I recently shared some of the information from the “2014 County Health Rankings and Road maps” with those in meetings or discussions on the health of Clarke County.
The news was not so good. For example, did you know Clarke County fell 70th in the health outcomes overall and in the highest rank for health factors in Iowa?
To make matters worse, last week it was reported on the news that Iowa moved from 18th to 24th in the Healthiest State Initiative. Please go to www.countyhealthrankings.org/iowa and and enter "Clarke" in the county bland for more details on specific factors and information. There's some good information that should be of interest to everyone.
There is movement (no pun intended) in our community to change things for improvement through physical activity and nutrition to see these bad numbers improve.
We’ve got to take a hard look at increasing obesity, young and old, diabetes, young and old, BP and related diseases including premature death, young and old and life styles (tobacco use, social isolation, physical inactivity, unemployment, to name a few).
Many of these factors are preventable or can be controlled if or when we chose to do something about them.
But folks, it takes a village. We finally have new trails available with more planned, sidewalks to schools that will be started to encourage walking, biking, enjoying nature and getting folks outside and socializing.
These projects are hard earned and worked on by city organizations such as CCDC, IPDH, CC Public Health, Healthy Clarke County, SICOG and Osceola City Council. It’s hard to imagine the work that goes into developing large projects from planning, grant writing and obtaining the monies needed, to implementing until you’ve been there and helped make it happen.
To the point of this, if you care about your home town health, your help is needed.
In November, Healthy Clarke County Coalition (HCC) learned the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG) is partnering with the HCC, members of the Osceola community, CC Public Health and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to identify and implement strategies to make the Osceola community a healthier place to live.
Up to $10,000 is available from IDPH with which to implement wellness strategies identified throughout this asset-based approach to community development.
HCC became the steering committee for SICOG who facilitated a community planning and asset mapping session Dec. 11 with the public invited to attend and participate in helping guide Osceola through an action planning process to identify nutrition and physical activity strategies and determine how you desire the IDPH grant funds to be spent.
This meeting provided an awareness of the assets Osceola already has to build on: Four lakes, parks, skate park, pool trails, disc golf course, basketball courts, tennis courts, multiple fitness gyms, farmers’ market, food co-op, restaurants serving healthy food, food banks, to mention just some of the things we are proud of.
The main problem is how to improve upon them, and more importantly, get our community using them. Your ideas, thoughts and participation is needed.
What would work to get you and yours to be more healthy? Less obesity and related disease? Less diabetes and related disease? Less tobacco use and its related disease? Less junk food contributing to energy loss, disease and brain poor performance?
And here’s the disappointing part: Attendance (interest?) at these meetings has not been a very healthy reflection of caring for our community.
Awesome things are happening, but only because of a few dedicated people who are working hard to make things healthy for all of us.
It was disappointing to see only three people attend the city council meeting after a wide notice went out to many to come to encourage and thank them for the actions for the first segment of the Safe Routes to School project.
It would have been great for everyone who has concerns about their children walking or biking from the square up Shaw Street to the middle/high school to soon have a safe sidewalk to go to school or walk with their family to have. Think of the physical and social benefits getting outside and moving will provide.
You can help make us all healthy. The next HCC meeting facilitated by SICOG is 5-7 p.m. Jan. 8, with light snacks served, location to be announced. We will continue brainstorming ideas that will lead to plans for physical activity and nutrition to use our money for the health of our community.
Please, show interest and come be a part of it.