“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead |
Healthy Portsmouth is a city-wide health and wellness initiative led by a group of community leaders committed to changing the policies, systems and environments that affect our neighborhoods, health care institutions, community organizations, schools and workplace in order to improve the health outcomes of citizens in Portsmouth, VA.
 A coalition of community leaders committed to promote change through partnership-building and policy-making for a healthier Portsmouth.
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Portsmouth will be the healthiest place in Hampton Roads to live, learn, play, work and worship.
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The Healthy Portsmouth Coalition aims to engage members from all aspects of the community, not only health professionals. With many members from different backgrounds, Healthy Portsmouth hopes to serve the greater population.
Anyone can become a member of our coalition! If you are a student, bus driver, pastor, teacher, chef, etc., your influence and expertise is always welcomed. Contact Doha to be added to our mailing list, either as a coalition member to attend our planning meetings or as a community member to become more acquainted with our work and get updates on events and opportunities for collaboration.
| Find us on Facebook either by following the Healthy Portsmouth Page or joining our Community Advisory Facebook Group. |
Some of our many existing partners include Portsmouth Health Department, Bon Secours Maryview, City of Portsmouth's Parks and Recreation Department, Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority, American Diabetes Association, and YMCA of Portsmouth.
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Our current priority areas are: healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco use, and mental health literacy. While many of our initiatives work to improve outcomes in these areas, our partners come from a variety of fields and also work on projects outside of these areas to improve the health of our community.
We will be updating our priority areas in 2020. If you would like to join us in this process, email Doha.
Physical Activity
The 2014-2019 CHIP revealed 42.7% of Portsmouth adults were physically inactive and that obesity was a significant program, with 40% of adults reporting obesity (higher than the state percentage at 26.4%).
Recent Work by Healthy Portsmouth: Strategies to increase physical activity and decrease obesity rates have included environmental changes (playgrounds, walking paths) and community-wide events. Portsmouth's annual "Day of Play" is a series of events in which people of all ages could have fun exercising while enjoying healthy snacks and winning prizes.
Diabetes
The graph to the left shows the percentage of self-reported diabetes from adults living in Portsmouth via the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. Healthy Portsmouth's 2017 CASPER survey revealed 21% of household respondents within Portsmouth reported having been diagnosed with diabetes, which indicated the burden of disease may have been greater than those represented in CDC estimates.
Recent Work by Healthy Portsmouth: The Diabetes Prevention Project was operated by the YMCA of Portsmouth. Eastern Virginia Medical School led post-program focus groups with some participants to identify actionable themes. Many respondents gave positive reviews about their experience, reporting the class was enjoyable and beneficial in their lives.
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“I learned a lot about eating, how to choose foods, and how much to eat at one time. They taught me self-control when it comes to eating. We had a chance to meet lots of different people, get their ideas and focus on improving health... I would walk to the classes and sometimes I’d catch the bus so transportation and long-term programming would be nice additions for future programming. I want to start going again. Since the program ended, I’ve been working out at home and eating smaller meals. ”
-Portsmouth Resident, male, age 57
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Healthy Eating
Healthy Portsmouth supports the "Healthy Eating" Priority Area by increasing access to healthy foods and beverages and promoting healthy eating within our community.
Recent Work by Healthy Portsmouth: Funded through a grant from the Virginia Department of Health, the Healthy Portsmouth coalition oversaw the development of the area's first "Edible Park" through a collaboration with the Portsmouth Health Department and Elizabeth River Project/ Paradise Creek Nature Park. An edible park is a space that contains flowers, herbs, seeds, berries and plants that passersby can eat as they move through the park. The coalition has additionally assisted with renovations and the expansion of Cradock's community garden.
Tobacco Use
Tobacco use, associated with multiple poor health risks, is a modifiable risk factors of adverse health outcomes. Strategies to reduce the levels of smoking in Portsmouth have included
Recent Work by Healthy Portsmouth: During the 2014-2019 CHIP period, Healthy Portsmouth established relationships with the Portsmouth Libraries, local businesses, and local health agencies. A WHRO mass media campaign for "Healthy Hampton Roads" supported the move towards increased smoke-free public housing and Portsmouth Libraries posted tobacco-free signage in addition to creating the Health & Wellness Information Center.
Mental Health Literacy
The objectives in this priority area focus on bringing mental health education to various subsections of the Portsmouth community.
Recent Work by Healthy Portsmouth: Healthy Portsmouth distributed resources via city mailings, hosted an Animal Shelter Awareness event, and collaborated with Behavioral Health Services and Bon Secours to hold Mental Health First Aid trainings.
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Click here to access Healthy Portsmouth's Shared Folder on Google Drive, or view the contents of the folder, including our Meeting Minutes, below.
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This is the complete 2013-2014 Community Health Assessment (CHA) for the City of Portsmouth. It has extensive data around many indicators of health, as well as goals, objectives, and strategies for improving the health of the population of Portsmouth.
Our health department evaluated the Community Health Implementation Plan (CHIP) and this document contains our findings and recommendations for future implementation plans. -
The Community Health Survey (CHS) allows our community to have a better understanding of health at the local/neighborhood level in Portsmouth. Teams go door to door within Portsmouth to collect health status and behavior data that are not available through other state and national resources.The health department is recruiting community members interested in the MAPP, which is a community-led strategic planning process for improving community health. If you'd like to participate contact Anne.View the results of the Community Health Survey using this GIS map tool.
2017 Community Health Survey
MAPP Information
Interactive CHS Data Tool