Richard Louv and Jeff Speck Among Speakers at Healthy People in Healthy Communities Conference

Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH) is hosting the first Healthy People in Healthy Communities (HPHC), a three-day conference focusing on lifestyle medicine and the built environment as it relates to kids. Award winning and bestselling authors, Richard Louv and Jeff Speck, have been confirmed as the two keynote speakers for the event. “To have both of these authors speaking at one conference, on our campus this March, is an unprecedented opportunity that anyone in our region should take advantage of,” said J.C. Belliard, PhD, assistant vice president of community partnerships and diversity at LLU. Healthy People in Healthy Communities, presented by Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, will be held March 4-5, 2014 on the Loma Linda University campus. An introductory day at ESRI will take place on March 3. Jeff Speck, author of “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time,” will speak on Tuesday, March 4. “Cities in the Inland Empire, such as Yucaipa, Redlands and Upland, have created a downtown atmosphere that encourage community members to come out and walk,” Belliard said, “According to Speck, it is this ’walkability’—a lifestyle choice—that will make Americans happier and correlates to a higher quality of life.” Richard Louv, author of the award winning books, "Last Child in the Woods" and "Nature Principle," has started an international movement that seeks to restore the gap between children and nature. Belliard adds, “His presentation should be of interest to parents, educators, and policy makers.” Louv will be presenting on Wednesday, March 5. Both Speck and Louv will be offering book signings during the event. HPHC is the consolidation of two established LLUSPH events: Healthy People – the premier conference on lifestyle medicine; and Healthy Communities by Design – an innovative forum on the built environment and geographic information systems (GIS). The conference theme spotlights children’s health in the community, bringing together a multi-disciplinary group of academics, policy leaders, educators, GIS experts, and children’s advocates. This facilitates interdisciplinary efforts by people of diverse backgrounds and interests to reframe the conversations around health and the built environment. Looking to the interrelated web of factors that shape development from the pre-natal period and throughout the life course, the conference program highlights a number of key topics at the intersection of health and environment, including epigenetics, nutrition, air quality, community design, the media, and family situation. A special half-day event at ESRI headquarters on March 3 is geared toward geoinformatic specialists and those interested in learning how geoinformatics is changing the face of health care and public health. Registration for the event is now open. All registration includes continuing education credit. To register, please visit the event page, www.HealthyPeopleConference.org. For more information on the event, call Krystal Gheen at LLUSPH, (909) 558-4595.