Healthy City Visioning Forum
Fall River, MA
February 27, 2003
Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center
Summary of Proceedings
More than 100 community leaders participated in the Healthy City Visioning Forum on February 28, 2003 at the Advanced Technology Center in Fall River.
Mayor Edward Lambert called the group to order and pointed out that the forum falls on the day after the city’s bicentennial and provides an excellent opportunity to look ahead to the next 100 years.
The Forum was co-sponsored by the City of Fall River and Partners for a Healthier Community, the local Community Health Network sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and chaired by Karen Scott Statser who also welcomed the group. The forum was facilitated by Peter Lee, Co-Director of the MA Partnership for Healthy Communities.
The visioning forum kicks off a Healthy City planning process in Fall River that is intended to involve all sectors of the community in an integrated planning process consistent with the principle of Healthy Communities:
- Broad definition of health
- Broad definition of community
- Shared vision from community values
- Improved quality of life for everyone
- Diverse citizen participation and widespread community ownership
- Focus on "systems change"
- Development of local assets and resources
- Benchmarks and measures of progress and outcomes
Expectations of the Day/Questions
The group brainstormed the following expectations and questions:
- Meet the challenges faced by the city
- Have a plan to address those challenges
- Cooperate, communicate, and collaborate
- Identify and prioritize clear, achievable goals
- Turn negatives into positives
- Environmental concerns should be included in the plan
- Understand everyone’s perspective and incorporate them into the vision
- Leave here with trust in the process
- Understand the gaps and the unmet needs – work together to address them
- Use the process to foster better communication among agencies
- What is the process after today?
- What are the expectations for the next twelve months?
- What is the structure of the teams or groups that will implement the process?
- What are the short and long term goals? (identified the importance of realizing short term gains or "quick wins").
Assets and Challenges
Participants were randomly selected into 12 groups with the purpose of brainstorming a list of Fall River’s assets and challenges. Following is a compilation of the categories of the issues identified and the number of groups who listed assets and challenges in each category.
Assets |
|
|
Challenges |
|
Strong nonprofit network/community |
10 |
|
Fiscal crisis |
10 |
Strong hospital/health care system |
8 |
|
Cultural barriers to service access |
7 |
School system |
7 |
|
Low-income |
7 |
Ethnic/cultural diversity |
6 |
|
Education |
6 |
History; historical/cultural resources |
6 |
|
Health/health care |
5 |
Location of the city |
5 |
|
Homelessness |
5 |
Work ethic/workforce |
5 |
|
Nonprofit collaboration |
5 |
Abundance of clean water |
4 |
|
Outreach (of social services) |
5 |
Community spirit |
4 |
|
Access to health care |
4 |
Proximity of higher education |
4 |
|
Affordable housing |
4 |
The people of Fall River |
3 |
|
Community/economic development |
4 |
Access to open space |
3 |
|
Drug abuse |
4 |
Low cost of living |
3 |
|
Lack of jobs |
4 |
Neighborhood Associations |
3 |
|
Youth programs |
4 |
Park system |
3 |
|
Community safety |
3 |
Day care |
2 |
|
Infrastructure/physical appearance |
3 |
Grant Writer |
2 |
|
Maintaining family/community values |
3 |
Adult Basic Education |
1 |
|
Park system/green space |
3 |
Community infrastructure |
1 |
|
Pollution |
3 |
Community policing |
1 |
|
Smoking |
3 |
Community size |
1 |
|
Transportation |
3 |
Faith-based organizations |
1 |
|
Civic involvement |
2 |
Family-oriented community |
1 |
|
Entertainment |
2 |
Good for small business |
1 |
|
Out-migration of educated youth |
2 |
Marketing of community |
1 |
|
Schools |
2 |
Mill outlets |
1 |
|
Affordable day care |
1 |
Promotion of higher education |
1 |
|
CSOs |
1 |
Public transportation |
1 |
|
Domestic violence |
1 |
Recycling program |
1 |
|
Foster homes |
1 |
Senior population |
1 |
|
Health care education for youth |
1 |
Youth programs |
1 |
|
Image of the community |
1 |
|
|
|
In-migration from urban centers |
1 |
|
|
|
Landfill |
1 |
|
|
|
Politics |
1 |
|
|
|
Race issues |
1 |
|
|
|
Social services |
1 |
|
|
|
Underutilizing facilities |
1 |
|
|
|
Underutilizing local higher education |
1 |
Healthy Community Visioning Exercise
Participants began to identify a vision of a Healthy Fall River by crafting an interactive picture of how a healthier city might look. Working in teams they shared their goals and ideas. The Visioning Exercise was organized in two parts.
- Each individual used post-it notes to write down the elements they or their families would like to see in a Healthy City. The results of this part of the exercise reflected a wide range of issues and reflected broad definitions of health and community. Following is a compilation of the categories of the issues selected and the number of people who identified each category.
Public Safety 29
Health care 27
Safe and clean streets 26
Education and schools 26
Healthy Jobs/economic growth 26
Good neighbors/value diversity 24
Recreation 24
Arts and cultural opportunities 23
Parks and gardens 23
Quality food supply 22
Clean environment 21
Public transportation 19
Green space 16
Acceptance of all 16
Youth activities 15
Embrace families 14
Quality of life/less stress 11
Respect and support elderly 10
Adequate housing 10
Healthy and safe schools 8
Volunteering 7
Adequate services 7
Faith and spirituality 7
Water supply 7
Cooperation and collaboration 7
Community pride 7
Bikes and bike trails 6
Adult basic education 5
Child care 5
Waterfront activities 5
Physical activity 5
Lunch programs 5
Drug prevention 4
Downtown/accessible shops 3
Community gatherings 3
Smoke-free community 3
Library 2
Noise abatement 2
Bookstores 1
School guidance counselors 1
Foster neighborhood groups 1
No graffiti 1
Personal health 1
Work with other cities and towns 1
Tax free community 1
Alternative medicine 1
Clean up TV 1
Old fashioned morality 1
Urban design 1
Responsive utilities 1
Long range vision 1
- Working in their groups the participants then began to visualize their idea of a healthier city. Twelve colorful drawings or murals of a Healthier Fall River emerged from the exercise. Some highlights included:
- A rainbow colored umbrella with the slogan, "Learn, Earn, Succeed"
- Several communities surrounded by green space and waterways, with parks, gardens, bike paths and recreational facilities evident nearby
- Various displays celebrating diversity, including multinational flags, the sun shining down on everyone, and an "Eye-in-the-sky"
- Numerous facilities and events to celebrate culture and the arts and learning, e.g. schools, arts centers, libraries, etc.
- Accessible health care facilities
- Celebration of "Spirit-Mind-Body"
- Accessible Affordable Housing
- Safe and clean industry and job opportunities
- Safe and clean streets and neighborhoods
- Numerous support facilities for services and shopping
- Illustrations in support of healthy food and water supplies
Several of the illustrations and other pictures of the vision forum are available for viewing on the web at "gfrpartners.com"
What’s Next?
The results of the forum will be used by a "Design Team" to begin to talk about long and short term goals and priorities. The Design team will also make plans for additional outreach to sectors of the community that were not represented at this forum. Participants will be invited back to a second forum later in the year.
All interested participants are invited to attend the next meeting of the Design Team, which is scheduled for Thursday April 3 at 11:00 AM at the Advanced Technology Center on Martine St. in Fall River.
Feedback Summary
Healthy City Fall River Visioning Forum
February 27, 2003
Please mark how productive do you believe this event was.
waste of time avg. of all the scores very productive
1 2 3 4.04 5
Comments:
- Good first effort
- Now it will be important to provide a follow up forum
- We’ve been talking about all of these issues-there is nothing new being said-there is also not much done other than thinking
- It was fun to spend the time to work on this and also it helped one feel more hopeful
- The future remains to be seen, vision is nice but needs action to bring it to fruition
- I had no idea what I was coming to, made some good connections w/ my group, uncertain how my presence/input will shape this program
- I was only able to stay for part of the day, but I enjoyed it & have great hope for the future of this healthy city project
- I liked the input of different ideas
- Not quite sure if end justifies the mean
- A healthy economy forms a healthy city
- Break out groups assigned helped meet other people in diverse roles
- It was a very good session but there is so much more to do-this is a "work in progress"
- We need to stay energized-very stimulating & thought provoking
- Looking forward to seeing our thoughts & visions unfold
- More youth should be involved because they will head the city one day
- That is if something really was heard & will be acted upon it
- Worthwhile to note how similar our "healthy cities" were
- A great opportunity to meet people & begin building our collective vision for F.R.
- Found envisioning reporting a little tedious & repetitive
- I believe that bringing out the issues is a good first step, let’s keep it up
- A very positive, creative forum, a nice mix of participants
- Really good start
- Wonderful to be among such like minds-very encouraging
- This event could become very productive if the ideas of the group are used
2. Where do you think things could have been improved to make it more useful and/or productive?
Comments:
- More focused outcomes
- Good beginning, let’s continue
- What to do to attain goals or corrections
- Better overview of what today is all about, we needed an introduction to the day before we sat down to brainstorm
- Probably the need for neighborhood & hi-tech jobs
- What is this information going to be used for? Is it to apply for federal/state grants?
- In the health of local jobs, safety on the job
- This was very informative- I hope today’s work really leads to realistic goals (attainable) then seriously working on the most attainable ones first
- We need to push lobbying our state legislators to make things happen-financially
- Went very well (water on tables would have been helpful)
- More information on affordable health care for all ages
- No improvement, excellent presentations-good planning
- Shorter time period
- Need commitment to tackle key issues in a timely & productive manner
- Some info too old
- Introduction an ice breaker game or something of that sort
- Coffee at about 2:30
- Nothing-facility & program was excellent
- For a first meeting-very productive
- Not have facilitators interrupt our tables’ process so often, a list of participants, break people into tables twice-1 for lunch, 1 for healthy community activities-more opportunity to meet people
- Collect a written description from each individual about their vision & concerns for the city
- Maybe mix up the small groups in the afternoon
- Divide the city into sections & get a group of people from each area to address their needs
- Advance packet of reading, info or activities to better prepare us for subject matter
- A willingness to be open to Gov. Romney’s plans, same old, same old won’t work, the provider community has to be open to the possibility that we may have duplication, waste inefficiency. There very well may be a new & better way to do more w/ less, I guess the timing was bad in one regard because I was encouraged by the governor’s vision & to hear all the usual comment & to sense the special interest begin to rise up for every program that will be cut is discouraging, there are some programs & services which do not need to exist & should be but unless the commonwealth gets control of money-none of the vision we have today will happen
- Even though ideas were given I feel that if there was more time to discuss there would be better ideas
3. Is there a question that you have that has not been answered? Please specify.
Comment:
- Next steps?
- How will we be informed of progress with this initiative?
- Purpose of meeting
- How can we better help seniors who struggle to survive?
- When is the follow up get together & how do we close items?
- Bike path is viable, will it be set up?
- Number of homeless
- What is the timeline?
- What will the final product or report of this process look like?
- What power/authority do we have to make any difference? What if our thinking is conflictual w/ the status quo?
- How do we assist our elderly that are homebound, & how do we find them?
- Exactly how all this will work & continue for success
4.Who (people/organizations) should also be involved? (Name and phone number)
Comment:
- Youth organizations: CYO, YMCA, Boys Club
- Consumers of Health & Human Services, it was good to see youth be a part of process
- More city government officials
- I’m not sure of all the agencies involved today-I am looking forward to receiving the list
- Some but not all issues need suburban input
- Personnel at the state level
- Already well covered
- Community seems very well represented
- Shephards
- Different parents groups, ethnically & racially diverse
- Diabetes Assoc. of Fall River-Julie Kelley 508-672-5671
- Everyday people, workers
- Ethnic groups (Portuguese, etc.)
- Local hospital representatives
- Chamber of Commerce, other chains like Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s owners or reps
- Diabetes Assoc. Inc. 672-5671
- The people of this community need to volunteer to keep all programs up & running
- Board of Health, Police Dept
- Will fill out other sheet & send in
- Ethnic social clubs are sometime the best source of the needs of the peoples of the city
- Cardiovascular Health Initiative-Kathleen Foell 617-624-5469, kathy.foelle@state.ma.us
- Bristol Community College-Diane McMullen 508-678-2811 x2369
- Fall River Police
- All local businesses should be involved