June 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 12

EDITOR'S LET TER

Think Healthy Across the Board
As children throughout the country eagerly wait for the school
year to draw to a close, park and rec agencies are busy preparing for the influx of patrons who will soon gravitate toward
their respective community parks and facilities. Yet, while
offering fun summer programs and activities are no doubt a
priority, we mustn't forget to promote the importance of good
health and wellness - a topic both NRPA and Parks & Recreation magazine take to heart.
I strongly recommend checking out our research section on
page 12, where NRPA's vice president of research, Kevin
Roth, shares compelling data from our Americans' Engagement
with Parks study. One key finding from the research shows on
average, Americans visited local park and recreation facilities
29 times throughout 2016. The major driver of their visits: engaging in physical activity. Roth also highlights stats from our
recent Park Pulse polls, which reveal that 83 percent of Americans agree that park and recreation centers should provide
children with opportunities for physical activity outside of school grounds.
While we do emphasize the critical need for comprehensive health and wellness programs in our
respective communities, it's also imperative to stress how climate change can influence the overall
health of our national, state and local parks, which in turn, can impact the general health of community members. In the feature titled " Climate Change, Parks and Health, " on page 30, NRPA's
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Richard J. Dolesh interviews climate change experts to learn
firsthand how global warming leads directly to weather-related challenges for today's park and rec
agencies along with their constituents. As an example, Surili Patel, senior program manager for
Environmental Health in APHA's Center for Public Health Policy, says, " Rising temperatures,
which cause heat waves and urban heat island effects, vector-borne diseases - such as those carried by ticks and mosquitoes - diminished air quality, increased flooding and storms, food and
water-related infections...can have significant impacts on physical and mental health. "
Next, on page 36, contributor Mareya S. Ibrahim and P&R Associate Editor Cort Jones take
a closer look at the opioid epidemic and show what parks are doing to stay ahead of this evergrowing crisis. Given the fact that opioid use has sharply risen in public restrooms, many parks,
for instance, execute a disposable needles protocol to ensure staff and visitor safety.
Although summertime is clearly the busiest season for park and recreation staff, I do hope you will
take some time away from your active, and sometimes hectic, schedule to enjoy the great outdoors
with your own family and friends. Remember, we need to think healthy across the board.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN
Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing
Editorial Director

10

Parks & Recreation

| J U N E 2 0 1 7 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

PRESIDENT AND CEO
Barbara Tulipane, CAE
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING,
COMMUNICATIONS AND
PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR
Gina Mullins-Cohen
gcohen@nrpa.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Sonia Myrick
smyrick@nrpa.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Cort Jones
cjones@nrpa.org
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Maureen Acquino
macquino@nrpa.org
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Catrina Belt
cbelt@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Creative By Design
www.creativebydesign.net
SENIOR SALES MANAGER
EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE
Kip Ongstad
703.858.2174
kongstad@nrpa.org
SALES MANAGER
WESTERN REGION AND ASIA
Michelle Dellner
949.248.1057
mdellner@nrpa.org
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Mike Abbaté
Keith Anderson
Gerald Brown
Ernest Burkeen
Brendan Daley
Anthony-Paul Diaz
Ryan Eaker
Mariela Fernandez
Robert García
Kathleen Gibi
Tim Herd
Mareya Ibrahim
Edward Krafcik
Todd Lehman
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Lisa Paradis
Gil Peñalosa
Dr. Kevin Riley
Matthew Rudnick
Paula Sliefert
Anne-Marie Spencer
Stephen Springs
Randy Wiger
June 2017 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2017 - Parks & Recreation
