On Saturday, April 21st, 2018 nearly 200 people came out to participate in the first of six “Open Streets” events planned in Dover that year for promoting a healthy community. The Dover/Smyrna multi-sector Healthy Neighborhood council, with Restoring Central Dover as the lead implementation group, began planning and hosting “Open Streets” programs after identifying that areas of central Dover lack access to safe areas for physical activity; have low rates of physical activity on an ongoing basis by residents of all ages; lack access to safe and open spaces to engage in physical activity; and have disproportionate rates of chronic conditions associated with lack of physical activity, including obesity, diabetes, and congestive heart failure, when compared to other areas of the state. Open Streets are programs that temporarily open streets to people by closing them to cars. By doing this, the streets become places where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can come out and improve their health, promoting the use of public streets for recreation, physical activity, and connecting with neighbors and local businesses. Along the route, organizers plan a number of activity hubs, such as zuumba, yoga, bike rodeo, jump ropes, hoola hoops, line dancing, and basketball designed to keep individuals active and engaged in moving along the route.
In its role as a “bridge” within and between UD and the community, the Partnership for Healthy Communities has been working to connect UD with the “Healthy Neighborhoods” population health efforts underway as part of Delaware’s healthcare transformation efforts. The partnership has coordinated with UD Cooperative Extension who helped with implementation and initial task force leadership, and coordinated with faculty and students from UD’s Dover campus, who are active on the planning committee and helping volunteer at the events. PHC also convened a team of UD faculty and graduate students from Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition and Center for Innovative Health Research to provide evaluation support, including measurements for constructs across short, intermediate and long-term outcomes (i.e. physical activity, neighborhood safety, community connectedness, economic impact).
