Easter Sunday
NATIONAL DISTINCTION
BESTOWED UPON THE CULTURE
OF HEALTH WITHIN SAN PABLO
In response to a lack of outdoor spaces for residents to enjoy and a ballooning childhood obesity rate, San Pablo reclaimed a plot of vacant
railroad land. In cooperation the EPA and with the assistance of new market tax credits, the city converted the land into the Rumrill park, a 4.5-
acre park complete with synthetic turf soccer fields, ample parking and lighting, restrooms, and even a play area dedicated to toddlers.
APRIL 2018 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 23
Residents of San Pablo, or anyone else for that matter, most
By Jeannie Howard
likely would have never imagined that the small—often labeled as an
“underdog”—city would have been thrust into a national dialogue
on community health. But, that is exactly what has happened to
the city of San Pablo since being named one of the recipients of
the highly acclaimed Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF)
Culture of Health prize in September of 2017. “Winning this has
just been incredible!” said Leslay Choy, general manager of the San
Pablo Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a San Pablo
based non-profit that has been proactively working to create and
expand economic opportunities for all of the city’s residents. “San
Pablo is generally viewed in the county as being small and poor,”
Choy expressed. “Yes, we have challenges, but we are now a part
of national dialogues and it goes to show that it just takes time and
effort.”
Since 1972, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been
solely dedicated to the improvement and promotion of health. As
the nation’s largest philanthropic organization, RWJF believes that
people’s health is directly related to a number of factors beyond
medical care, such as the quality and availability of housing,
employment, schooling, and even the availability of natural open
spaces in a community. Through the Culture of Health Prize, the
foundation celebrates exemplary communities that are committed to
creating an environment of inclusive and sustainable health for all of
their residents. For nearly four years, winners of this coveted prize
have been communities that are large and small, urban and rural, and
have demonstrated how, by connecting city leadership, economic
development, schooling, housing, and, as San Pablo demonstrates,
even law enforcement, they are creating effective multi-pronged
approaches to overcoming challenges once deemed insurmountable to
improve the health of their whole community. In addition to being
nationally recognized, winning cities receive a cash prize of $25,000
to use toward the continuation and further development of successful
programs.