Healthy RC“If we agree that improving health is a

priority, at the end of the day we won’t have success if it is only government telling

people what to do. It is about community partnering with its leaders.”

-- City Manager

The Healthy Ea�ng Ac�ve Living Ci�es Campaign provides training and technical assistance to help city officials adopt policies that improve their communi�es’ physcial ac�vity and retail environments. Suppor�ng healthy choices is essen�al to address the obesity epidemic among California’s children and adults, currently cos�ng the state more than $41 billion annually in healthcare and lost produc�vity.

The Campaign, funded by Kaiser Permanente and the Vitamin Cases Consumer Se�lement Fund, is a partnership of the League of California Ci�es, Public Health Advocates, and the Ci�es Coun�es and Schools Partnership.

www.HealCi�esCampaign.org

Background:

Rancho Cucamonga is a city of about 180,000 residents located south of the San Gabriel mountains in San Bernardino County. In 2008, the City launched Healthy RC, a City-community collaboration, in response to alarming health statistics and environmental conditions. In 2009, Rancho Cucamonga joined the HEAL campaign to continue to advance the city’s health goals.

Healthy RC:

Healthy RC is a comprehensive approach to incorporat-ing health throughout city activities, programs and policies. Healthy RC is a genuine partnership of City government, community agencies, and grassroots residents who collectively identify their community’s health challenges and decide how best to address them. This approach has cultivated a culture of health, reducing health disparities and inequities, and engaging all com-munity sectors in health improvement initiatives to achieve a collective impact on some of the community’s most serious health problems – childhood obesity, suicide rates, heart disease, diabetes, among others.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA:

Peer city case study / community story

Healthy RC was started during the Great Recession, a fiscally challenging time for all cities. It began with the city manager asking each department: 1) what it was doing to make the city healthy, and 2) what it could do with or without new resources.

In 2014, the City Council formally adopted the Healthy RC Strategic Plan which was developed through a compre-hensive community engagement process that involved one in five residents as well as businesses, schools, faith communities and other stakeholders. The process resulted in eight community health priorities: •Healthy Eating and Active Living •Community Connections and Safety •Compassionate Community •Education and Family Support •Mental Health •Economic Development •Clean Environments •Healthy Aging •Disaster Resiliency

Healthy RC Accomplishments:

General PlanThe City updated its general plan and incorporated Healthy RC through three interrelated and integrated themes: a Healthy Mind, a Healthy Body, and a Healthy Earth. Each chapter has components that respond to each theme.

Health-In-All-PoliciesThe City has adopted a Health-in-All-Policies framework in all policy-related decisions it makes, establishing a permanent link for a dialogue on health within city departments.

Healthy RC Kids Fun on the Run Mobile Recreation The City has implemented a variety of strategies and programs to increase opportunities for play. Through a community process, the City mapped all play spaces and opportunities for safe physi-cal activity and identified gaps and areas with less access. This resulted in the creation of Healthy RC Kids Fun on the Run Mobile Recre-ation program that brings physical activity programming to neighborhoods and schools that lack the access and resources to engage in safe, fun physical activity.

Safe Routes to Schools, Complete Streets, and Open Streets event The city has actively participated in a variety of efforts, adding sidewalks, bike paths and rede-signing streets.

Farmers’ Markets A farmer’s market development code was passed allowing farmers’ markets in areas of the city where opportunities for healthy eating were less accessible and several of the markets accept CalFresh benefits.

Healthy Nutrition & Beverage StandardsThe city adopted a policy to require 50 percent of items (food/beverages) sold and served at City facilities to meet health standards established by the federal “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

Healthy RC DiningThe city recognizes and promotes restaurants that offer healthy dining options.

Lactation AccomodationThe city adopted a policy and programs to promote infant health by providing private breastfeeding space in all City facilities, including a designated lactation room.

Lessons Learned:

Shared VisionHealthy RC participants understand the change they want to see in their community, have a joint understand-ing of the issues, are willing to work collectively to improve the identified issues, and have a stake in both the process and outcomes of Healthy RC. They are proud of their unique direction.

Role of City ManagerA diverse, multi-departmental team, led by the City Manager’s Office and comprised of department heads and managers from all major departments, lead and coordinate Healthy RC. The City Manager’s ability to

engage stakeholders from multiple sectors and facilitate their collective efforts is a major factor in the success of the initiative.

Community Engagement and EmpowermentThe City is engaging local residents and over 50 community stakeholders. Using a Communi-ty-Based Participatory Approach as its foundation, partners are not only informed of specific strate-gies, but they also play an active role in develop-ing, implementing, and designing approaches that best fit community needs. An evaluation of Healthy RC found that members feel they have a meaningful voice and impact at all levels from identification of community health problems to the development and implementation of solutions to address those problems. The value of residents as critical contributors to Healthy RC is recognized and acknowledged at all levels.

EquityThe City has addressed local equity issues by developing opportunities to meaningfully engage local residents and youth in helping to transform the way it prioritizes projects. Youth and communi-ty residents help drive the focus of the City to address policies, programs, and services that have the greatest impact on local neighborhoods.