Number 45 of 50. That’s South Carolina’s current national health ranking. While the need to improve our community’s health status is indisputable, many still ask the question: What can we do to make meaningful improvements in our community’s health status?
Achieving meaningful and sustained improvement requires ongoing collaboration among the business, legislative, academic and civic sectors such as nonprofit organizations and the faith community. We are engaging in as many of those partnerships as possible to do our part to improve the overall health of the communities and the state that we serve.
Still, while South Carolina’s ranking is low today, and the issues are multifaceted, significant wins are occurring. Projects and investments made by stakeholders committed to the health and vitality of our community are making a positive impact. A big win for 2022 is one of Greenville’s most transformational public-private projects to date: Unity Park, the sprawling 60-acre park on the west side of Greenville that knits together historic downtown neighborhoods.
As we celebrate the opening of this monumental project, it’s important to reflect on how such an investment can improve our community’s health status.
Greenville’s new 60-acre park
As it’s been said, Unity Park is really “more than a park.” Parks play a key role in our social, economic, physical and mental well-being. They can provide a platform for reducing health care costs; for example, maintaining a healthy weight saves an average of $1,500 per person in medical costs per year, according to the nationwide organization City Parks Alliance.
To honor the rich diversity of the community nearby, the Prisma Health Welcome Center at Unity Park will offer educational programming and resources targeting healthy eating, active living and family outreach with programs such as parenting education and bicycle/car seat safety. In addition to outreach education, the center will be used for family and community gatherings and includes a self-service first aid station and a lactation room for new moms.
Health is also affected by access to affordable housing, social togetherness and safe neighborhoods — all important attributes of a vibrant community that the broader Unity Park initiative is helping to address.
While Unity Park is in the spotlight today, it’s important to acknowledge the many other parks in our community. From Falls Park to Cleveland Park and the various neighborhood pocket parks, many parks make Greenville a healthier place to live.
A healthier tomorrow
To the city of Greenville, private donors and local corporations who have invested in Unity Park — thank you for investing not only in the park itself but in the health of our community. We are making progress, but more needs to be done.
As we look to improve South Carolina’s and our communities’ health status in the months and years ahead, I challenge you to ask, “How can I help make Greenville healthier?” Maybe it’s by beginning to work on your own health. Maybe it’s lending a hand to someone else.
Maybe it’s investing your time, money and other resources in public health. It takes our collective efforts, but I believe that together we can bridge the gaps needed to make a difference.
In the meantime, Greenville and the Southernside neighborhood have a transformational new park. Let’s get out and enjoy it as we work together to create a healthier Upstate South Carolina.
Mark O’Halla is president and CEO of Prisma Health.
