Photo by Try This West Virginia .
guide state and local policy and practice ,” says Sam Zizzi , Ed . D ., Pat Fehl Endowed Professor at the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences . “ The Center for ActiveWV also houses the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan , which provides a roadmap to improve physical activity access across all societal sectors . Additionally , funded projects through the center focus on screening children ’ s health , providing teachers with up-to-date training on how to integrate physical activity and providing grant funding to help schools , communities or health care providers improve policies or environments to make physical activity more accessible .”
Dedicated to developing and distributing an official statewide physical activity framework , the Center for ActiveWV works to enact change at the foundational level of communities and organizations .
“ Just in the last school year , the WV CARDIAC Project screened over 14,000 school children for obesity in 188 schools . Of the fifth graders screened , one in six completed enough physical activity to meet guidelines — 60 minutes per day — and 51 % were overweight or obese ,” says Zizzi . “ In the last two years , we have awarded over $ 200,000 in capacity-building grants to 29 community partners all over the state . These projects focused on building policies , systems or environments that make physical activity more accessible to all .”
Targeting physical activity is essential to improve the health of state residents , and organizations like Active SWV and the Center for ActiveWV are imperative for the state ’ s wellness , but this is just one part of the equation in achieving improvement in the overall health of an individual .
Healthy Harrison , a coalition funded by WVU Medicine United Hospital Center and West Virginia University , focuses on targeting five pillars of health : move , mind , eat , connect and purpose . With these in mind , the organization works to design and implement strategies to impact and measurably improve health disparities in West Virginia communities .
“ Our team works diligently to elevate well-being by increasing awareness , driving engagement and producing results ,” says Executive Director John Paul Nardelli .
One way the team is accomplishing this is through the Change Your State initiative , which is a statewide effort to impact health metrics and includes the Healthy Harrison Podcast , Change Your State App and Change Your State Challenge .
“ The coalition produces the Healthy Harrison Podcast , a weekly show highlighting the projects and benefits related to health and wellness in West Virginia ,” says Nardelli . “ We also have the Change Your State App , which is health coaching in the palm of your hand . The app provides coaching tips revolving around the mind , physical activity and nutrition , daily micro-goals and other resources to help individuals become the best version of themselves .”
Wild , Wonderful and Healthy West Virginia ( WWHWV ), a program under
Photo by Healthy Berkeley . the Center for Rural Health Development , also targets the health and wellbeing of all residents of the state .
“ An individual ’ s overall health is determined not only by the health care a person receives but , to a greater extent , by conditions in communities where people live , learn , work , play and age . Thus , we must keep in mind that although access to health care services is crucial to being healthy , the ability to live a healthy lifestyle is just as important ,” says Sharon Lansdale , president and CEO of the Center for Rural Health Development , Inc . “ West Virginia has stark health disparities when compared to the rest of the nation .”
Through community health improvement planning , a variety of trainings , funding and more , WWHWV works across multiple sectors with communities to identify the collective actions that need to be taken to address the health and economic disparities that exist .
“ We must begin the long , hard work needed to change the culture in communities throughout West Virginia so that all residents can thrive — no exceptions ,” she says .
One community that has taken the health of its residents into its own hands is Berkeley County . Healthy Berkeley is dedicated to making the area a healthy place to live , work and play .
“ Healthy Berkeley is an initiative started by Berkeley Medical Center to improve the health and well-being of residents through prevention and health promotion efforts ,” says Dana DeJarnett , chair of Healthy Berkeley . “ Healthy Berkeley is a community collaborative that includes several community organizations and residents all coming together with a common goal : a healthy community .”
The organization works to improve access and opportunities for people in the county . It accomplishes this through a multitude of initiatives and
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