More than 100 community leaders participated in the Healthy City Visioning Forum on February 28, 2003 at the Advanced Technology Center in Fall River.

Mayor Edward Lambert called the group to order and pointed out that the forum falls on the day after the city’s bicentennial and provides an excellent opportunity to look ahead to the next 100 years.

The Forum was co-sponsored by the City of Fall River and Partners for a Healthier Community, the local Community Health Network sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and chaired by Karen Scott Statser who also welcomed the group. The forum was facilitated by Peter Lee, Co-Director of the MA Partnership for Healthy Communities.

The visioning forum kicks off a Healthy City planning process in Fall River that is intended to involve all sectors of the community in an integrated planning process consistent with the principle of Healthy Communities:

• Broad definition of health
• Broad definition of community
• Shared vision from community values
• Improved quality of life for everyone
• Diverse citizen participation and widespread community ownership
• Focus on "systems change"
• Development of local assets and resources
• Benchmarks and measures of progress and outcomes

The group brainstormed the following expectations and questions:

• Meet the challenges faced by the city
• Have a plan to address those challenges
• Cooperate, communicate, and collaborate
• Identify and prioritize clear, achievable goals
• Turn negatives into positives
• Environmental concerns should be included in the plan
• Understand everyone’s perspective and incorporate them into the vision
• Leave here with trust in the process
• Understand the gaps and the unmet needs – work together to address them
• Use the process to foster better communication among agencies
• What is the process after today?
• What are the expectations for the next twelve months?
• What is the structure of the teams or groups that will implement the process?
• What are the short and long term goals? (identified the importance of realizing short term gains or "quick wins").

Participants were randomly selected into 12 groups with the purpose of brainstorming a list of Fall River’s assets and challenges. Following is a compilation of the categories of the issues identified and the number of groups who listed assets and challenges in each category.

Assets			Challenges
Strong nonprofit network/community	10		Fiscal crisis	10
Strong hospital/health care system	8		Cultural barriers to service access	7
School system	7		Low-income	7
Ethnic/cultural diversity	6		Education	6
History; historical/cultural resources	6		Health/health care	5
Location of the city	5		Homelessness	5
Work ethic/workforce	5		Nonprofit collaboration	5
Abundance of clean water	4		Outreach (of social services)	5
Community spirit	4		Access to health care	4
Proximity of higher education	4		Affordable housing	4
The people of Fall River	3		Community/economic development	4
Access to open space	3		Drug abuse	4
Low cost of living	3		Lack of jobs	4
Neighborhood Associations	3		Youth programs	4
Park system	3		Community safety	3
Day care	2		Infrastructure/physical appearance	3
Grant Writer	2		Maintaining family/community values	3
Adult Basic Education	1		Park system/green space	3
Community infrastructure	1		Pollution	3
Community policing	1		Smoking	3
Community size	1		Transportation	3
Faith-based organizations	1		Civic involvement	2
Family-oriented community	1		Entertainment	2
Good for small business	1		Out-migration of educated youth	2
Marketing of community	1		Schools	2
Mill outlets	1		Affordable day care	1
Promotion of higher education	1		CSOs	1
Public transportation	1		Domestic violence	1
Recycling program	1		Foster homes	1
Senior population	1		Health care education for youth	1
Youth programs	1		Image of the community	1
			In-migration from urban centers	1
			Landfill	1
			Politics	1
			Race issues	1
			Social services	1
			Underutilizing facilities	1
			Underutilizing local higher education	1

Participants began to identify a vision of a Healthy Fall River by crafting an interactive picture of how a healthier city might look. Working in teams they shared their goals and ideas. The Visioning Exercise was organized in two parts.

1. Each individual used post-it notes to write down the elements they or their families would like to see in a Healthy City. The results of this part of the exercise reflected a wide range of issues and reflected broad definitions of health and community. Following is a compilation of the categories of the issues selected and the number of people who identified each category.

Public Safety 29

Health care 27

Safe and clean streets 26

Education and schools 26

Healthy Jobs/economic growth 26

Good neighbors/value diversity 24

Recreation 24

Arts and cultural opportunities 23

Parks and gardens 23

Quality food supply 22

Clean environment 21

Public transportation 19

Green space 16

Acceptance of all 16

Youth activities 15

Embrace families 14

Quality of life/less stress 11

Respect and support elderly 10

Adequate housing 10

Healthy and safe schools 8

Volunteering 7

Adequate services 7

Faith and spirituality 7

Water supply 7

Cooperation and collaboration 7

Community pride 7

Bikes and bike trails 6

Adult basic education 5

Child care 5

Waterfront activities 5

Physical activity 5

Lunch programs 5

Drug prevention 4

Downtown/accessible shops 3

Community gatherings 3

Smoke-free community 3

Library 2

Noise abatement 2

Bookstores 1

School guidance counselors 1

Foster neighborhood groups 1

No graffiti 1

Personal health 1

Work with other cities and towns 1

Tax free community 1

Alternative medicine 1

Clean up TV 1

Old fashioned morality 1

Urban design 1

Responsive utilities 1

Long range vision 1

2. Working in their groups the participants then began to visualize their idea of a healthier city. Twelve colorful drawings or murals of a Healthier Fall River emerged from the exercise. Some highlights included:

• A rainbow colored umbrella with the slogan, "Learn, Earn, Succeed"
• Several communities surrounded by green space and waterways, with parks, gardens, bike paths and recreational facilities evident nearby
• Various displays celebrating diversity, including multinational flags, the sun shining down on everyone, and an "Eye-in-the-sky"
• Numerous facilities and events to celebrate culture and the arts and learning, e.g. schools, arts centers, libraries, etc.
• Accessible health care facilities
• Celebration of "Spirit-Mind-Body"
• Accessible Affordable Housing
• Safe and clean industry and job opportunities
• Safe and clean streets and neighborhoods
• Numerous support facilities for services and shopping
• Illustrations in support of healthy food and water supplies

Several of the illustrations and other pictures of the vision forum are available for viewing on the web at "gfrpartners.com"

The results of the forum will be used by a "Design Team" to begin to talk about long and short term goals and priorities. The Design team will also make plans for additional outreach to sectors of the community that were not represented at this forum. Participants will be invited back to a second forum later in the year.

All interested participants are invited to attend the next meeting of the Design Team, which is scheduled for Thursday April 3 at 11:00 AM at the Advanced Technology Center on Martine St. in Fall River.

1. Please mark how productive do you believe this event was.

waste of time avg. of all the scores very productive

• Youth organizations: CYO, YMCA, Boys Club
• Consumers of Health & Human Services, it was good to see youth be a part of process
• More city government officials
• I’m not sure of all the agencies involved today-I am looking forward to receiving the list
• Some but not all issues need suburban input
• Personnel at the state level
• Already well covered
• Community seems very well represented
• Shephards
• Different parents groups, ethnically & racially diverse
• Diabetes Assoc. of Fall River-Julie Kelley 508-672-5671
• Everyday people, workers
• Ethnic groups (Portuguese, etc.)
• Local hospital representatives
• Chamber of Commerce, other chains like Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s owners or reps
• Diabetes Assoc. Inc. 672-5671
• The people of this community need to volunteer to keep all programs up & running
• Board of Health, Police Dept
• Will fill out other sheet & send in
• Ethnic social clubs are sometime the best source of the needs of the peoples of the city
• Cardiovascular Health Initiative-Kathleen Foell 617-624-5469, kathy.foelle@state.ma.us
• Bristol Community College-Diane McMullen 508-678-2811 x2369
• Fall River Police
• All local businesses should be involved