Community Health and Wellness Plan: Final Adoption

On January 28th, 2021,  the City of Trenton Planning Board  voted to adopt the Trenton Community Health and Wellness Plan as an element of the Trenton250 Master Plan. Trenton is the first municipality in the State of New Jersey to adopt a health element as part of its master plan.

The Community Health and Wellness Plan is intended to provide a policy framework and action agenda for: expanding access to and the uptake of healthy foods; increasing opportunities and pursuit of physical activity; improving health literacy and access to healthcare services; and addressing unhealthy housing conditions in the City.  The Element also highlights the relationship between health and other Trenton250 Master Plan elements. It is anticipated that implementation of the strategies described in the Community Health and Wellness Plan, as well as the other Trenton250 Master Plan elements, will lead to material changes in Trenton’s economic, social, and physical environment over time, which will improve the health and wellness of Trenton residents.   

It is important to state that this is not an emergency response plan and not intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  In the wake of this crisis, it will be incumbent on the City to examine how it prepares for outbreaks of communicable diseases, including both localized outbreaks and global pandemics, in the future.

The Community Health and Wellness Plan was prepared by the Rutgers Center for Green Building & the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partnership with the City of Trenton Division of Planning. Updates to the plan were made by the Trenton Health Team. There was also significant public outreach conducted as part of the plan and the suggestions of community members were an essential part of the final product.

Funding to support development of the Community Health and Wellness Plan was provided through a grant from the American Planning Association’s Plan4Health initiative.  Plan4Health connects communities across the country, funding work at the intersection of planning and public health.  Anchored by members of the American Planning Association (APA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA), Plan4Health supports creative partnerships to build sustainable, cross-sector coalitions. Plan4Health is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and led by APA’s Planning and Community Health Center.  

You can view the Community Health and Wellness Plan here.