By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Health experts from across the county have set four top goals for improving local residents’ health. They want us to shed some weight, get help for mental health issues, stop bullying and get access to health care.
Now, comes the tricky part.
To accomplish those goals, a list of steps has been set up for area agencies. On Friday, the Wood County Health Partners were shown how they can keep track of their progress.
Connor Rittwage, an epidemiologist with Wood County Health District, explained the electronic “dashboard” program that will allow each health agency to record which goals they had accomplished. The charting will hold agencies accountable for their efforts.
“You can pull up the dashboard and see how everybody is doing,” Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Batey said. “I think this is the key to moving this forward.”
The progress can be monitored by the agencies involved – and by the public.
“Now the public is going to be able to see it,” Batey said.
In the past, community health goals have been set, detailed reports written, then the reports often languished on agency bookshelves.
“We want to make sure this plan doesn’t just sit on a shelf,” Batey said.
The frequent updates to the plan will also allow the health partners to examine strategies that are successful and those that are not. “You don’t want to keep doing things that aren’t working,” Batey said.
The health partnering agencies will continue meeting quarterly, since face-to-face conversations will also help the plan succeed, Batey said.
“We want healthy, happy residents,” he said.
Following is a list of the goals set in the Wood County Community Health Improvement Plan:
Decrease adult, youth, and child obesity with the following steps:
– Promote breastfeeding in new mothers
– Implement OHA Healthy Hospitals Initiative
– Expand wellness programming such as the “Walk With A Doc” program
– Expand efforts of the Wood County Obesity Task Force
– Increase nutrition/physical education materials being offered to patients by primary care providers
– Create a wellness outreach campaign
Increase mental health services among adults and youth by doing the following:
– Increase the number of primary care offices who screen for depression during office visits
– Provide Mental Health First Aid Training for adults and youth
– Expand evidence-based programs targeting youth and families
– Increase social support systems for adults and youth
– Increase awareness of trauma informed care
Decrease bullying and violence among youth and children with the following actions:
– Support Wood County school districts implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
– Increase the number of Wood County teachers trained and implementing the Pax Good Behavior Game Program
– Increase LifeSkills Programming for youth in grades 3-12
– Increase the number of Wood County schools participating in Expect Respect
Increase healthcare access and utilization by doing the following:
– Improve access to primary and preventive health care
– Increase awareness of healthcare services
– Increase community education on health insurance opportunities and enrollment
– Increase access to dental services
The entire three-year Community Health Improvement Plan can be viewed on the Wood County Health District’s website, listed under reports and publications.
