Columbus, Ohio(Partner: National Association of County and City Health Officials)Community MissionThe ACHIEVE CHART of Community InformationColumbus is the capital and largest city in Ohio. According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the population of Columbus is 65.2% white; 26.1% African American; 5% Hispanic and 4.3% Asian. Columbus City Schools (CCS) is the largest school district in the city, serving approximately 53,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Three-fourths of CCS students receive free and reduced lunches and 61% of students are African American. In 2009-2010, 29% of the children entering kindergarten and 47% of fifth graders were overweight or obese. The Columbus ACHIEVE project targets an area comprised of three zip codes 43205, 43206, 43207 situated within the City of Columbus. At the time of the 2010 census, 79,280 people (6,654 children ages birth to 5 years) lived in these three zip codes. More than half of the population is African American, with unemployment rates as high as 11.2% in the 43205 zip code. There are 28 licensed child care centers, 46 Type B home child care homes, 12 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 3 high schools. There are 55 parks and 6 community centers operated by the Columbus Recreation and Parks department.
With eleven locations and an Urgent Care, Nationwide Children’s Primary Care Network (PCN) is the primary healthcare provider for the target population in this area. In 2009, the PCN had approximately 157,000 office visits. Of the 56,000 unique patients seen, 94% were on Medicaid.
Community Change StrategyBuild the CHART Team’s capacity to impact policy, system and environment: Through continuing education for existing CHART members and developing a Columbus Action Institute for Early Childhood Obesity Prevention, we will add new voices to advocate for policy, system and environmental change strategies to help prevent obesity in early childhood. Engage safety advocates in early childhood obesity prevention strategies: Connect with block watches, non-violence coalitions and other community groups to share ideas and information about how threats to personal safety, both perceived and real, impact childhood obesity.
Inform and promote policies to create a healthier nutrition and physical activity environment in City facilities: City policy efforts will include protecting a woman’s right to breastfeed in public places and offering a clean private space for women to pump or nurse; increasing the availability and affordability of healthier foods and beverages in vending machines on City property; increasing the availability of healthy food and beverage options at meetings and events at City facilities.
Support and incentivize organizations and businesses that serve the pregnant women and children ages 0-5 in the neighborhoods of 43205, 43206, 43207: Provide support and resources to help implement policies and practices that support breastfeeding, increase access to healthy foods and offer more opportunities for physical activity.
Community Successes
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