City receives $50,000 grant for Healthy Eating Active Living Plan

By KENT THOMPSON

Healthy Eating and Active Living has been a mantra for doctors, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, health educators and others for more than 30 years.
Now, there are some plans in place to help communities – like Humboldt, to take tackling health issues like obesity, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases to the next level, an institutional approach that can aid schools, workplace sites and the community at large.

People may or not be familiar with the programs operated by the newly melded Iowa Deparment of Public Health (IDPH) and the Department of Human Services (DHS). The joint state agency will be known as the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Within that agency, two programs 5-2-1-0 and SNAP-Ed are organizing the pilot program.

5-2-1-0 is (5) eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. (2) Limit recreational screen time to two hours or less every day. (1) One hour or more of physical activity every day. (0) No sugar sweetened beverages per day. Sugary drinks are a major contributor to childhood obesity.
SNAP-Ed is a federally-funded grant program through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program Education. Its goal is to implement nutrition education and obesity prevention in program eligible individuals, promoting healthy food choices and physical activity, consistent with Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“It is being facilitated by MIDAS Council of Governments and we are the first community in the six-county region to receive funding,” Humboldt City Administrator Cole Bockelmann said. Humboldt will be the recipient of a $50,000 grant to implement the pilot program.
“The implementation committee met last week and we had good representation from the hospital, the school and city staff to begin discussions. The next step will be to create a mapping tool to determine what assets we have and then after that we will develop areas of need and pass those on to the state and they provide feedback,” Bockelmann said, as to how the program will work.

The overall goal is:
• Prioritize strategies for local community leaders to make changes to their programs, policies, and environments to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone.
• Provide a start for long-term changes surrounding health
• Create a vision for a healthier community
Some of the projects funded so far in Iowa are:
• NEOS 360 game system for an electronic playground feature in Sergeant Bluff
• Americans with Disability Act compliant water stations in the community of Winterset
• A community garden expansion in Storm Lake to grow more local fruits and vegetables
• Edible landscapes and beautification to a walking path in Grinnell
• Water feature at a natural playscape in Spencer
• Signage for a local farmers market in Waterloo
• Free tennis camps for community members in Hampton.
The asset mapping will identify nutrition assets, phycial activity assets, physical and connecting assets.
Community members will provide information and observations about their community.

Community event
To that end, anyone interested in the health and wellness of the city is invited to meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, from 11:30 – 1 p.m. in the Humboldt Community Center, 607 1st Ave. S. Lunch will be provided.
The focus will be on identifying resources in the community, starting with positive listings. Participants will be asked to focus on physical activity assets, nutrition assets and physical and connecting assets.
Implementation committee members are Bockelmann, Christen Sewell, director of Public Health at Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH), Recreation Director Paxton Pedersen, Humboldt Public Library Director Julie Larsen, Humboldt County Economic Development Association Executive Director Alissa O’Connor, HCMH Registered Dietitian Amanda Thul, Humboldt Community Schools Middle School Counselor Kristy Smith, Humboldt Community School Superintendent Jim Murray and Upper Des Moines Opportunity Regional Director Alisa Schielf.
“We are pretty excited about it. It should be a good program for the community,
Bockelmann said. The program was unveiled at Monday’s Humboldt City Council meeting.