San Antonio has bagged a gold medal for its public health policies, leaving every other Texas city in the dust, reported by KSAT. CityHealth, a partnership between de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, awarded this recognition to Texas's second-most populous city for passing policies that actively improve health and well-being among its residents.

In a surprising turn, while San Antonio might seem like it's lagging with a rank of 104th in national health and wellness, they are actually leading the charge in Texas for progressive public health policy. WalletHub's study had ranked San Antonio in a somewhat unflattering light in terms of individual health metrics, but CityHealth's medals tell a different story about the city's commitment to systemic health improvements.

According to a KSAT report, San Antonio was the lone star in Texas to climb to the top of CityHealth's list, proving policy can be powerful. The city scooped up gold medals in areas like Affordable Housing Trusts, Greenspace, Healthy Food Purchasing, High Quality, Accessible Pre-K, and Smoke-Free Indoor Air. Each category demonstrates a significant stride toward fostering an environment where residents can thrive.

Despite not receiving a medal, the policies such as earned sick leave and healthy rental housing did not go unnoticed. Metro Health director Claude A. Jacob acknowledged the gap, asserting, "We do have a short list of the policies that are in our line of sight so we can continue to make steady progress year over year and maintain our gold designation." This was told to KSAT by Jacob, who also expressed excitement over being recognized as a key player in the national public health arena.

While San Antonio's individual health metrics might not be at the peak of perfection as per WalletHub's analysis, with its 104th ranking in a national wellness study, its policy-making is on a gold-medal trajectory. When Fox San Antonio covered the WalletHub study, it highlighted the need for cities to prioritize wellness through accessible healthcare, parks, and healthy food options. Well, on the policy front, San Antonio has geared up to meet these wellness imperatives head-on.