Grant fund voting support sought

Talk about it

All Wisconsin families and children deserve access to improved health. With the recent announcement of available grant funding from the Transform Wisconsin Fund to help make Wisconsin a healthier place to live, projects are popping up everywhere.

Healthier Together – St. Croix County, the county-wide community health improvement initiative, is throwing its hat into the ring for consideration. With the county’s coalition partners, four-year history of community engagement, and continued collaboration county-wide, Healthier Together is shovel-ready to accept the challenges.

The Transformation Grant, funded by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, is a Wisconsin grant opportunity for community partnerships and coalitions with the goal of promoting healthy environments that help Wisconsinites make healthy choices and therefore prevent chronic diseases. Healthier Together is applying for one of four Transformation Grants ($450,000) available which focuses on three specified strategic directions: Tobacco-free living, Healthy Food Systems (Farm to School), and Active Communities (Joint Use Agreements).

The county’s vision is to contribute to the transformation of St. Croix County through the creation and promotion of healthy environments (smoke-free housing, more fresh fruits and vegetables, and places to play for families and children.)

Efforts will focus on expansion of the county’s school-based, K-6 youth physical activity/ nutrition/ great outdoors programs which include Get Fit Challenge for Hudson Youth, Let’s Get Physical! Move More, Power Up to 60! (New Richmond), Get Up and Go! (Somerset), Be Challenge (Baldwin-Woodville and St. Croix Central) and Glenwood City School District (TBD) and establishment of open gym and joint use agreements to engage all community members in physical activity.

Efforts will also focus on support for policies that both open markets for farmers and increase children’s access to healthy foods through farm to school and community gardens initiatives; and promote the adoption of non-smoking policies and increase community awareness of the health and economic dangers of tobacco products.

County officials claim they will attain their vision through the steering committee, task forces and working groups of Healthier Together, a community coalition.

To show support for the local grant application, local residents can sign in and vote for the local initiative. Visit www.transformwi.com to cast your vote (one vote per person) and share information and voting instructions with family, friends and co-workers. Voting deadline is Friday, June 15.

Since June 2008, members of Healthier Together have worked together to better understand current and future health care needs of St. Croix County. This process of assessing, prioritizing and addressing health needs in the county is facilitated by Hudson Hospital & Clinics and St. Croix County Public Health. A steering committee of 20+ members representing diverse organizations from across the county provides oversight and guidance. Together they work to better align efforts among community partners and create a more strategic framework for local health improvement activities.

For more information about Healthier Together – St. Croix County or the community health improvement plan visit www.hudsonhosp ital.org/community or www.co.saint-croix.wi.us/publichealth or contact co-facilitators Karen Hansen, 715-531-6056 or Wendy Kramer, 715-246-8363.

Tags: communities, lifestyle, health