November 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47

Creating a Community
Wellness Hub
I
Developing a process framework for reducing barriers to health and well-being
By Maureen Neumann
n communities across the country, park and recreation agencies are leveraging
their integral role as public health professionals and stepping
up to serve as stewards of intentional Community Wellness Hubs.
Community Wellness Hubs are trusted gathering places that connect
every member of the community to essential programs, services and
spaces that advance health equity, improve health outcomes and enhance
quality of life across the seven dimensions of well-being (see graphic on p.
48). Community Wellness Hubs are essential to health and well-being -
they remove barriers and bridge gaps to help people access vital health and
social resources, ensuring that all people can thrive.
This isn't anything new for park
and recreation agencies. Rather,
it's reimagining the way in which
programs, services and partnerships
are delivered and accessed
to support community health and
well-being. Community Wellness
Hubs build on the existing
strengths, assets and foundations
of local park and recreation agencies,
working to address the root
causes of health and social inequities
and promoting health across
multiple levels of intervention (individual,
interpersonal, community,
etc.) and holistically across seven
interconnected dimensions of
well-being. Health equity is at the
center of Community Wellness
Hubs, leveraging hubs to reduce
barriers to health for people who
have been historically disenfranchised
by unfair power structures,
policies, environments, social
norms and resources.
Park and recreation professionals
can transform a specific physical
space, like a community center
or local park, into a Community
Wellness Hub by providing an
equitable and inclusive set of programs
and services in one central
location. But a hub also can be
a concept, focusing on a larger,
system-wide level, shifting their
agency mission, operations and
practices to function in a more
holistic, intentional and interconnected
way and delivering services
out in the community.
While Community Wellness
Hubs will look different in every
neighborhood, city and county,
they are united by their shared
goals of advancing health equity,
improving
health outcomes and
enhancing quality of life for all
people. Although hubs meet the
unique needs of each community,
NRPA has developed a digital resource,
Community Wellness Hubs
- A Toolkit for Advancing Community
Health and Well-Being Through
Parks and Recreation (nrpa.org/
CommunityWellnessHubs), to provide
ideas and guidance to help
park and recreation professionals
advance Community Wellness
To learn more about what Community Wellness
Hubs look like in action, check out 10 case studies
from park and recreation professionals and their
community partners in section 5 of Community
Wellness Hubs - A Toolkit for Advancing Community
Health and Well-Being Through Parks and Recreation
(nrpa.org/CommunityWellnessHubs).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | NOVEMBER 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation
47
http://www.nrpa.org/communitywellnesshubs http://www.nrpa.org/communitywellnesshubs http://www.nrpa.org/CommunityWellnessHubs
November 2022 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2022 - Parks & Recreation
