The Decatur Community/Macon County Turning Point Partnership has worked with more than 1,000 Macon County residents to establish goals for its community health action plan. Action teams and two-year workplans were organized around five priority areas:

1. Education
2. Health
3. Race Relations
4. Economic Development
5. Environment

Macon County, a community of over 120,000 residents, has a mix of urban and rural populations. The environmental priority area exemplifies this mix in its traditional and non-traditional goals. Marilyn Parker, the Macon County Soil and Water District Executive Director, co-chairs the committee with Larry Young, a prevention team leader with Heritage Behavioral Health. Mr. Young's experience working with inner city and at-risk populations, coupled with Ms. Parker's extensive knowledge regarding rural issues represents a balanced work team. Mr. Young's and Ms. Parker's team is complemented by the environmental efforts of the City of Decatur and the Macon County Health Department.

"The challenges of our work are diverse and exciting," says Ms. Parker. "We're addressing issues ranging from the need to cap rural wells to creating safe neighborhoods in our urban communities."

After gathering community input via 36 focus groups, consultants for Turning Point recommended the following actions:

•Reducing crime
•Reducing substance abuse
•Banning leaf burning within Decatur City limits
•Emphasizing a cleaner community
•Improving air and water quality
•Capping off wells
Focusing on the root causes of crime and substance abuse, the team established a healthy neighborhood environment action statement to address all of the at-risk behaviors. "Our prevention team will prioritize neighborhood work issues," says Mr. Young. "And, we will continue to gather more and more partners in building healthier, safer neighborhoods in our community."

Using Policy as a Means to an End

The Decatur Community/Macon County partnership has used policy, at various levels (e.g., agency, city, and county), as a means to achieve some of its environmental goals. Turning Point's leaf raking and education program successfully emphasized the need for a city ordinance banning leaf burning. On April 26, the City Council passed a ban on burning leaves within Decatur city limits.

Local businesses, community groups, and neighborhood groups combined efforts to clean-up major city routes. More than 600 community members committed time to this successful initiative which is part of a year-long plan to make systemic ordinance enforcement changes.

Jerry Andrews, Administrator of the Macon County Health Department, and representatives of the Soil and Water District are establishing protocols for capping wells. "As smaller communities access urban water, we must provide a safe way for the former wells to be abandoned," advises Mr. Andrews. The established protocol includes the distribution of educational materials when new water lines are installed and capping workshops for rural residents.

Other Tactics for Addressing Environmental Concerns

Macon County has some of the richest farmland in the country and is among one of the largest grain processors in the world. Air and water quality is of major importance for the area. Turning Point has coordinated an urban-rural committee to address watershed issues and has brought local industry to the table to discuss methods for reducing air and water pollution.

In addition, the environment action team began reviewing successful programs in other communities that addressed the six action areas. John Fish, a representative of the Northwestern University Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, was identified as a resource for the team. Community leaders representing the faith community, neighborhood groups, human services, and local businesses, along with Turning Point committee members will be invited to attend a motivational program hosted by Mr. Fish. The program will expand on the book, A Guide to Capacity Inventories: Mobilizing the Community Skills of Local Residents, and will be followed by a neighborhood training on conducting gift audits for asset mapping.

The Decatur/Macon County Turning Point community health initiative has not stopped working since the grant was put in place. The environmental process demonstrates the distinct character of the community's work. It is urban and rural, neighborhood and village, and traditional and non-traditional. Bringing innovative players to the table has been a successful component of the Turning Point initiative. Our focus is on community collaboration and addressing real issues—even those not thought to be compatible.

Linda Kehart and Charlene Stengel are represents of the Decatur Community/Macon County Turning Point partnership. The Decatur Community/Macon County Turning Point partnership is one of three Illinois communities funded along with a statewide partnership under the Turning Point initiative.