Pennsylvania WalkWorks: PA Department of Health Funding for Walking, Biking, and Accessibility?

Since 2013 the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has been working on the PA WalkWorks program, working with various partners to improve public health outcomes with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase physical activity. Initially, the program focused on developing walking routes and groups, eventually including 100 routes established in municipalities across the state.
However, in the course of that work, the team, originally out of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health with support from the PennDOT Local Technical Assistance Program, found that even identifying a safe and accessible 1.5-to-2 mile walking route was not really feasible for many interested communities.
In 2017, in addition to the walking routes and groups, funding was provided to a few communities for the development of Active Transportation Plans, and in subsequent years, planning funding has eclipsed the routes and group work. That said, routes and groups and active-transportation-friendly policies, while no longer the direct focus of WalkWorks funding, are still seen as important subsets or outcomes from the Active Transportation Plans being funded.
In this webinar, the DOH lead on the WalkWorks Program and current WalkWorks partner organization, the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, provide information and insights into the lessons learned over the 10+ years of the program.
Learning Objectives:
- To learn about the links between the built environment and public health.
- To become familiar with the WalkWorks Program and the funding and technical assistance it provides.
- To learn about the Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center strategies and development to bring active transportation planning to communities in need.