Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery Board of Health to launch Plan for Health committee after $50,000 award; age‑friendly action plan outlined
Summary
Montgomery officials said the township received a $50,000 Plan for Health grant and will convene a committee to use mapping tools and Rutgers partnership for planning; staff also detailed an Age Friendly action plan with short- and long-term measures to improve facilities, housing and transportation for older residents.
Health Officer Devangi Patel said Montgomery won a $50,000 Plan for Health grant and will convene a Plan for Health committee that will work with Rutgers students and use the online Plan for Health mapping tools. "We received the Plan for Health grant, the $50,000 grant," Patel said, encouraging board members to review planforhealthnj.org for data, toolkits and township-level mapping.
The board heard a presentation from Emily, the health department's public health planner and health educator, who outlined an Age Friendly action plan broken into livability domains: outdoor spaces and buildings, housing, transportation, social participation, community and health services, and communications. Short-term items include pedestrian and cyclist safety campaigns and an online senior information portal; longer-term ideas include a facilities assessment of the Otto Kauffman senior center and an age-friendly checklist for developers to guide new housing.
"We want to conduct a facilities assessment of Otto Kauffman and the senior center, which that's already underway," Emily said, describing steps to reorganize existing space to expand programming without building new facilities. She added that some items are low-cost and can be achieved quickly while others will require planning and funding.
Board members asked whether the Age Friendly work focuses on residents 55 and older or is broadly inclusive. Emily said the initiative is intended to be age-inclusive with specific attention to the 55+ population where appropriate. The board also discussed aligning Age Friendly goals with the Plan for Health work and the township's strategic planning efforts.
Why it matters: Montgomery is one of a small number of municipalities selected for the Plan for Health grant program; the work will inform local planning decisions that intersect with public health outcomes, including transportation, housing and senior services. The committee will use county and township data to prioritize actions and seek feedback from other departments and community partners.
The board did not take formal votes on programmatic items during the presentation; next steps include convening the committee, identifying a planner to support the work, and incorporating selected objectives into the township's strategic plan and performance-management processes.
