Community voice
by Meghan Smith, MPHc 2017 Note: Meghan wrote this piece before the November elections. She believes that it is crucial, now more than ever, to reach across the aisle, attend or host discussion forums, get outside your comfort zone, and open up new channels of communication so that diverse voices are heard and part of public health dialogue. Growing up in a rural town along the New York/New Jersey state border, I was surrounded by small farms, independently run grocery stores, hospitals, and physician practices. Although it was not geographically far from New York City it felt distinctly removed from the issues affecting that ubiquitous urban giant. Since my childhood, the town has changed with increased commercialization and altered demographics, but it still retains the rural atmosphere. This urban/rural divide persists throughout the United States as well, with the divide growing deeper every year. According to the 2010 US Census, 80.7% of the country’s population lived in urban areas, whereas only 19.3% of the population lived in rural areas. For urban areas, this represents a 12% increase in population since 2000. With more and more people moving from rural to urban areas, there is a shift in population density, allocation of resources, affordable housing, employment opportunities, and economic development. This is an issue affecting public health. As someone who is passionate about food policy, I have seen how the disparities between rural and urban are deeply impactful. I recently completed a summer research assistant position with the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University. My team worked specifically on connecting with food policy councils throughout North America, connecting councils with each other, and offering resources and technical assistance to help councils create a more just and sustainable food system. This included working with councils at the state, regional, and local level. The majority of councils are dealing with the same food-related issues, yet the manner in which councils approach these issues differs vastly depending on their community and region. For example, food access is an issue facing most councils, as well as most of the United States, however, that issue looks different from an urban or rural perspective. In an urban area, a barrier to food access may be the lack of a full-service grocery store, offering fresh produce, in the neighborhood. However, this urban area may operate a public transportation system with routes to a grocery store in a different neighborhood so that those in the area have the means to get to and from a grocery store and their neighborhood. In a rural area, there may be multiple full-service grocery stores, offering fresh produce, but no public transit system. How are those living in this area without cars expected to buy groceries? Another issue is food production. This looks very different for urban and rural communities. In urban communities, there may be a desire to implement public policy which supports the revitalization of vacant lots into community gardens, or the preservation of land and rights for existing community gardens against urban development. In rural areas, there may be a need to develop policy which incentivizes the preservation of large swaths of land for small family farms, fruit and vegetable farms, free-range animals, over the interests of large, multi-national corporations (commodity farming, factory farming, etc.). In my time at the Dornsife School of Public Health, and at the Center for a Livable Future, professors, faculty, mentors, and fellow students have consistently emphasized the importance of community input. There is value in listening to stakeholders, engaging them in the conversation, and working to include their input in program and policy implementation. This extends to bridging the rural and urban divide. It is increasingly important to listen to stakeholders in all types of communities, to take into account how policy and programs impact the two areas, especially at the state, county, and regional level. A policy in urban Philadelphia may have a direct effect on Lancaster County. The United States is a patchwork quilt of communities, each with its own unique characteristics and people. It is necessary to value that uniqueness in order to create a healthier and stronger population. |
Who Can Contribute?Community Voice authorship is shared by diverse members of the Public Health and Philadelphia communities. Archives
March 2017
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