San Antonio Earns ‘Gold Medal’ Status in Texas for Public Health Policies from CityHealth
San Antonio has recently garnered acclaim for its public health policies aimed at assisting marginalized communities, earning a gold medal recognition from CityHealth, a partnership between the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. CityHealth annually reviews and awards the nation’s 75 largest cities based on evidence-based policy solutions promoting the well-being of residents.
This year, San Antonio stood out as one of seven cities nationwide and the sole representative from Texas to receive this prestigious recognition, marking an improvement from the overall bronze medal achieved last year. CityHealth awards gold, silver, bronze, or no medals based on city policies that enhance the health and welfare of residents.
San Antonio’s gold medal recognition in 2023 encompasses five crucial policy areas identified by CityHealth:
1. Affordable Housing Trusts: Investing in building and maintaining affordable housing for all.
2. Greenspace: Ensuring equitable access to public land and nature for all families.
3. Healthy Food Purchasing: Guaranteeing access to healthy food choices in public spaces where people work, play, and learn.
4. High-Quality, Accessible Pre-K: Providing safe spaces that pave the way to high school graduation and beyond.
5. Smoke-Free Indoor Air: Eliminating the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and vapor in various settings, including casinos, gaming venues, bars, and multi-unit housing.
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Additionally, the city received a bronze medal for its Eco-friendly Purchasing policy, which aims to ensure that city purchases are free of toxic chemicals, with current policies requiring annual reporting.
Despite this achievement, San Antonio did not secure medals in five categories, including earned sick leave, flavored tobacco restrictions, health rental housing, legal support for renters, and complete streets. Complete streets, in particular, had been a gold medal recipient in 2021, but CityHealth has since strengthened policy requirements to align with national standards.
Complete streets policies support the creation of a safe, equitable multimodal transportation network, making streets safe and comfortable for all users. Although San Antonio’s current policy dates back to 2011, it has been identified for updates to align with best practices, including incorporating performance measures, coordination, design updates, project selection criteria, and prioritizing equity.
Interim Transportation Director Catherine Hernandez emphasized the need for updating the policy to meet evolving standards, indicating that incorporating missing elements would enhance rankings from both CityHealth and Smart Growth America, the latter ranking San Antonio as the 20th most dangerous city for pedestrian safety.
Tom Martin, communication director with CityHealth, expressed the organization’s support for San Antonio’s efforts, citing collaboration with local advocates and officials. He commended the city’s commitment to adopting strong health-promoting policies despite challenges from the state.
Metro Health district director Claude A. Jacob acknowledged the national recognition and expressed gratitude for CityHealth’s acknowledgment. While celebrating the achievement, Jacob highlighted ongoing efforts to address policies without medals, emphasizing a commitment to steady progress and maintaining the gold designation.
San Antonio’s recognition reflects its dedication to implementing health-focused policies that contribute to the overall well-being of its residents, underscoring the importance of continuous improvement and responsiveness to evolving standards.
