Residents of rural communities and Latinos continue to experience significant health disparities for chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  The residents in these communities have significant disparities due to multiple social determinants of health including but not limited to a lack of access to opportunities for physical activity and other resources necessary to prevent chronic disease. Bike Ajo is a community-campus coalition with diverse membership including community health. Bike Ajo’s goal is to create a sustainable cycling hub that educates, trains, provides resources, and builds health-based partnerships within the Ajo community. The asset-based coalition includes community residents, Desert Senita Community Health Center, International Sonoran Desert Institute, Ajo Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Planning Association, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, UA Department of Mexican American studies, Pima County Parks & Recreation, Pima County Health Department, and Pima County Department of Transportation.

The Bike Ajo works to increase access to environments promoting physical activity opportunities through the creation of the1) Bike Ajo Cycling Hub (ReaCH); and 2) expanding community-clinic linkages to chronic disease prevention resources for Desert Senita Community Health Center patients.  Successes, lessons learned, and process/implementation strategies will be shared through the Arizona REACH network as well as at local and national conferences.  Digital stories will be utilized to help community members tell their own compelling stories of the personal impact of inequities in public health.

This project was funded by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association.