Maral Farsi, the Deputy Director of Legislative and Inter-Governmental Affairs for the State of California, is proud to work for a state that is committed to helping every citizen improve their overall health. One of the most common themes of communities with positive, healthy lifestyles is access to good jobs and the opportunity for upward mobility. Through her background in public health and her professional experience with economic development, Farsi will explore how these two issues are tied.
Being healthy means a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being. Experts have also identified other dimensions of health as including emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and occupational well-being. Maral Farsi understands that a person who is truly healthy has the ability to reach their full potential in all these aspects. Governor Newsom has made improving health and well-being a cornerstone of his Administration through his proposed budget in his first two years, showing that California consistently invests in the health of its citizens.
Studies have show that improved health leads to economic growth through increased labor productivity. Access to good jobs alone do not result in better health or better economic opportunity. A person without access to clean water or transportation to a job suffers from stressors that impact day to day performance and, thus, cyclical impediments to accessing their full economic potential. Persons with limited access to mental health providers to help address these stressors or find tools to cope with the pressures of parenting or caring for an aging parent, as examples, are distracted at work or forced to missed days that can result in job and income loss, further impeding access to whole person health.
Maral Farsi points out that California’s largest health foundation, The California Endowment, launched a billion-dollar, decade long effort called Building Healthy Communities to address these exact systemic needs to ensure comprehensive access to a healthy life. The program is looking to assist fourteen disadvantaged neighborhoods in California. One of the reasons Maral Farsi believes so strongly in the mission of Building Healthy Communities is that the organization engages with community members in order to ensure benefits. A great example of community engagement paying off comes in the form of a major housing revitalization initiative in San Francisco, known as Sunnydale Velasco, which is transforming the city’s largest public housing site into a mixed-income community that provides existing residents with new housing, infrastructure, services, and amenities.
Another of the great examples of California’s dedication to improving public health can be found in Sacramento, California. The Building Healthy Communities program was able to successfully promote the creation of bike paths, community gardens and the redevelopment of brownfields. California’s community developers understand that they must address limitations that lead to fundamental causes of poor health and a decreased opportunity for economic growth. For instance, communities must have access to open space to exercise and fresh food. Improving public health through parks and recreation upgrades often leads to stronger communities as it brings people together. People interacting more frequently also promotes healthier lifestyles, which is directly tied to mental and social wellness.
The evidence of improved health conditions leading to a stronger economy is overwhelming. Maral Farsi says California continues to find creative investments to support health, and subsequently economic opportunity, and serve as an example that all fifty states can follow.
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