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Chronic disease is on the rise. Studies have found that the environments in which people live, work, learn, and play can have a tremendous impact on their health.

The Marion County Public Health Department’s Chronic Disease Department has started asking city officials to consider what the American Public Health Association calls “Health in All Policies” -- a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making.

Sydney Granlund, the Planning and Collaboration Coordinator for MCPHD’s Chronic Disease Department, gives Health in All Policies presentations to city officials and neighborhood groups.

“We are trying to break down the silos that exist between departments, to try to get everyone thinking about how to improve residents’ health outcomes,” she said.

Those presentations have led to the formation of a five-person workgroup, which discusses how existing and potential city processes impact public health. Granlund hopes that the workgroup will grow to include representatives from more city departments, and from local nonprofits and community groups.

“We have observed how challenging it is to be physically active, to eat nourishing food, to be socially connected in neighborhoods,” said Sandra Cummings, the Administrator of MCPHD’s Chronic Disease Department. “This work addresses the integration of all these issues, and how to move toward a healthier Marion County.”

One recent success was a “Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day” event that some local elementary schools participated in on May 7. Granlund said that she helped at one of the events, where kids and families learned about bike safety.

While the events were intended to be a fun way to try to instill kids with healthy habits, it also allowed parents and city officials to see places where visibility, sidewalk and crosswalk problems can limit the walkability and bikeability of some neighborhoods.

“We want to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” Granlund said.

To learn more about MCPHD’s Chronic Disease Department, please call (317) 221-2094.