We’re excited to convene with city leaders in San Antonio this week for the National League of Cities City Summit. We just released our new annual report, and we’re looking forward to sharing the findings – especially those for the Lone Star State, which were a huge victory and a great story.
Take San Antonio, the host of this year’s summit: when the Alamo City was first evaluated by the CityHealth research team in 2017, it received no overall medal, because it did not have enough policies on the books that were strong enough for them to qualify. This year, San Antonio is a gold medal city, reaching our top tier. This is an example of what city leaders can do when they set a goal, roll up their sleeves, and advance a strategy to pass proven policies that protect their residents’ health.
In Dallas, policymakers also showed dramatic progress. Only a year ago, the city did not qualify for a medal in our assessment. This year, Dallas was one of only eight cities in the country to bring home gold. Policies like high-quality, accessible pre-kindergarten, earned sick leave, Tobacco 21, and Complete Streets paved the path to an overall gold medal.
We will be in San Antonio to meet with city leaders, and we will celebrate San Antonio’s story from the big stage at the closing event. You can find us two ways:
- Stop by the CityHealth booth in the exhibit hall and say hello on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday – we are number 1110.
- Attend the City Summit Closing Session at 12:30 pm on Saturday at the Stars at Night Ballroom, where CityHealth President Shelley Hearne will deliver remarks and conduct a medal presentation for San Antonio officials.
Whether you’re coming from Boston, Kansas City, Sacramento, or El Paso, we look forward to seeing you at the event, and hearing from you about your plans to make the health and quality of life a priority for your city’s residents in 2020. See you in San Antonio!
