January 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49

Patricia Solano, superintendent of community services for City of
Riverside (California) Parks, Recreation and Community Services,
received the Health Equity Spotlight Award in 2017.
R.I.G.H.T. Program (Riverside Is
Getting Healthy Together), which
promoted healthy living throughout
the city and increased access
to fitness, knowledge of health and
educational
opportunities.
Other
initiatives Solano championed
were HEAL (Healthy Eating Active
Living) and NEOP (Nutrition
Education Obesity Prevention),
which completely changed the lives
of Riverside residents by creating
a healthier environment for the
community. Solano, with the support
of her team, worked to create
four priorities for a healthy initiative:
healthy eating, active living,
tobacco-use reduction, and building
safe and healthy communities. In
addition, she championed expanding
out-of-school time programs to
include nutrition education classes
and the annual " Spring into
Health " event, which promoted
healthy and active living. To ensure
a lasting effect on the City of Riverside,
Solano created the " Healthier
Food and Beverage Guidelines "
policy, adopted in 2015.
2018
Becky Tuttle, Director of
Community Development,
Greater Wichita (Kansas) YMCA/
Chairperson, Health & Wellness
Coalition of Wichita
By working in conjunction with
parks and recreation to create strategies
focused on improving access
to healthy foods, increasing physical
activity and decreasing use of
tobacco, Becky Tuttle supported
programs that provide unique opportunities
for all parts of the community
and are a vital part of the
economic, cultural and physical
health of Wichita. As the chair of
the Health & Wellness Coalition of
Wichita, Tuttle partnered with the
City of Wichita Parks and Recreation
department to address one
of the most significant barriers to
health in the community: transportation.
She was instrumental in
implementing the Bike Share ICT
program, launched in May 2017,
providing community
members
with a reliable and healthy transportation
alternative. Additionally,
Tuttle has played a critical role in
conducting a community
health
assessment and planning process
across Sedgwick County to address
food insecurity, healthy behaviors,
clinical care, social and economic
factors, the physical built environment,
and infant mortality.
Because of Tuttle's understanding
of the necessities to create a
healthy environment for the Wichita
area, the organizations
worked with helped establish local
she
policies and ordinances that focus
on making parks safe and usable.
Her work to improve the health
and wellness of Wichita continues
to impact the community.
2019
Tina Fleming, Director, and
Lindsey Jorstad, Community
Services Outreach Manager,
Gwinnett County (Georgia)
Department of Community
Services
Tina Fleming and Lindsey Jorstad
championed the advancement
of health equity across the community,
families
in Gwinnett County have
access to quality park and recreation
With
youth
not having access to nutriPARK
S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | J ANUAR Y 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
49
ensuring all youth and
programs and amenities.
concerns for low-income
January 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2023 - Parks & Recreation
