Reducing Chronic Disease Risk Factors

Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition

Two teams of community members--a coalition of health service providers, community organizations such as the YMCA and the public library and a team of community leaders such as the mayor, a city councilman, the economic development director, the county health officer, the Purdue extension director, the hospital administrator and community benefits person, the minority health coalition director, the school superintendent, the city/county planners and others work on ways to improve the overall health of the community.

One group works on programs and the other works on policy and environmental changes. Together, the groups created a 'Community Action Plan for Health' that has been adopted by county officials as part of the Clinton County Comprehensive Plan. The Clinton County Comprehensive Plan is a guide used for decision making about the natural and manmade environment. The Community Action Plan for Health piece of this comprehensive plan guides county official's for decision regarding things such as bike lanes, sidewalks, number of tobacco stores, number of fast food restaurants and the encouragement of healthier food facilities.

The two teams have been able to add Safe Routes to School program. In three years, there was an increase from 43 percent of parents believing it was healthy for their children to walk to school to 86 percent.

The group helped the mayor and city council create and pass a Complete Streets ordinance and secure funding to install sidewalks and bike lanes connecting three churches, two schools, the YMCA and four neighborhoods. Previously, no sidewalks existed and one child was killed by a car on this particular street. The group created 20 mapped and measured walking paths within the county and with a grant from the local Rotary Club, have added trailhead and directional signs.

The local farmers' market is growing and now accepts WIC vouchers for fresh food and working on accepting SNAP cards next summer. The group has encouraged some convenience stores to carry fresh fruits and vegetables for children on their way home from school.

Further, the group created a prescription pad and are working with physicians and others to prescribe to their patients things like: more exercise, stop smoking, more fruits and vegetables, join the Quit for Baby Tobacco program for smoking mothers, etc.

'We must make the healthy choice the easy choice and we make our choices by the environment we live in so we must change our environment,' says Carol Price, director, Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition.

For further information, please visit the Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition.