Healthy Nevada: Making progress in reversing the city's poor health rankings

Last fall, the company selected Nevada to team up on building a new model of health. The goal of the private-public partnership is to determine whether a rural community that ranks so low on so many health indexes can improve its rankings, help doctors work more efficiently and cut health care costs. 

“In five years, we want to go from the bottom third to the top third on the health rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,” said City Manager J.D. Kehrman.

Six months later, the city is making headway, Kehrman said. A healthy concessions plan called “Eat Smart in the Parks” and the resurrection of a farmers market are planned to kick off soon. . . .

PedNet representative Robert Johnson said the group’s assessment determined that potential exists in Nevada for $45.5 million worth of sidewalks, nearly $24 million worth of trails and $263,000 in on-street amenities — painted crosswalks, for example.

“That’s $70 million worth of infrastructure, and no one in this room is going to say ‘build that,’” Johnson said. The town does not have that kind of money.

In discussing priorities, the evaluation team settled on a $4 million figure “to offer Nevada the most bang for its buck,” Johnson said.

To establish priorities for the next five to 10 years, the team looked at developed areas, how many residents would get the maximum benefit, what options were most feasible, and which links between community amenities were most important.

OK - $70 million of facilities needed in just one Missouri town.  Maybe we do need that transportation funding plan?