity to refer his or her patients to parks in a number of ways. Providers note that patients often do not associate neighborhood parks as a place of wellness, so more education on the health benefits of parks is needed. There is also a need for parks to help patients understand they have resources in their neighborhood. As a result of the RX Parks and Trails program, Wilson was pleased to be more well-informed about what her neighborhood has to offer. “Both my patients and I had no idea that there were so many parks and trails in the area,” she says. “I’ve lived here eight years and had never heard of our local park.”

Safety is also of utmost importance.

“A few families don’t feel safe in their

parks,” says Dr. Forster. “Some parks do not provide a welcoming environment, and we still struggle with finding the right match for patients.” This barrier falls on the agency to ensure that communities feel safe when accessing its facilities. “The challenge is improving the environment that we have for families. This is no small task.

The trail may not be clear. Kids may be exposed to old equipment. This is hard for practitioners to know. As a physician, I need to feel secure that the program I’m sending my patients to is meeting their needs in a safe way that they’ll want to continue.”

In addition to safety, agencies can help ensure a more supportive environment, for example, as patients walk in the park. “One of our parks locks its bathrooms in the winter,” Wilson says. “This is a constant complaint I get from patients.” Ensuring facilities are user-friendly, such as clearing the trails from branches overhead or ensuring there are benches along the walking paths, will motivate patients to keep coming back.

“This is really important for my older patients,” Wilson continues. “This is

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not just an issue of awareness that the park is there, but of getting people to use the park.”

Healthcare providers also want to learn about programs that work.

“Where we see things working really well is when the park has a pre-established program that the provider can plug into,” says Pere.

“The park could host a yoga day or maybe have a walking club in place that the physician can refer his or her patients to. Even a pamphlet or flyer that they can keep in their office or a list of parks in the area would help.” Dr. Forster agrees: “As physicians, we are more receptive if you approach us with a concise plan of action that has purposeful results. We are interested in finding solutions to a sedentary lifestyle, and if parks can come up with programmatic options for us and provide us with a schedule for them, there is a higher likelihood that we will adopt the plan and send our patients there. In general, doctors want something that’s accessible and safe. I wouldn’t want to refer someone to a situation that wasn’t well-run or supervised.”

In all relationships, trust is an important factor, and providers are looking to establish twoway communication that includes feedback and information sharing.

“We Feel Secure in the Relationship with Our Parks” In all relationships, trust is an important factor, and providers are looking to establish two-way communication that includes feedback and information sharing. “I feel secure in the partnership we have with Miami-Dade parks,” says Dr. Forster. “And as a result, there’s a comfort level for me to send kids to the park. We are all working together and invested in the same goal. I’m not sending my patients somewhere and never hearing back on how it went and if it improved their health.” Providers within the Miami-Dade park prescription

Parks need to provide a welcoming, safe environment for all visitors, including Park Rx participants; for example, clear trails and accessible restroom facilities.

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program, Parks Rx 4 Health™, receive measurable outcomes to document patients’ progress at baseline, and at three and six months after referral. “We meet with park staff regularly — every other month,” Forster continues. “My level of comfort comes from the people I work with. I trust the park and that they’re doing their job.

“Initially, the parks came to us. We couldn’t find resources to give our families for activity and play and exercise. Most families can’t join a gym; nor would they want to. The parks had something that was accessible and available.”

What was especially helpful, Forster said, was that the parks had something that was evidence-based and was already making a positive health impact in the community. “As a healthcare provider, one of our challenges is to promote things that work.

We don’t want to prescribe something that doesn’t make a difference. And, we want to do this working with people that we know are motivated to improve health.”

“We Believe in This Movement!”

Working with parks has been rewarding for many healthcare providers.

“RX Parks and Trails has become an integral part of my practice,” says Wilson. “It works and is a very gratifying experience for me as a provider. One of my patients lost 30 pounds since the program started. It reversed her diabetes, and she’s not even in the pre-diabetic range now.” Dr. Forster has also seen numerous benefits.

“I work with a teenage girl who was struggling with her weight a bit. She was shy, not really depressed, but we were worried she was inhibiting herself from activity due to her weight.

She started walking outside with her mom in the local park, then walking after school, on her own and with

friends. This evolved into exercising and eating better. She even wanted to be with her friends more. She just felt better overall.”

Dr. Sabgir sees the “greatest resilience” among his patients that walk in parks. “Parks make the immediate rewards of exercise real and provide an obvious significant added benefit.

The participants at WWAD leave the park holding their head much higher and their smiles are much wider than when they arrived.” Patients who visit parks regularly “live a much higher quality of life,” he says. “The beauty of parks is that there is such incredible motivation to move. For exercise to be a realistic alternative to the couch, it has to be enjoyable.”

In addition to the beauty that parks provide, parks can also help support these programs. “I found that our park was excited to have the visitors and parks around the country have provided many wonderful, useful services to our group.”

Seize the Opportunity As the health benefits of parks become more well-known and chronic diseases continue to rise, the medical community will turn to parks as a safe, accessible and affordable way to get patients healthy right in their backyard. “For patients, the thought of going to the gym is very intimidating,” says Pere. “There’s also a cost factor, which can be a barrier for certain income levels. Physicians may not realize that some of their patients lack resources to do the basic things.

That’s where parks fit in. Helping patients understand what resources have in the neighborhood is important. If it’s familiar to them, they will do it.”

Now is the time for parks to reach out to partner with healthcare providers. It’s a collaboration that has not only improved people’s health, but has also led to greater awareness

Park Rx programs can not only benefit adults, but are a great family activity that can get children started on the path to a healthy lifestyle.

of parks in the community, more users in the parks and improved access to parks. “From a physician’s standpoint, we love to partner with the community and come to the table to feel like we’re part of the community,” says Dr. Forster. Dr. Sabgir predicts that this relationship will continue. “I think that the physician ‘buy-in’ will be increasing exponentially in the coming years,” he says. “We’ve witnessed first-hand the incredible synergy that can come from these relationships. From our experience, we expect park systems

will be met with excitement and gratitude as they reach out to healthcare providers and hospital systems.

There are many providers out there that would love to be involved in physical activity in their local park, but aren’t quite sure how. These are sparks waiting to fly.”

Richard J. Dolesh, NRPA’s vice president of conservation and parks, contributed to this article.

Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH, is NRPA’s Vice President of Health and Wellness (zbashir@nrpa.org).

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SAFE

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S E T U RO S K R A TO P Prioritizing community investments, maximizing resources

By Rachel Banner

R

esearch continues to be published on the mounting evidence that parks and green space are beneficial to our health. Most recently, research published in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives found that the total amount of green near a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home (not distinguishing between street trees, parks or abandoned spaces) lowered the risk of all-cause, non-accidental mortality. That is, living near green actually reduced oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s risk of dying from things such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

In a similar study, Scott Brown at the University of Miami found that in Miami-Dade County, Medicare recipients who lived near more greenery had fewer chronic conditions. In addition, recent studies are finding that adding well-maintained green space to areas that are vacant or gray can also reduce crime and violence. These are only three of the hundreds of studies that have found a strong connection between green space, parks and health.

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Yet, even with all of this research, our most underserved communities still lack access to parks and green spaces. These low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to be located in areas with few trees, greater urban heat island effects, polluted waterways and poor air quality and to experience higher rates of crime and violence.

In addition, individuals in these communities have much shorter life expectancies; higher rates of obesity, asthma and other chronic diseases; and lower rates of physical activity.

NRPA’s Safe Routes to Parks initiative is a national effort to facilitate safe and equitable access to parks for all people. This initiative aims to change this paradigm by providing a platform and the tools to help local agencies tackle these pressing challenges through system-wide policies and practices that address the multiple barriers to park access; ensure that most underserved communities have access to the physical, mental and environmental benefits of parks;

and promote a culture of health in communities across the country.

While Safe Routes to Parks focuses mainly on safety, equity and access, we cannot ignore the additional health benefits of green space, including mitigating effects of climate change and improving environmental quality of the air, water and land. When considering the Safe Routes to Parks initiatives, it’s also important to consider how they can maximize the sustainability of our communities. For example, when we talk about walkability and access to quality park space, we must also consider the green stormwater management along our streets and increased tree canopy, which provide the respite that is much needed in our most underserved communities.

To purposefully integrate the domains of Safe Routes to Parks with that of our environment and conservation, we must consider the guiding questions of Safe Routes to Parks:

Safe Routes to Play - Access to Five Rivers Park Entries

MVRPC 10 N. Ludlow Street, Suite 700 Dayton, OH 45402 ph: 937-223-6323 www.mvrpc.org

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The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission of Safe Routes to Play produced several maps, like the one seen here, and analyses to determine access availability at its Five Rivers park properties.

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Does everyone in your community have access to parks within a 10-minute walk?

Research shows that people living within a 10-minute walk of a park have higher rates of physical activity and lower rates of obesity. To understand where these gaps and barriers in park access exist, we must conduct assessments that use data to prioritize areas for investment and additional park space. This data should consider community factors but should be selected with input from partners and community members: • Health and Wellness: Community-level health indicators provide an overview of the overall health of a community. This data should be used to prioritize areas with disparities or higher rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, pedestrian and bike fatalities, and/or homicides.

• Conservation: Environmental data should look at areas that lack general tree canopies and that have reoccurring flooding problems, poor air quality or brownfields properties.

Investments should be based on their potential for environmental sustainability and opportunities to mitigate the effects of climate change.

• Social Equity: In addition to mapping health indicators, it is important that we measure areas of priority based on socioeconomics, although there may be much overlap. This data may include race/ ethnicity, income, education or type of dwelling (renter, owner, public housing, etc.).

Can your community members get to their closest park safely and easily?

Even if communities have a park within a 10-minute walk, this does not ensure that they feel safe walking to or in the park. Assessments and

community engagement can help us determine these barriers. As we build, improve and maintain public infrastructure to create safe walking routes, the following will help us provide communities with a health-promoting environment.

• Health and Wellness: Active design guidelines and complete streets principles will increase pedestrian safety and will encourage users to walk or bike to the park with comfort. The use of signs, public art or marketing can also help increase park visibility and lead users to the park.

• Conservation: Building and improving sidewalks, streets and park amenities is an opportune time to build sustainable practices such as green stormwater management and increased tree canopies into our streets and parks. Trees provide pedestrians with shade and green stormwater management can provide physical separation between cars and pedestrians to increase safety.

• Social Equity: Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), increasing eyes on the park or the route, can help address social barriers such as crime, violence or gang activity. These strategies include removing or lowering fences, increasing park entrances and considering the land use and siting of buildings around parks.

Do your parks have quality amenities and programming that attract local residents?

Finally, even if we provide a park within a safe and convenient 10-minute walk, this does not ensure that the park is offering what the local community desires. In order to attract local residents and increase the perceived safety of the park, amenities, community en

gagement and programming should be enhanced and designed with the community and the following considerations: • Health and Wellness: Programs and amenities should engage participants in physical activity and should be tailored to varying levels of fitness. Evaluation of these programs and amenities will ensure that they are getting users active.

• Conservation: Amenities should provide visually appealing and well-maintained natural landscapes that encourage the community to connect with and learn about nature. Programming should also support this environmental education and stewardship of the community park space.

• Social Equity: Programming and amenities should be designed with input from the surrounding community. In areas with many children, high crime or violence and low-levels of park usage, adult supervision may be needed to help children and parents feel safe using the park.

As we consider the health, conservation and social equity factors in Safe Routes to Parks, it is important that we don’t tackle this alone. Partnerships with environmental health departments, planning and metropolitan planning organizations, water agencies, police, and other city departments

and organizations will help you achieve mutual goals. By working together, each of these organizations can pool resources to achieve the desired outcomes.

In addition, it is important that we continuously evaluate these spaces, initiatives and communities so that we know if we are achieving the desired outcomes. We should be measuring not only physical activity and obesity levels, but also water quality, total water captured, increased tree canopy, effects on urban heat islands, and crime and violence. Through partnerships, such as with the local health department, park and recreation agencies can work with evaluation experts to understand the true impacts of our work. These impacts will provide data to validate your efforts and to increase future investments in similar projects. In an era of limited resource and aging infrastructure, the Safe Routes to Parks initiatives can help us to prioritize our community investments and maximize our resources.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2016/June/ Safe-Routes-to-Parks-Prioritizing-Community-Investments-Maximizing-Resources.

Rachel Banner is NRPA’s Program Manager (rbanner@nrpa.org).

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Recreational Programs

Rev It Up NRPA’s Commit to Health initiative helps park and recreation agencies cultivate healthy behaviors during out-ofschool time

By Dr. Danielle Hollar

D

uring the past two years, we’ve shared with you many of the exciting results experienced by kids who participated in park and recreation programs aligned with NRPA’s Commit to Health initiative.

We’ve shared how the lives of parents and park and recreation staff members have been impacted by the experience of working to improve children’s health. In 2015, some modifications were made to Commit to Health’s nutrition literacy component, and the subsequent results have shown the program continues to facilitate positive improvements in children’s nutrition and physical activity knowledge and behaviors.

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NRPA Program Managers Kellie May and Allison Colman, three focus groups addressing children, Regarding policy parents and park and recreation recommendations for staff were held in each city. nutritious snacks, “we’ve Through conversations with these groups, the healthy imnoticed [children] cutting pact of Commit to Health out chips and cheeseballs was illustrated, over and and bringing fruits now over again, in cases across the instead.”

United States.

— Staff, Jackson, Tennessee

So, what did we learn in 2015? Below, we share the latest results of the Commit to Health initiative, as well as explain how this type of park and recreation programming makes such an incredible difference in children’s lives.

Healthy Eating, Healthy Behaviors To understand the nuances of Commit to Health’s impact on children and their parents, focus groups were held in 10 cities as part of a nationwide evaluation by Healthy Networks Design and Research. Led by

The Child’s View Children involved in Commit to Health programming learned a lot about food, changed their eating and physical behaviors, and taught their parents to be healthier. Nutrition education — particularly fun activities like blindfolded food tastings — proved especially impactful, as did cooking lessons, classes about organs of the body, reading and creating new recipes and studying the USDA MyPlate guidelines. Children tried new foods and inculcated healthy consumption habits, reporting that they were eating new fruits and vegetables and whole grains — as well as eating according to the MyPlate recommendations — because of lessons learned at camp. They also learned that eating too much sugar is unhealthy and began drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages than before camp.

Many children said they

“We took away the options to buy sodas or Gatorade and we don’t allow it on site.”

— Staff, Jackson, Tennessee

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asked their parents for certain fruits and vegetables they first tried at camp, and began asking for larger portions of fruits and vegetables, having realized they were previously not eating enough.

Children requested healthier food preparations and shared new recipes learned at camp, thus having a positive impact on the health of their entire family.

Becoming advocates for their own health, participating children told their parents everyone — adults and children — needs to eat and drink less sugar, drink more water, consume fewer fast foods and cut down on the candy. They also told their parents that they need 60 minutes of exercise daily, which reportedly took many parents by surprise. Families then began taking more walks together, doing calisthenics and playing in the park.

The Parent’s View Taking cues from the Commit to Health lessons brought home by their children, parents began buying more nutritious foods, preparing them in healthier ways and increasing their own physical activity levels.

Parents took their children to the grocery store to shop for nutritious foods and found it easier to convince their children to eat healthier snacks and reduce their portion sizes. Family meals included fewer processed foods, more fresh fruits and vegetables and were accompanied by tall glasses of water, rather than sugary soda.

Physical activity also increased for the entire family. Campers learned they need a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise a day, and that they should walk 10,000-14,000 steps per day — goals that parents, caregivers and children can strive to meet together through walks and playtime at their local park.

Commit to Health Out-of-School Time (OST) Programming Is Making a Difference As park and recreation agencies implement the core components of Commit to Health, they are playing a critical role in improving children’s lives by providing access, information and experience with nutritious foods. Healthy meals served through the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), paired with educational nutrition literacy opportunities offered through local park and recreation agencies and guidelines provided by the National Afterschool A s s o c i a t i o n’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) stan“The food dards, are making tastes good, a major difference balanced, and it’s in the health of the nation’s childifferent than last dren. year.”

So, how do rec— Child, North Miami, reation providers Florida do it? Following are some of the lessons we’ve learned from Commit to Health recreation providers during nationwide conversations in the summer of 2015.

Creating Policies to Support Healthy Environments Commit to Health program sites focused on creating healthy, wellness-supportive environments to facilitate health improvements among their campers and their families. As new policies were created based on the HEPA standards, recreation providers now had tools and/or rules on hand that helped them make, and enforce, real changes at OST sites. For example, food policies helped ensure nutritious foods were on-site and served as meals, and helped “ban” certain

Committing to Healthier Youth Thanks to funding from the Walmart Foundation, our Out-of-School Time Grantees are making big impacts in their communities. Just check out what we accomplished together in 2015.

80 grantees served

20meals million in 2015 1,700,000 children were provided with healthy meals and snacks

153,000+ children were provided nutrition literacy and education

782 park and rec sites across the country participated

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Handouts and activity sheets “helped the kids to remember a lot of the material they were learning.”

— Staff, Chicago, Illinois

junk foods from recreation facilities, effectively making them “no-junk-food zones.” Relatedly, vending machines were not accessible during program times, or at least were available only in a limited manner. Other policies required certain amounts of daily physical activity. Staff repeatedly reported having policies to back them up helped them make healthy environmental changes and resulted in real health improvements among participating children.

Guidance for Planning and Creating Nutritious OST Meals As mentioned above, one of the core components of Commit to Health is the provision of nutritious meals through USDA meal programs. In fact, as the graphic herein shows, 20 million meals were provided to children in 2015 at Commit to Health recreation sites! As staff planned and created menus, or worked with their meal providers and vendors on these activities, they used the HEPA meal standards as a guide. Thus, menu planners had nuanced information on how to ensure the meals were created according to very high nutritional standards — lower in sodium and added sugars, and richer in whole grains, good proteins, fruits and 60 Parks & Recreation

vegetables. This guidance resulted in real changes to meals in OST programs that were already serving meals, and helped those starting up summer and afterschool meal programs plan and create menus in the most nutritious way possible.

Children recognized the meal changes and appreciated the variety of foods provided — some even recognized their nutrition lessons in the meals served to them. “Everything seemed to fall into a MyPlate category,” one child recalled of his experiential food education in Jackson, Tennessee.

“Learning how to prepare the meals helps them feel independent and then they can do it at home.”

— Staff, Tallahassee, Florida

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Leading Nutrition Literacy Programming The Commit to Health Nutrition Literacy program comprises a multifaceted set of educational activities and tools that engage children and adults in fun, experiential health promotion activities. In 2015, lessons and associated recommended activities were provided by NRPA to recreation providers according to grade level (K-2 and grades 3-5) and topic. Many nutrition literacy items provided in 2015 were free and available for download. The food lessons taught were also translated into the home as children requested that their parents buy and prepare new foods tasted at camp. Similarly, gardening education and planting activities led by recreation providers instilled confidence in many children, who then encouraged their families to plant gardens.

Integrating tools from the USDA MyPlate program ramped up nutrition literacy efforts in 2015. These were mentioned by recreation providers as a “key success” of the educational program that helped children recognize proteins, grains, fruits, veggies and dairy.

Developing Physical Activity Guidelines The focus on physical activity that is central to Commit to Health led park and recreation staff members to be more targeted in their leadership of this component. Some recreation sites created a focus on indoor physical activity offerings that they did not provide in the past, which created opportunities for staying active

One child described teaching his parents “how to be healthier by eating fruit and drinking lots of water.”

— Child, Tallahassee, Florida

despite extreme heat or rain. As part of HEPA policies, some camp sites banned electronics, including cell phones, with the aim to reduce sedentary behavior. Recreation personnel indicated that fitness improved thanks to the direction provided in Commit to Health physical activity programming and the focus on reducing screen time.

With help from the Nutrition Literacy program, staff members reported that they had the confidence to act as health educators and, thus, were able to convince children to eat more healthily and to be more active. They observed improved behaviors among their campers as they put education into action and attributed the health improvements to the engaging, experiential Nutrition Literacy program structure and tools, and to the fact that it was integrated into physical activity programming and other typical camp activities.

New for 2016 NRPA is excited to announce an addition to the Commit to Health Nutrition Literacy program for 2016! Based on impressive results regarding eating behavior changes due to food-based educational and experiential activities, a new Foods of the Month program (www.nrpa. org/commit-to-health-foods-ofthe-month) has been created as the cornerstone of nutrition literacy for

Parents “started making grilled chicken instead of fried chicken and turkey dogs instead of hot dogs on the request of their kids after the staff brought these healthy options to a grillout for the kids.”

2016. The new program, created specifically for NRPA by Healthy Networks Design and Research, takes a thematic approach to teaching and disseminating information about two nutrient-rich foods each month. Through posters, newsletters, activities and coloring sheets — as well as experiential learning recommendations for food-based art projects, tasting events, cooking demonstrations and growing Foods of the Month at recreation sites and/or in home gardens — children, parents and park staff will learn what is special about these

Children “are eating healthier at home and they are having parents buy healthier produce from the grocery store instead of sweets.”

— Staff, Jackson, Tennesssee

— Staff, Tallahassee, Florida

foods, why they should consume them and how to grow and/or prepare them.

In addition to the Foods of the Month program, USDA MyPlate materials and recommendations for daily physical activity are included in the revved-up nutrition literacy efforts for 2016. Check out the materials, organized by grade level (K-2, 3-5) and topic and provided free for download, at www.nrpa. org/commit-to-health-foods-ofthe-month.

Commit to Health programming during OST is making a difference in the health and well-being of children. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org/committohealth.

Dr. Danielle Hollar is the President of Healthy Networks Design and Research (daniellehollar@gmail.com).

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NRPA Update

Meet the NRPA Health and Wellness Advisory Panel

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RPA’s Health and Wellness Advisory Panel provides oversight, feedback and subject-matter expertise for NRPA’s health and wellness programs and initiatives. The panel serves as a sounding board for new ideas and practices that helps to provide guidance to the NRPA staff.

Tina Fleming, Director of the Operations Division, Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation Tina Fleming has worked for Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation since 2001 in various capacities and currently serves as the director of the operations division.

Fleming manages the programming of recreation facilities, marketing, facility operations, park and facility maintenance and repair, health and wellness initiatives, fostering of volunteers and stewardship opportunities, and safety of all of the parks and facilities in the Gwinnett County park system.

Colleen LammelHarmon, Wellness Manager, Chicago Park District Colleen LammelHarmon, CPRP, is the wellness manager and registered dietitian within the department of Community Recreation, Health and Physical Activities for the Chicago Park District (CPD).

She is responsible for implementing more than 3,000 wellness activities, including physical activity, nutrition, relaxation and leisure programs for youth, as well as adult, family and senior programs. Lammel-Harmon has 62 Parks & Recreation

taught fitness classes for more than 24 years and has worked as a registered dietitian for 22 years, specializing in obesity prevention.

Daniel Hatcher, National Healthy Out-of-School Time Advisor, Alliance for a Healthier Generation Daniel W. Hatcher serves as National Healthy Out-of-School Time Advisor for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. At the Alliance, Hatcher is responsible for managing and delivering technical assistance services and resources for out-of-school time sites as they work to achieve national Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards. Hatcher has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a Master of Public Health, both from Western Kentucky University.

Christian Moore, Director of Camp and Retreat Ministry, Crossroads District UMC Christian Moore is the director of camp and retreat ministry for the Crossroads District of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is responsible for developing and executing the district’s strategy for providing

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camp and retreat opportunities. Prior to joining the District staff, Moore served in leadership positions in the parks and recreation departments of the cities of Cedar Park, Portland, and Leander, Texas. During his tenure in recreation, he was responsible for supervising comprehensive quality of life programs and services. Moore is a past chair of NRPA’s Young Professional Network and was the chair of the 2015 “Park of the Future” design competition for college students studying parks and recreation. He also represents NRPA as a member of the Public Policy and National Awards Committees.

Maria Nardi, Chief of Planning, MiamiDade County Park, Recreation and Open Space Department Maria I. Nardi has more than 18 years of experience in the private and public sector in the fields of urban design, landscape architecture, park planning, architecture and preservation. In the private sector, she received the University of Miami School of Architecture Alumna of the Year Award for her holistic, comprehensive park planning work as chief of planning and research for Miami-Dade County, where she directed the vision for the Miami-Dade County Park and Open Space Master Plan, a vision for a more equitable, greener and healthier Miami-Dade County; and for her work as chief of urban design for the city of Miami where she initiated Miami 21, a rewrite of the city’s land development

regulations from land use segregation to mixed use regulations to promote a walkable, pedestrian friendly community. Nardi received her undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Miami and her Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Amy Rauworth, Associate Director, National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability Amy Rauworth joined Lakeshore Foundation in 2012 as the director of policy and public affairs. She also works within the University of Alabama Birmingham/Lakeshore Foundation Research Collaborative, where she is the associate director of the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD). She is a registered clinical exercise physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine. She has applied exercise physiology experience in the areas of orthopedic and cardiac rehabilitation, health promotion, and corporate wellness. In addition, Rauworth has more than 19 years of experience in health promotion development and implementation, focusing on the delivery of physical activity programming for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Anna Ricklin, Manager, Planning and Community Health Center, American Planning Association Anna Ricklin is manager of APA’s Planning and Community Health Center. In this role, she works with

APA members and partners to promote planning practice that supports public health. With a background in transportation, health impact assessment and community design, Ricklin is an emerging leader in applied research, strategic planning and coalition building. She has a MHS from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has been with APA since 2011.

Victor Rubin, Vice President of Research, PolicyLink Victor Rubin, vice president for research, leads, designs and conducts knowledge-building activities to create a strong research base for PolicyLink.

An urban planner with broad experience in community development, education and social policy, he guides the PolicyLink analyses of issues in infrastructure, economic growth, healthy communities, youth development and other areas. Rubin previously directed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of University Partnerships, and served as a director of community partnerships and adjunct associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley.

Stephanie Stephens, Executive Director, California Park and Recreation Society Stephanie Stephens serves as the executive director of the California Park and Recreation Society. Appointed in 2014, Stephens is responsible for managing conference administration for the annual CPRS conference and legislative priorities for each two-year legislative session.

She works closely with the CPRS

board of directors to position parks and recreation agencies across the state of California as leaders within their communities.

Amanda Wilson, Strategic Engagement and Project Manager, Active Living Research Amanda Wilson, MSRS, is a strategic engagement and project manager with Active Living Research. Wilson significantly contributes to the communication, dissemination and capacity-building efforts of ALR. She manages ALR’s special supplement journals, provides technical assistance to grantees, plays a lead role in the coordination of ALR’s webinars and helps identify potential cohost organizations to increase the reach of grantee research findings. With a master’s in parks and recreation, she provides a valuable connection with programs within this discipline and continues to promote ALR’s work and develop new partnerships.

Cora Wright, Assistance Director, Austin Parks and Recreation Cora Wright serves as the assistant director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. She provides executive oversight of several divisions and critical department functions, including financial services, office of internal review, technology and information services, planning, design and construction (which includes the Capital Improvement Program), operations, office of special events and facility reservations, and the Austin Park Ranger Division. Wright holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas.

— Allison Colman, NRPA’s Program Manager

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NRPA Update

How to Use NRPA’s Commit to Health: Foods of the Month Program

By Allison Colman

P

ark and recreation agencies across the country are creating healthier communities by implementing Healthy Eating, Physical Activity (HEPA) standards through NRPA’s Commit to Health campaign. Join the movement and encourage your community to eat healthy and get moving with NRPA’s new nutrition literacy curriculum, Commit to Health: Foods of the Month.

The Commit to Health: Foods of the Month nutrition literacy curriculum is specifically designed to provide park and recreation agencies with the tools and resources they need to educate youth and families about the importance of eating healthy and being physically active. The year-long curriculum highlights two foods each month, showcasing the nutritional value and health benefits they provide, as well as incorporating fun, hands-on, age-appropriate activities. All of the materials provided are free, easily accessible and downloadable at www.nrpa.org/commit-to-health-foods-of-the-month. The curriculum includes: Foods of the Month Calendar: Use the Foods of the Month Calendar to plan your out-of-school time nutrition educa-

64 Parks & Recreation

tion activities for the entire year. Don’t forget to print the calendar and display it at your park and recreation sites!

Lesson Plan Guide: Use the monthly lesson plan guide to implement the Commit to Health: Foods of the Month nutrition literacy curriculum.

The lesson plan guide is divided into suggested weekly activities that include experiential activities; coloring and activity sheets; fun, being active tips; and USDA MyPlate activities. Two age-appropriate lesson plan guides are available for each month: one for grades K-2 and another for grades 3-5.

Foods of the Month Posters: Display the Foods of the Month Posters each month at your park and recreation sites! Posters illustrate the corresponding Foods of the Month and contain detailed information on nutrient content as well as examples of each food.

dren will enjoy exploring and learning about the foods of the month with coloring and activity pages for each food.

Fun, Experiential Activities: A variety of fun, experiential activities can be conducted with the foods of the month, encouraging constant learning and incorporating skills such as reading, math, language, etc.

USDA MyPlate and Other Fun, Healthy Activities: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has some amazing resources available for educating children about nutrition and physical activity.

Each month, use some of these free resources to enhance your programs.

Fun, Being Active Tips: We can’t forget about the importance of physical activity! Each month, try some fun and exciting activities to get your community up and moving!

Newsletter with Tips and Healthy Recipes: A newsletter is available each month for both Foods of the Month. Each newsletter contains information about the Foods of the Month, including nutrient content and varieties, additional tips and facts about the foods, and healthy recipes that families can try at home.

Resources for the Home Newsletter: Provide parents with some additional resources each month! This monthly family engagement newsletter contains nutrition and physical activity tips for families!

June-August materials are currently available at www.nrpa.org/commit-to-health-foods-of-the-month. All other months will be available in late August.

Coloring and Activity Pages: Chil-

Allison Colman is NRPA’s Program Manager (acolman@nrpa.org).

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New Free Tool: Foods of the Month Curriculum The Foods of the Month curriculum contains a robust set of monthly materials including a lesson plan guide, posters, newsletters, recipes, activity pages, tips and more. All of the resources are free and downloadable and are specifically tailored to park and recreation agencies to teach youth about eating healthy and getting active.

Check out all of the resources at www.nrpa.org/CommitToHealth

Posters

ppers

June: Pe

Calenda

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Activity Pages www.nrpa.org/CommitToHealth #CommitToHealth

NRPA Update

2016 NRPA Annual Conference: What’s New in Health and Wellness Education

By Tom Crosley

T

he importance of positioning parks and recreation as essential services to our elected officials is an oft-heard refrain. Happily, the information and inspiration you need to position your agency as part of the solution to the nation’s health epidemic can be found in the educational offerings at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference.

Following are a handful of the more than 20 sessions in our Health and Wellness learning track and almost 50 interdisciplinary education sessions also aligned with that Pillar.

Park Prescriptions — Nature Is the Medicine: Park Rx, a new model of prevention and wellness, is a community health initiative whose mission is to “prescribe” time in parks to prevent and treat chronic disease and promote wellness.

Safe Routes to Parks: Learn how to facilitate the implementation of Safe Routes to Parks, including the benefits, partnerships, funding sources and key elements.

Seniors and Health According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the middle of the 21st century, the number of Americans age 65 and older is expected to almost double. What is park and recreation’s role in providing service to this growing population? Educational offerings around this subject includes: Trends in Senior Centers — Health and Wellness: Models of café, fitness/wellness, technology, lifelong learning, arts and engagement-centered facilities and programs will be discussed.

NRPA Research Session (NRS) — Social Outcomes for Older Adults: Come learn about the implications 66 Parks & Recreation

of social relationships on health in a community center, psychosocial influences on physical activity involvement among the elderly, and promoting team sport participation among older women.

Children, Teens and Health Attend these sessions for a better understanding of the childhood obesity epidemic and how parks and recreation is part of the solution.

Empowering Youth to Tackle the Obesity Crisis: This session will reinforce importance of including youth in efforts to improve health and wellness in communities. An energetic strategic planning session will engage the audience in thinking, planning and fitness.

Play Forever Play Spaces: Forty-nine million people live in multigenerational households. As a result, new playground designs are emerging as communities look for ways to provide active living for the multigenerational family. This session will focus on the design of multigenerational play spaces and provide examples from around the world.

New to the 2016 Conference Healthy Parks Tool — A Mobile Workshop at the Gateway Arch (pre-registration required, space is limited): This workshop will introduce participants to the new Healthy Parks Settings

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Tool, developed by the National Park Service Healthy Parks Healthy People program in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization. Enjoy a walk in the park and assess the health benefits of the newly renovated Gateway Arch grounds.

Health and Wellness-Themed Learning Lab: Join us for the following sessions in the Learning Lab on the Exhibit Hall floor: • Health and Wellness Meet and Mingle: Come meet with your peers, NRPA staff and partners to discuss the latest trends and hot topics in health and wellness for parks and recreation.

• Get Inspired with NRPA’s New Foods of the Month Curriculum: Learn about new, fun, easy-to-use and free materials developed by NRPA that teach children about healthy eating.

• Just Map It — Parks and Health: Get your visual brain working with a hands-on case study that will examine the intersection of health and the built environment.

• No Equipment? No Problem! Creative Ways to Incorporate Physical Activity: Learn some great strategies for incorporating physical activity into your programming, even when you have limited resources and facilities.

Thanks to our conference program committee, NRPA staff and our wonderful volunteer speakers, we’ll help you to tell your health and wellness story at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference. See you there.

Tom Crosley is NRPA’s Education Manager, Conferences and Schools (tcrosley@nrpa.org).

registration now open

october 5-8, 2016 st. louis, missouri www.nrpa.org/conference2016

NRPA Update

Member Spotlight: Amy Teegarden

S

teeped in nature from an early age, Director of Helena, Montana, Parks and Recreation Amy Teegarden quickly developed a taste for adventure and the outdoors. “I was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri,” she says. “Family outings often consisted of day hikes at nearby wildlife refuges and conservation areas or fishing. After several backpacking trips in the Snowy Range and the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, and volunteering with trail building crews in Colorado, I got hooked on the west!” The rest, as they say, is history. Teegarden got her degree in parks and recreation administration at the University of Wyoming and enjoyed a “colorful” stint with the United States Forest Service before settling down in Helena, her home of the past 24 years. She’s served as director for the past eight years, and in that time has made major impacts on health policies at her agency. We asked Teegarden to elaborate on her experience establishing a tobacco-free policy and other wellness initiatives currently in the works.

Parks & Recreation magazine: What inspired you to go tobacco-free in Helena’s parks and recreation spaces?

Amy Teegarden: Making the [professional] leap from federal to local government was somewhat intimidating, but very exciting! As I was acclimating to my “new surroundings,” I began questioning the department’s existing functions and what had been done in the past. I realized quickly that for our department to be competitive (for limited funding), we needed to stay relevant and get involved with the critical issues of our community.

It was important for us to be part of the conversation and that conversation, more often than not, was centered on community health and the role that parks and trails play in supporting physical activities.

In 2011, our department was awarded an ACHIEVE (Action Communities for Health, Innovation and EnVironmental ChangE) grant from a partnership between NRPA and [the U.S.] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ACHIEVE experience helped me “connect the dots” and increased my overall awareness and understanding of the role of parks and recreation beyond the traditional “fun

68 Parks & Recreation

and games department,” to that of realizing we can influence our community’s health and economic well-being by focusing on policies, systems and the built environment. The goal of developing a tobacco-free policy for Helena’s developed parks was first identified as part of our ACHIEVE community action plan. As a result of the community assessment and focus group discussions, the desire for a tobacco-free parks policy gained momentum.

P&R: What other health-based initiatives are you working on?

Teeegarden: From a programming standpoint, we are expanding our ParkFit program to include free yoga sessions and personal fitness classes in the parks. We continue to work with the health department on planning an Active Living Wayfinding System to increase participation in physical activity and improve access to nutritious food programs and other healthy living opportunities by providing uniform signage and supporting material. We are currently constructing a garden park with a variety of community partners.

The 6th Ward Garden Park is a re-purposed park in an underserved neighborhood and adjacent to the public

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transit station that will be managed as an edible ecosystem. One of the park’s primary purposes is to grow food for local edible forest and community gardeners and Helena Food Share. We continue to manage RxTrails, working with local physicians who “prescribe” walking various park trails to their patients.

P&R: Why do you feel it is important to make the connection between parks, recreation and health?

Teegarden: Making this connection is vital because it is important to direct resources to critical issues of our community by delivering programs and services that lead to improved results and support.

Helena Parks and Recreation recognizes the importance of seeing ourselves as a department that provides critical community connections by eliminating barriers and strengthening the connections between parks and people. These connections are supported from a variety of efforts as simple as the installation of new play equipment and the development of community gardens, to the expansion of a trail system and even the passage of tobacco-free parks policy.

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

Leadership is the capacity

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Refine Your Skills at Directors School August 28â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2, 2016 Oglebay Resort and Conference Center Wheeling, West Virginia

Apply now at www.nrpa.org/Directors

NRPA Update

Networking and Leadership Opportunities You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

J

oining NRPA allows you the opportunity to network with more than 51,000 park and recreation professionals across the country. According to our 2015 Member Experience Survey conducted by ORI, networking is among the top-valued benefits of NRPA. Why is networking with your fellow professionals so important? It enables you to share ideas and information with people in your field who can offer new insights and perspectives. Growing your professional network can open new doors for career advancement, personal growth and broader access to valuable information about the field.

70 Parks & Recreation

interests, level of effort and availability. Visit www.nrpa.org/volunteer to become the leader of a committee, join a task force or give a smaller amount of your time by taking a survey or providing a testimonial.

Join a Network: Networks are communities on NRPA Connect (www. nrpa.org/networks) comprised of like-minded members discussing various interests, topics, issues and trends.

Become a Network Leader and be an advocate for your profession. This opportunity positions you to engage your Network to contribute documents to the Knowledge Center, generate article topics for NRPA’s Parks & Recreation magazine, identify topics for webinars and online learning, and much more.

NRPA membership helps you take full advantage of all the networking benefits listed above. If you have questions or would like to become involved in the opportunities mentioned, contact Hayley Herzing at hherzing@ nrpa.org.

Not an NRPA member? Join and start engaging with thousands of park and recreational professionals today.

Visit www.nrpa.org/become-member to get started.

— Hayley Herzing, NRPA’s Membership Programs Manager

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Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge The following question is a sample Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) examination question.

A program coordinator hires coaches and a site supervisor for T-ball. The program coordinator stops by to check sites, including T-ball, about once a week. What type of supervision is the program coordinator using?

A. General Supervision B. Specific Supervision C. Transitional Supervision D. Coordinated Supervision Calling all beginning to mid-level professionals! The Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) is the national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession.

For more information on the CPRP certification program, please visit www.nrpa.org/cprp.

Answer: A. General Supervision

As an NRPA member, you are provided with many opportunities to gain leadership experience and network with your peers: NRPA Annual Conference: This is your chance to attend the largest gathering of park and recreational professionals, meet new people and catch up with old friends. Take the opportunity to network with field experts, speakers and exhibitors — learn more at http:// parks.nrpa.org/conference2016.

NRPA Connect: The only online networking platform for professionals in your field. Go to www.nrpaconnect. org/home to engage online with your peers from different agencies across the country. You can share ideas and resources, ask questions and get inspired.

Volunteering: NRPA offers many volunteer opportunities to suit your

NRPA is dedicated to providing learning opportunities to advance the development of best practices and resources that make parks and recreation indispensable elements of American communities.

Find out more at www.nrpa.org/education.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NRPA CONFERENCE

This October, thousands of park and recreation professionals will descend on St. Louis, Missouri, to participate in the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference. While many attendees will begin taking part in activities October 5, savvy conference-goers know there is a great opportunity to jump-start their experience Tuesday, October 4, by attending a Pre-Conference Workshop (PCW).

Topics include leadership, branding, certification, public speaking, keeping children safe and more! Take advantage of these half- or full-day workshops to get the most out of your NRPA Conference experience! Visit www.nrpa.org/conference2016 for more information.

SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES NRPA Conferences and Schools are forums where the park and recreation community comes together to exchange ideas and information. Register now for these upcoming events. All NRPA Schools are held at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, unless otherwise indicated.

August 28-September 2, 2016

November 6-10, 2016

January 15-20, 2017

January 29 - February 3, 2017

March 12-17, 2017

www.nrpa.org/education

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Operations SwimATX: An Innovative Lifeguard Training Program

By Sonia Myrick

E

very year, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) has a target goal of recruiting some 750 lifeguards to fully staff its 36 lifeguarded sites. “Six-hundred-and-fifty to 750 [lifeguards] would allow us to ensure all facilities and amenities are available for use by the public while maintaining flexible work schedules for our staff,” says Program Manager, Wayne Simmons, CPRE. The YMCA of Austin also has several year-round facilities in addition to country clubs and other facilities for which lifeguards are needed.

Recruiting for lifeguard positions is challenging, particularly on the scale needed by PARD. The city targets individuals from 15 years of age to recent retirees, and, in an attempt to encourage people to sign on earlier to be lifeguards, began offering hiring incentives. “We have a partnership with the Austin Parks Foundation, and this is the second year that they’re offering $100 hiring incentives,” says Simmons. “This year, the first 400 lifeguards who are on payroll with

the city of Austin by May 23 will get this incentive.”

Recruiting a diverse lifeguard workforce that is reflective of the surrounding community is doubly challenging.

So, when a local school board member approached the city to see how to address this two-fold challenge, PARD, the YMCA of Austin and the Austin Independent School District got together and developed a pilot program they dubbed SwimATX. This innovative program offers a semester-long

SwimATX offers semester-long training that earns students school credits and positions them for employment at PARD and/or YMCA of Austin aquatics facilities.

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swim class for which students earn physical education credit. At the end of the semester, interested students receive scholarships for free lifeguard certification classes which, when successfully completed, lead to employment as lifeguards with the city and/ or the YMCA. SwimATX got started in January 2015 with a total of 88 students from Reagan Early College and LBJ Early College high schools who participated in 12 weeks of swim instruction at city of Austin or YMCA pools during school hours. PARD staff members, the pilot schools and the YMCA developed a curriculum that draws on the adult fitness swimmer material from the American Red Cross Learn to Swim program. Simmons explains: “This program takes students with limited swimming abilities and works on improving their strength and stamina in the water. Coaches focus on developing the front crawl and breast stroke, which students must utilize in order to complete the American Red Cross lifeguarding course at the end of each semester.

“One of the things we ran into the first fall semester was that there were some students who were still 14 years old at the end of the semester and couldn’t actually take the Red Cross lifeguarding course. So, we are exploring other options for them to receive a certification such as first aid or CPR certification, so they have something tangible when they leave.”

SwimATX is offered free of charge and assistance is available for students who lack the necessary equipment, like suits and goggles.

The students apparently had such a good experience that many of the 14-year-olds re-enrolled the following semester so they could earn their lifeguard certification.

Each of the organizations is heavily invested in making the program as convenient as possible for the students to participate. SwimATX is offered free of charge, but most of the students don’t have the necessary swimwear or gear. The YMCA fundraises and solicits for items like goggles, swim suits and swim caps so the students don’t have to worry about investing in those items, and they are given a red suit to use as their uniform once they’re hired on by either agency.

As far as the actual instruction goes, the YMCA and PARD each provide two instructors per class and then PARD provides the instructors to teach the lifeguarding course at the end of the semester. The schools provide transportation to and from the training courses and adjust the students’ schedules for finals week to allow them to take their exams early so they can spend the full week doing lifeguard training during school hours.

The schools have also allowed both agencies to visit students at school to conduct hiring activities such as applications and interviews. “We’ve had some really dedicated teachers from both schools who motivate the students, get them excited about coming to class and go out of their way to assist the students with navigating the hiring processes,” adds Simmons.

Every effort is made to keep the students together and moving forward during the course of the semester.

This is sometimes difficult, however, because many of them are in college prep courses and are adding and dropping classes several weeks into the semester. Having a good ratio of in

structors to students allows for some flexibility. Late-joining students can be grouped with other students of similar skill level, and, depending on how fast or slow they’re progressing, students can be moved from one group to another. In addition, to help the students quickly build strength and stamina, they have free pool access during the semester so they can get practice in outside of class time.

Recruiting qualified lifeguards is the ultimate goal of the SwimATX program with the measure of success being the number of students who complete the lifeguarding course and are hired on by either PARD or the YMCA. However, a secondary, but equally important goal is ensuring that the students learn how to swim or improve their ability to do so, gaining a lifelong skill that allows them to safely enjoy any aquatic environment. According to the CDC, between 1999 and 2010, “The drowning rates for African-American children were significantly higher than those for Caucasians and Hispanics at every age from five years through 18 years.” The neighborhoods from which Reagan and LBJ high schools draw are largely Latino and African-American and experience some of the highest number of drowning incidents in Texas.

From the first class of 88, about two or three students passed the course and got hired on as lifeguards for the summer of 2015. When those kids went back to school in the fall, they talked up the program to their friends and got other students excited about it. This word-of-mouth advertising, coupled with the tangible financial gains the students enjoyed, was a big help to SwimATX’s marketing efforts. “Last fall we had 67 students who participated at some

point during the semester, and this semester, we have about 60 kids we’ve had contact with through these classes,” says Simmons. “Thirteen of the 67 students from fall completed the course and got certified and at least six have applied and been hired by [PARD].” This number could go higher once the department checks its number against the YMCA’s, as hiring is done between both organizations. “We promote that the kids can work for both agencies at the same time. That allows the students to receive the benefits each agency has to offer while helping each agency safely staff each of their aquatic facilities,” he adds.

SwimATX is only in its second year but is already proving to be a definite win-win for all parties involved. It not only creates a pipeline of qualified lifeguards for PARD and the YMCA, but also helps to increase the number of minority teens who, in addition to gaining employment skills, are gaining a lifelong skill that can help lower their drowning risk.

The goal is to eventually expand the program throughout the Austin Independent School District which has a total of 17 high schools.

To learn more about SwimATX, contact Wayne Simmons at wayne.simmons@austintexas.gov.

Sonia Myrick is the Managing Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (smyrick@nrpa.org).

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Poligon is pleased to offer Parasoleil panels in conjunction with its steel frame structures. Light is filtered and sculpted through a unique line of architectural panels engineered to withstand the elements in a profoundly artistic way. When used overhead, these panels create shade with air circulation, bridge architecture with nature and create interactive shadows that change throughout the day. They can also be used as privacy screening or along railings. POLIGON, 616.399.1963, WWW.POLIGON. COM

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Request free information from the manufacturers of the products found in this issue.

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Phone

Email______________________________________________

Name________________________________________________________________ Phone__________________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________________State________________ZIP_________________________ What health and wellness program or initiative has been most successful at your agency?

reader service

YES! I would like free product information!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please email your answers to dstorm@nrpa.org.

Check the product(s)/company(ies) that you would like information from: AQUATICS Water Odyssey............................... 19 512.392.1155 www.waterodyssey.com ATHLETIC/EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Go Ape............................................ 77 415.553.0769 www.goape.com Greenfields Outdoor Fitness........ 2,3 888.315.9037 www.greenfieldsfitness.com Soccer5®USA.................................. 27 305.393.5230 www.soccer5usa.com TriACtive America.......................... 37 800.587.4228 www.triactiveamerica.com BLEACHERS/ SEATING Kay Park Recreation....................... 78 800.553.2476 www.kaypark.com Pilot Rock........................................ 35 800.762.5002 www.pilotrock.com Polly Products................................ 78 877.609.2243 www.pollyproducts.com BUILDINGS/TENTS/SHELTERS Classic Recreation.......................... 19 800.697.2195 www.classicrecreation.com Easi-Set Buildings.......................... 77 866.252.8210 www.easisetbuildings.com Poligon®.......................................... 13 616.399.1963 www.poligon.com

Shade Systems Inc............................1 800.609.6066 www.shadesystemsinc.com/sails CONCESSIONS Shade Creations by Waterloo...........9 800.537.1193 www.waterlootent.com Subway..............................................5 800.888.4848 x1398 www.subway.com GROUNDS MAINTENANCE Jacobsen®....................................... 11 888.922.TURF www.jacobsen.com TORO®................................................7 800.803.8676 www.toro.com/rm3555 LIGHTING Eaton’s Ephesus Lighting......... 16,17 800.573.3600 www.ephesuslighting.com PARK PRODUCTS/SERVICES Dogipot..................................... 15, 77 800.364.7681 www.dogipot.com Gyms for Dogs — Natural Dog Park Products....................................9 800.931.1562 www.gymsfordogs.com Most Dependable Fountains......... C2 800.552.6331 www.mostdependable.com National Construction Rental....... 78 800.352.5675 www.rentnational.com

PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT Cemer® Playground & Fitness....... 21 +90.232.853.87.04 www.cemer.com.tr GameTime®..................................... C4 800.235.2440 www.gametime.com/expression Landscape Structures®.................. C3 888.438.6574 www.playlsi.com SwingSetMall.com......................... 41 800.985.7659 www.swingsetmall.com PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS Banners.com................................... 76 320.965.9300 www.banners.com/rec-samples RESTROOMS/ LOCKER ROOMS Green Flush Restrooms................. 39 360.718.7595 www.greenflushrestrooms.com SIGNS/SCOREBOARDS Berntsen ......................................... 76 877.686.8565 www.berntsen.com Das Manufacturing........................ 76 800.549.6024 www.dasmanufacturing.com Scoremaster................................... 78 888.726.7627 www.scoremaster.com SURFACING SofSurfaces.................................... 25 800.263.2363 www.sofsurfaces.com

Mail the completed form to Dana Storm at NRPA, 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148-4501 or email to dstorm@nrpa.org.

(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright ©2016 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $36 a year in the U.S.; $46 elsewhere. Single copy price: $4.50. Library rate: $48 a year in the U.S.; $58 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

Rooftop Oasis Fruits, vegetables, herbs, sedum, berries — these are not the contents of a robust community garden plot. Rather, they’re among hundreds of plants situated atop NYC Parks Department’s Five Borough Administrative Building as part of its green roof. Since its installation in 2007, park staff members have developed 31 distinct plant systems on the roof — more than any other green roof in the United States. Variety is the spice of life, but these groupings have a larger purpose than simply providing an interesting spot to enjoy one’s lunch break. In an ongoing, living experiment, NYC Parks is attempting to identify plants that will thrive best in New York’s urban environment, as well as educate the public about the benefits of green technology. Assistant Commissioner of Citywide Service Artie Rollins says the community response has been overwhelmingly positive. “During the summer, we host about 15 to 20 tours where we spend about an hour explaining the benefits of green roofs to people. The advantage of having these 31 systems right next to each other is that people can pick and choose the rooftop gardens that are most appropriate for their buildings.” The rooftop’s 4,000-square-foot vegetable garden needs up to four hours of tending a day; its native beds, boasting plants indigenous to New York City environs, require perhaps an hour of work every day; and its sedum beds require only monthly check-ins. All, however, have an incredible impact on energy usage and stormwater mitigation. “Immediately [after installing the green roof], we saw stormwater sequestering, keeping rainfall out of our combined sewer overflow and treatment plants,” Rollins said. “The green roof opens a whole new biosphere with worms, bugs and birds in what would normally be just a barren space. Additionally, it cools the building — on a 90-degree day with a black roof, the heat island effect is 160 degrees around our building. With the green roof, the effect is around 80 degrees — that’s an 80-degree decrease in the heat island effect.” Visit www.nycgovparks.org/greening/sustainable-parks/green-roofs to learn more about NYC Parks’ ongoing green roof initiatives.

Malcolm Pinckney/NYC Parks

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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PARKS&RECREATION JUNE 2016 ◆ THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE ◆ 2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE EDUCATION