November 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 29

assistance and referrals, as well as connections to
healthcare services.

Establishing Health and Wellness
Hubs in Dallas County, Texas
A few weeks ago, I visited the Baylor Scott & White
Health and Wellness Center (BSW HWC) (https://
tinyurl.com/y33qz8kn) in South Dallas. This center,
established in 2010, is the result of a public-private
partnership between Baylor Scott and White Health
(BSWH) and the Dallas Park & Recreation Department to proactively address residents' health and wellness needs, particularly those with high rates of chronic
diseases, as well as frequent emergency department utilization and inpatient hospitalizations. Its basis was the
Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center, which was reconstructed to include a family health clinic that includes
such assets as walking trails, fitness rooms and athletic
fields. For this hub, access to clinical care, nutritious
foods, health education and engagement in physical
activity are the major priorities that have been identified to address the multiple chronic conditions that
adversely affect the health of this community. BSWH
or Dallas Park & Recreation staff greet you as you enter the center, and a team of healthcare professionals,
which comprises a physician, nurse practitioner, behavioral health therapists, social workers, medical aides,
nutritionists and community health workers, serves
the family health clinic. For many years, the recreation
center was underutilized, but since the opening of the
reconstructed health and wellness center, more than
5,500 community residents have become members
and have participated in one or more education and
wellness services, including nutrition education and
cooking demonstrations, afterschool and summer-meal
programs, fitness classes, a farm stand and bible study.
In addition, the center offers an internship program
through which more than 178 students exploring public health careers have been trained in nutrition and
community outreach.
" The repurposing of the Juanita J. Craft Recreation
Center has changed how we do programming, as well
as the types of programs and services offered throughout the city, " says Crystal Ross, assistant director for
Dallas Park & Recreation Department. The model
created and implemented there has shown significant
improvements in the health of the community and
both organizations, alongside their other community

partners, have already begun discussions for the transformation of an additional six recreation centers to
health and wellness hubs.
While the transformation of local park and recreation centers is not feasible in many communities,
the concept of being a central access point where a
variety of programs and services can be obtained, or
from which community members can learn and be referred to other community resources, is and will continue to be instrumental as the health and wellness
needs of an increasingly diverse population continue
to grow - and funding for health and wellness and
social services remain at level funding or is reduced.
The opportunities for local park and recreation agencies to continue (or begin to) position themselves as
community hubs are endless. This position is a critical
role in building economic and social cohesion in communities across the country!
Lesha Spencer-Brown, MPH, CPH, is NRPA's Health and Wellness
Senior Program Manager (lspencer@nrpa.org).

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November 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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