In 2012, the City of Sioux Falls Health Department will launch a Community Transformation Initiative in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

The primary goals of the initiative will be to create a multisector alliance to build a community that makes healthy living easier and implement evidence-based strategies to promote health and reduce the burden of disease. The funding for the project was acquired through a five-year federal grant targeting community-level efforts to reduce chronic diseases.

“In 2010, the Health Department released a health status report that demonstrated that Sioux Falls is no exception when it comes to increasing rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and other health indicators that are trending in the wrong direction. This initiative gives us the tools to actually make a difference and achieve a higher level of health in our community,” said Jill Franken, Public Health Director. Franken added, “Our first order of business is pulling together partners from every sector to perform a complete assessment of our citizens’ health needs and the resources to meet those needs. So far, we have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from those we have reached out to.”

More information on the Community Transformation Grants and the National Prevention Strategy can be found at www.cdc.gov/communitytransformation/ and www.healthcare.gov/prevention/nphpphc/strategy/report.pdf.