Philadelphia's top public health advocate is the commissioner of public health, Dr. Donald Schwarz, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Here are just a few of the changes he has backed:
- To make it easier for patients to get access to specialized services, hospitals "adopt" primary-care city health clinics.
- Children who may not get dinner at home can get it at city recreation centers.
- Poor women can use special vouchers that can be redeemed only at farmer's markets and only for fruits and vegetables. Last summer, they bought $1.3 million in fresh produce.
He makes healthy options the default behavior, said Marla Gold, dean of Drexel University's School of Public Health and a member of the city health board. Schwarz's ideas invisibly encourage people to make healthy decisions.
Schwarz is also deputy mayor for health and opportunity, which means he oversees behavioral health, child welfare and transitional housing.
To learn more:
- read the Philadelphia Inquirer article