The Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles (PHLA) is scheduled to go before the City Planning Commission today to make a recommendation to the City Council on whether this plan should be adopted or not. If adopted, the PHLA will become the first-ever health element to the city’s General Plan, elevating health as a priority in the city’s future growth and development and establishing a policy framework to make Los Angeles a healthier place to live, work and play.
“Community Health Councils (CHC) enthusiastically supports the PHLA and urges the Planning Commission to recommend that it be fully adopted by the city,” said Malcolm Carson, Community Health Councils’ general counsel and policy director. “While no single policy document can solve all issues, this plan is a roadmap with considerable power to chart a healthy and equitable future for the City of Los Angeles.
“We commend the City of Los Angeles for responding to the need for principled health policies to guide long-term development and decision making,” continues Malcolm Carson. “We also appreciate the multi-stakeholder input solicited for the creation of this plan to make it one of the most comprehensive, innovative and equity-focused documents ever produced within the city.”
The PHLA’s provisions will help protect the health of children through the development of Healthy Kids Zones around schools; increase equitable access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities; protect the safety of residents; and promote the economic and social health of the city. It addresses the most basic and essential quality-of-life issues: safe neighborhoods, a clean environment, access to resources that promote health, and the opportunity to thrive.
“Community residents understand that the places where they live, work and play influence their ability to purchase and eat healthy food or participate in safe physical activity—behaviors that are linked to the majority of chronic illnesses in our county,” says Manal Aboelata of the Prevention Institute. “The Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles provides a roadmap for building projects that reflect attention to health and safety as a priority in L.A.’s communities.”
