Friday, April 5, 2019

Hospitals addressing Automobilitis: Examples for the Future


(1992) The British Medical Association publishes "Cycling towards Health and Safety", arguing that cycling should be an integral part of the medical toolkit, as important as addressing alcohol and tobacco abuse

(1996) The American College of Surgeons issues guidelines for trauma prevention. Level I Trauma Centers must implement at least two programs that address major causes of injury in the community (Car Seat Safety etc). We are not aware of any certified hospital that has actively engaged with healthy transport or Vision Zero initiatives

(2003) The Wheeling Hospital Foundation (WV) provides a grant for a "Walk to School Day"

(2003) The CA Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development issues a recommendation that hospitals should, at a minimum, conduct one public meeting to present their community benefit plan to the public

(2003) Victoria Transport Policy Institute issues first version of "If Health Matters" with guidelines how to integrate public health objectives into transportation planning. (Frequently updated since)

Since 2008 Seattle Childrens Hospital accommodates 6000 visitors a day with only 1200 parking spots, issues only daily parking permits, and offers a wide variety of support for bicycle commuters, Certified as Bicycle Friendly Business (now Platinum) since 2009

(2008) National Center for Bicycling and Walking (bikewalk.org) receives funding from Blue Cross & Blue Shield (MN) to "remove barriers and make physical activity the easy choice"

(2008) Lancaster General Hospital (PA) sponsors Mark Fenton, host of the PBS television series 'America's Walking' as a leader of a Walkable Communities Summit (2008)

(2011) UnitedHealthcare, Children's Hospital Colorado and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge launch a Bikes for Life program which provides 1,000 bicycles to Denver-area kids. 'Bikes for Life' will promote the health benefits of cycling, helping curb the growing prevalence of childhood obesity. (Video transcript)

(2011) Centers for Disease Control issue Transportation Health Impact Assessment Toolkit which offers elaborate resources and health planning tools and highlights the health impacts of transportation

(2013) Greenville Memorial Hospital (SC) funds the position of a Project Coordinator, (School Health Bike) to implement bike programs along with other activities to promote the safe and healthy physical activity for children.

(2013) Smith and Hamann Burney publish a paper on "Transportation Demand Management Strategies at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus"

(2013) A group of physicians from St Michael's Hospital (Toronto) are calling for more progress on the City's bike plan: they urge councilors to consider the preventative benefits of cycling and active living in general. “Cardiovascular health, mental health, insomnia—all these things are treated with exercise…this is a public health issue, and an issue of primary care”  

(2014) Boston Medical Center lauches Prescribe-a-Bike which offers patients greatly reduced membership rates for a local bike-share system

(2014) UCLA Health issues a bicycle safety video

(2014) Kaiser Permanente (Folsom) issues Kaiser Pedal Power, a newsletter for Kaiser employees which covers Safe Routes to Schools, community planning, bicycle commuting, health tips, etc

(2015) Rady Children's Hospital El Cajon implements a Safe Routes to School Program

(2015) Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angels conducts annual Blessing of the Bicycles (ongoing since 2003)

(2016) California Hospital Association provides information about hospital based benefit programs that improve local neighborhoods and the built environment, including transportation

(2016) Hilltop Institute highlights IRS regulation that "the health needs of a community [include] the need to prevent illness, [and] the need to address social, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence health in the community"

(2016) AARP Los Angeles becomes a sponsor for CicLAvia, a open streets event which promotes active transportation and good health through car-free streets.

(2016) Cleveland Hospitals (OH) provides sponsorship and has naming rights for Bike Share Program 

(2016) The federal Department of Transportation releases a Health in Transport Planning framework which requires transport planners to consider the health impacts of their designs

(2016) Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa (CA) partners with MyCityBikes to support doctors and nurses cycling to work

(2016) Kaiser Permanente issues video advert to promote commuting by bicycle

(2016) American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons launches public service campaign to remind drivers that Cyclists Are Always Fragile

(2016) Insurance Provider HealthIQ offers 25% savings on life insurance because cyclists who ride for 3 hours a week or more have a 28% lower risk of all-cause mortality than non-cyclists

(2017) A major study in the British Medical Journal shows that initiatives that encourage active commuting can reduce risk of death and the burden of important chronic conditions. Cycling to work lowers the risk of dying early by 40 per cent, and reduces the chance of developing cancer by 45 per cent.

(2017) Gregory Hood, MD asks "Should More Doctors Ride Their Bikes to Work?" in Medscape, and his readers agree: Yes, they should

(2017) Cedars-Sinai Blog honors a staff member Juan Castillo who rides 15 miles to work but reveal their ignorance when they call him a "cycler"

(2017) American Heart Association issues a major policy statement on active transportation complete with 215 juicy footnotes presenting lots of recent research and evidence

(2017) CALTRANS calculates the savings in healthcare expenses (600M$) as expanded bike network would lead to 3,330,103,000 more hours of physical activity

(2017) Henry Ford Health System and Health Alliance Plan are title sponsors of the new MoGo bike share program

(2017) LA County Department of Public Health releases recommendations for Community Health Needs Assessments to "encourage cities to establish policies and programs that support increased walking and biking"

(2018)  Southmead NHS Hospital (UK) conducts a survey asking all visitors how they arrived at the hospital

(2018) Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park offers safe cycling classes with ActiveSGV

(2018) Sutter Hospital Santa Rosa (CA) is certified as a Bicycle Friendly Employer by the League of American Bicyclists https://twitter.com/newhospital/status/750806700773355520

(2018) Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington uses heat map tool for healthier commutes. Hundreds learned that it would take them less than 3o minutes to ride a bike to work. The Modeify tool also found that almost all of their employees lived within a mile of a potential carpool partner.

(2018) AARP Los Angeles comments on Community Health Needs Assessments for hospitals in Los Angeles and suggests addressing healthy transportation as a community need

(2019) UCLA Fielding School hosts panel led by Richard Jackson on Transportation as a Public Health Issue

(2019) Northwestern Medicine are sponsors of the Fight for Air Ride by the Lung Association 

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