June 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 24

People for Parks
The Doctor is Out(side
in Her Local Park)
By Samantha Bartram

r. Lillian Rivera isn't a park and recreation professional. She
doesn't run an aquatics center, create programming or plot where
to install next year's community garden. But she is the administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County
(DOH-Miami-Dade) - as well as an ardent evangelist for the power of parks
to transform lives and health outcomes.
Making the Connection
This writer witnessed firsthand Rivera's advocacy for the idea that parks,
when viewed as tools to facilitate better health, are an effective medicine
for a number of ailments. At NRPA's
Innovation Lab, held in Miami, Florida, Rivera spoke passionately about
the Florida Department of Health's
partnership with Miami-Dade Parks,
Recreation and Open Spaces Department (PROS). " Parks are part of my
tool chest to help improve my community, " she said in March. In a more
recent discussion with Rivera, she
elaborated on her earlier statement.
" My advice as a public health official is to select activities that require
minimal facilities or equipment, such
as walking, jogging, jumping rope or
calisthenics, and to identify inexpensive, convenient resources available
in a resident's local community. Examples are park and recreation programs, worksite programs, etc. "
At DOH-Miami-Dade, Rivera says
there's always been an atmosphere encouraging cooperation among municipal entities. " DOH-Miami-Dade for
years has supported a culture of collaboration and inter-professional practice, " she says. " The work to improve

22 Parks & Recreation

the health of the population cannot be
done alone. " But, instead of looking
to private gyms to help her patients
lose weight or improve cardiovascular
health, Rivera looked to her colleagues
at PROS and more than 160 other organizations to form the Consortium
for a Healthier Miami-Dade. Rivera
says the consortium is " united by the
common belief that through collaboration and prevention-focused initiatives,
Miami-Dade County residents can live
longer, happier and healthier. [Its vision
is] 'Healthy Environment, Healthy Lifestyles and Healthy Community.' "
Exercise Equity
There are many reasons a person may
live a less-healthy lifestyle, and many
barriers that prevent people from accessing their local parks for fun or
fitness. These can include proximity,
income level, safety and distraction
through technology. " Many technological advances and conveniences have
made our lives easier and less active,
and many personal variables, including
physiological, behavioral and psychological factors, may affect our plans to
become more physically active, " Rivera says. She identifies the top three reasons as a lack of time, inconvenience

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and a lack of self-motivation. " It is very
important to understand that where we
live, work and play makes a difference
on your health status and that our social conditions also make a difference, "
Rivera continues. " The causes of
health inequality are complex but they
do not arise by chance. The social, economic and environmental conditions
in which we live strongly influence
health. These conditions are known as
the social determinants of health, and
are largely the results of public policy. "
In her position at DOH-MiamiDade, and as part of the Consortium
for a Healthier Miami-Dade, Rivera's
suggestions carry significant weight
when she discusses what such public
policies should look like. " We as community leaders need to play a role in
reducing or mitigating existing social
and economic inequities and conditions that lead to inequities in the distribution of disease, premature death
and illness, " Rivera says. " As such,
a need to advocate for comprehensive policies that improve physical,
environmental, social and economic
conditions in the community is vital.
In addition, promoting public investments in community infrastructure
that sustain and improve community

June 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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