2018-2019 Polk Vision Annual Report PV AR 2019_web | Page 38

STEVE BISSONNETTE
Co-Chair
VISTE
JOY JOHNSON
Co-Chair
Polk County BoCC
MARCIA ANDRESEN
Polk County BoCC
BRAD BEATTY
Heart for Winter Haven
PENNY BORGIA
United Way of Central
Florida
NICOLE WALKER
University of Florida/IFAS
JEFF WARE
Winter Haven Hospital –
BayCare
BUILDING A
HEALTHIER
POLK
STEVE WARNER, Ed.D.
Polk County Public Schools
NAT WEST
Winter Haven PEP
DEE DEE WRIGHT
Polk County Public Schools
An Expanded Focus
TIM BROWN
NE Winter Haven
Neighborhood Association
TAYLOR FREEMAN
Florida Department of Health
in Polk County
DR. DANIEL HAIGHT
Lakeland Regional Health
MINNIE HASSEL
Association for Inwood
Community, Inc.
ABOVE: Central Florida Health Care
hosted the Team in March for a discussion
on improving community engagement
and how to connect the multiple
resources and agencies available for
residents throughout the county.
CATHY HATCH
Polk County BoCC
TIM MITCHELL
Parker Street Ministries
ANDY PALMER
City of Winter Haven
CRAIG PICKOS
FloridiansForRecovery – Polk
County
ROB QUAM
Lake Wales Care Center
BEN RUCH
Polk County Public Schools
GALE SHARP
Polk County BoCC
BRENDA TORRES
Central Florida Regional
Planning Council
DID YOU KNOW?
25.4% of Polk County Children
(18 and under) Live in Poverty.
FL Office of Economic and Demographic Research
(2016)
16.4% of Polk County
Residents Live in Poverty.
FL Office of Economic and Demographic Research
(2016)
During the 2018 - 2019 School
Year Over 3,736 Polk County
School Students Experienced
Homelessness.
(Polk County Public Schools)
37
LEFT: Winter Haven Chief of
Police, Charlie Bird, presented the
“Neighborhood on the Move” initiative
with Anita Silwal from the City of Winter
Haven to the Quality of Life Team at
Garner Elementary School.
There have been many ‘aha’ moments
expressed by Team members who
continue to learn from each other through
these alignment meetings. I am energized
by the future opportunities ahead of us.
To be part of something that positively
affects people and the community in
which I live is rewarding.
— JOY JOHNSON, Relations Administrator,
Health & Human Services Division, Polk
County BoCC
In 2012, the Building a Healthier Polk Initiative began as a community-driven
response to the startling obesity rates in Polk County. With obesity directly
linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes which are
major causes of death and preventable hospital stays, the data galvanized
a movement among stakeholders across Polk County. Working cooperatively
with the Florida Department of Health, Polk Vision convened a large cross-
sector group of subject matter experts to prioritize objectives in addressing
the alarming rate of obesity in our community. This group came to be known as
Building a Healthier Polk.
Reducing the obesity rate and improving the physical health of our citizens
will continue to be of great importance to the work of collaborative partners.
However, Polk County’s 2019 Community Health Assessment ranked mental
health problems as the #1 most important health problem to address in order
to improve the health of the community. With a reported rise in the numbers of
suicides, hospitalizations for mental disorders and self-inflicted injuries, the call
for collaborative action is clear.
During the next year, Polk Vision together with the Florida Department of Health
in Polk County and other key partners will begin exploring how the Building
a Healthier Polk initiative can be expanded to include ways to better align
supports for mental and behavioral health services in our community.
Through conducting regular community
health assessments, we are able to learn
about the health and quality of life needs
our residents face. While obesity continues
to be a major concern in our community,
several data sources and key community
partners have indicated that mental and
behavioral health has emerged as an area
of high need. Through expanding the work
of the Building a Healthier Polk Initiative,
we will be able to collaboratively address
the most urgent health needs of our county.
— DR. JOY JACKSON, Director of the
Florida Department of Health in Polk County
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