Local leaders launch community wellness initiative

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

By JENNIFER NESBITT

ThisWeek Staff Writer

Community leaders have banded together in an attempt to increase wellness and access to health care locally.

The Westerville Area Health Initiative, comprising representatives from the city, school district, Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Otterbein College, OhioHealth, Nationwide Children's Hospital and Mount Carmel, among others, meets regularly to look at what's being done and what could be done in the community, schools, at work sites and in transportation to further wellness and access.

Group members are examining the Franklin County community health plan to look at how to localize it, as well as a similar national health plan.

They've talked to local businesses, community groups and churches to see what needs and programs exist and to assess what the initiative should tackle.

The group is not exclusively looking to create new programs but at how it can capitalize on what's already out there.

"Let's not reinvent the wheel, but how can we tack on to those things," said Jean Halpin, director of operations at OhioHealth's Westerville Medical Campus and a member of the group.

Westerville Parks and Recreation Department fitness manager Mike Herron said the city envisions a community network with a clear vision of enhancing wellness and access to health care.

"From the city's perspective, what we're interested in is trying to collaborate with all of the organizations to make the community organized and accessible," Herron said.

At a recent meeting, the group looked at creating a draft of a long-range wellness plan that laid out a mission statement as well as desired outcomes with individual tactics to reach those goals.

"Since there had already been plans, what we've wanted to do is take a look at those plans and create our vision," Herron said.

Current goals include bringing more community representatives into the group to provide input and take the group's ideas back to their organizations for feedback or implementation; having the Westerville City School district adopt a wellness policy; and redesigning the FitQuest website to help with the group's mission.

Long-term goals include providing access to work site wellness programs; implementing city policies to promote physical activity and providing more opportunities and improving infrastructure to promote physical activity.

Herron said the group isn't focusing on a timeline.

"As opportunities present themselves, we go ahead and start plugging some of these things in," he said.

For more information, please contact Mike Herron at michael.herron@westerville.org 

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