{"id":55365,"date":"2018-12-14T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T14:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=55365"},"modified":"2018-12-13T10:51:20","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T15:51:20","slug":"health-commissioner-master-of-public-health-student-leads-effort-to-improve-public-transportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2018\/12\/14\/health-commissioner-master-of-public-health-student-leads-effort-to-improve-public-transportation\/","title":{"rendered":"Health commissioner, Master of Public Health student leads effort to improve public transportation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Matt Clayton, Springdale health commissioner and M.P.H. student<\/p><\/div>\n

Many take for granted one of the most basic determinants of health: access to affordable and convenient transportation. The cost and time required for daily travel between work, home, school, daycare, the grocery store and other places have great impacts on the quality of life for everyone.<\/p>\n

For those working in public health, convenient transportation plays a crucial role. It is the focus of ongoing work in Springdale, Ohio, led by Health Commissioner and Wright State University Master of Public Health student Matt Clayton.<\/p>\n

He takes classes part-time as he is busy running a health department and has learned new public health skills through the various competencies covered in his courses. The Master of Public Health Program at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine<\/a> also has helped connect Clayton with collaborators who are aiding his efforts to improve public transportation in Springdale.<\/p>\n

\u201cA robust, affordable, and reliable transit system means better access to education and jobs, recreational and after-school activities, healthier food options, health care facilities, as well as friends and family,\u201d said Sara Paton, director of the Master of Public Health Program and associate professor of population and public health sciences.<\/p>\n

Clayton received guidance on gathering transportation data from Paton. For expertise in health communication, he turned to Jessica Saunders, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. With their insight, Clayton is working to alleviate the lack of public transportation in disadvantaged parts of his city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe initiative to increase public transportation in areas of poverty is rooted in service to those affected by health inequity and social inequality. In reality, successfully completing this initiative would not just provide benefits to underserved populations,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cIncreased public transportation would also bring social and economic benefits for the larger community and the business sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Springdale, like other parts of Hamilton County, has limited public transportation options that coincide with areas of concentrated disadvantage and high poverty rates among residents. Improving transportation options there could provide better access while also benefiting people in surrounding communities.<\/p>\n

Clayton is working toward a long-term solution for the lack of transportation, and it\u2019s not certain what that will look like. The need for funding transportation is clear, but temporary support would not meet the need.<\/p>\n

\u201cA long-term solution with sustainability is truly the best answer,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cThe need for reliable public transportation in areas of poverty will not decrease. The solution must be self-sustaining and permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Master of Public Health cohort for 2016. Matt Clayton, health commissioner in Springdale, Ohio, is at far left.<\/p><\/div>\n

Given his position as health commissioner in Springdale, Clayton has been able to share his experience with other students in the Master of Public Health Program. The program has long been allied with local health departments. Health commissioners from around the region share guest lectures, sit on the program\u2019s advisory board and other committees, as well as help to provide internship opportunities for students.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatt has been such an asset to the M.P.H. program. He brings many public health examples and insights from his experience that foster an enriching class experience for students and faculty,\u201d Paton said. \u201cMatt is dedicated to improving his own public health skills so that he can improve the health of Springdale.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wright State Master of Public Health Program helped connect Health Commissioner Matt Clayton with collaborators who are aiding his efforts to improve public transportation in Springdale. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":55369,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,725,2130,2016,715],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-home-news-sidebar","category-public-health","category-medicine","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55365"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55373,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55365\/revisions\/55373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}