FT. LAUDERDALE – Health must be a priority in designing our communities, from healthy housing to parks and playgrounds. Walking and biking must coexist with cars and public transportation.
We need lower levels of violence and crime so everyone can safely live, work, learn and play. We need to support farmers markets and local businesses that value health, such as retailers that don’t sell tobacco.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward) works with partners to achieve safe and healthy communities in the following ways:
- Through efforts of our Florida Tobacco Prevention Program and community partners, we provided education and assistance to owners and managers of multi-housing units to become tobacco free; 27 cities and Broward County Government have passed tobacco free resolutions, and there are 20 clubs of Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) in Broward.
- DOH-Broward coordinates the Nutrition and Fitness Task Force, which unites community partners to promote healthy eating, community gardens, farmers markets, and facilities and activities that provide physical activity opportunities in the community.
- We partner with the TOUCH program that created Healthy Community Zones to host activities that encourage good nutrition, exercise and tobacco-free living in 5 low-income neighborhoods.
- DOH-Broward leads community education and interventions to prevent toddler drowning, including a pool safety project for multi-family residences, public pools and pool supply retailers.
- DOH-Broward serves on the Smart Growth Partnership, which aims to create sustainable and greener communities. We contributed to the Complete Streets Initiative of Broward County.
- DOH-Broward is a community partner with the City of Fort Lauderdale Vision Zero. The project responds to citizen concerns about safety while walking, driving, biking or riding a bus or train.
- Our Vital Statistics office provided 53,000 birth certificates and 84,000 death certificates.
What can you do?
1. Commit to being tobacco free.
2. Commit to a healthy lifestyle.
3. Join planning committees and stay informed of growth and development projects in your community.
4. Support public transportation.
