The Impact of Health-Recreation
Partnerships to
Create Healthy
Communities:
Lessons from
Alberta
Lisa McLaughlin
Program Manager – Communities ChooseWell
Alberta Recreation and Parks Association
Alberta Recreation and
Parks Association
 Provincial not-for-profit, charitable
organization
 Est. 1951
 Committed to building healthy citizens,
communities, and environments in Alberta
through recreation and parks, in
collaboration with members and partners
Key Definitions
 Health: “A state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being…”
 Recreation: “Activities in which an
individual chooses to participate in his
leisure time…not confined solely to sports
and physical recreation programs but
includes artistic, creative, cultural, social
and intellectual activities.”
Alberta Health-Recreation
Partnerships
 Communities ChooseWell (2006-2009;
2011-present)
 Active Community Strategy (ACS)
Initiative (2012-14, ended in 2013)
 Both employ a community development
approach, working through local leaders to
facilitate community-level changes and
education/awareness
Communities ChooseWell
 ARPA & Alberta Health
 Goal: Improve the health of Albertans and
foster health-promoting communities
through education, building community
capacity and engaging in collaborative
activities to create environments that
support healthy eating and active living.
Communities ChooseWell Model
Communities ChooseWell
“Eat Right, Be Active”
Engage
Support/Empower
Celebrate
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• Awards
• Success Stories
• Success Travels book
Promotion
Registration
Toolkits
Provincial Challenges
Partnerships
Newsletters & Information
Webinars
Seed Funding
Resources
Forums/workshops
Evaluation
Active Community Strategy
Initiative
 ARPA & Alberta Health Services
 Goal: Get more people more active more
often using community engagement to
build commitment and a strategy that
provides a path to enhanced physical
activity.
• Community owned, evidence informed,
sustainable
Active Community Strategy Model
Active Community Strategy Initiative
 10 communities (2012-13) + 4 pilot/mentor
communities (2011-12)
 Leaders’ retreat, community development
planning workshop, webinars, community
coaches, $10,000 seed grants for
implementation
 Linked to existing active living resources
Common Outcomes
 Community strategies documented
 Build on communities’ priorities and existing
plans
 Engagement of community members
 Enhanced relationship between health,
recreation and other sectors - working
together to plan and implement
• Provincial Active Living Integration Group
• Healthy Food Environments in Community
Recreation Settings Network
• Community level teams/coalitions
Common Outcomes
 Tools and resources that can be utilized
and adapted by other communities
• Active Community Strategy Framework &
Guidebook
• ChooseWell Implementation Guide and
Healthy Community Scanning Tool
 Ongoing collaboration to support
communities with implementation
 Wide and deep reach into communities
Emerging Health-Recreation
Partnerships
 Prescription to Get Active
• 8 Edmonton and Area Primary Care Networks
partnering with 22 local recreation facilities
• Family physicians and health care teams
prescribe physical activity to those who would
benefit from increased activity
• Patients choose activity and facility and get
free or subsidized access
Benefits of Partnering with Recreation
to Improve Health
 An effective tool for improving physical,
mental and social health
 Can help address inequalities and reduce
barriers
 Well connected to community
 Skills in community development
 Municipal responsibility offers more
flexible, local opportunities for action
Alberta Recreation and Parks Association
11759 Groat Road
Edmonton, AB T5M 3K6
ph: 780-415-1745, fax: 780-451-7915
e-mail: [email protected]
Lisa McLaughlin
Program Manager – Communities ChooseWell
ph: 403-479-2453
e-mail: [email protected]