Prevention & Wellness - (revised 03/2008)

CHIA Description / Purpose:

To The Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County, prevention and wellness means improving health outcomes for people in Carroll County as measured by improvement in lifestyle and behavior indicators. Our busy way of life and lifestyles have become important detrimental factors in America’s increasing rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.

Since 2003, the Prevention and Wellness Workgroup has sought to promote wellness, prevent disease, and increase quality and years of healthy life in Carroll County through education, and by encouraging measurable changes in behavior and lifestyle.

Please note that the terms ”prevention” and “wellness” are broad terms and encompass many health areas other than the ones incorporated by the Prevention and Wellness workgroup. Many of the other Core Improvement areas of the Partnership also play a contributing role in the over all prevention and wellness of Carroll County and its residents.

Goals /Objectives:

Our Goal: Improve health outcomes for people in Carroll County as measured by improvement in lifestyle and behavior indicators. See Healthy Carroll Vital Signs.

Through the Vital Signs process (data analysis and group discussion) the workgroup identified four focus areas which will result in indicator improvement and a healthier community. They are:

      * Physical Activity
      * Nutrition
      * Smoking Prevention
      * Safety

Additionally, indicators related to the rapidly increasing rate of Diabetes in children, youth and adults are addressed by the Prevention and Wellness workgroup.

Accomplishments are listed below for the 4 focus areas, and for Diabetes and Childhood Obesitey (L.E.A.N. Carroll).

1. Physical Activity

a. Health Partners Registry -

An ongoing project to encourage efforts to exercise by raising awareness of businesses and facilities that offer physical activity and fitness opportunities for the residents of Carroll County. These facilitates track enrollment rates…allowing a measurability aspect.
New in September 2007 is a jump rope icon to identify those facilities that offer youth programs.
Check out the latest Health Partners Registry for an up-to-date listing of these partners.

2. Nutrition

a. Healthy Recipe Project -

Since January 2005 the Prevention and Wellness workgroup has been hosting a monthly recipe column in the Eldersburg and Westminster Eagle newspapers. Besides picking up a healthy recipe, with its nutritional breakdown, the column allows our workgroup members a chance to promote an upcoming event or a new prevention and wellness tip. Our Healthy Recipes are available for your convenience.

b. Healthy Dining Partners -

A collaborative project of the Prevention and Wellness Workgroup and the Tobacco Coalition of the Carroll County Cigarette Restitution Fund Program. In early 2007 this program recognized 15 Carroll County restaurants for being 100% smoke free and offering at least 80% of our required healthy food options and presented those facilities with an “Award of Excellence” Each facility proudly displays the decal identifying them as “Healthy Dining Establishments”. The CC Tourisim Board distributes these directories as part of the information given to visitors. Download a free copy of our Healthy Dining Guide for a complete list of restaurants and the healthy menu criteria required for inclusion in this guide.


3. Smoking Prevention

The Partnership recognizes tobacco use and / or exposure to secondhand smoke as a major risk factor in more than 40% of the health improvement areas we seek to impact. During the most recent organizational strategic planning process our leadership determined that INDOOR TOBACCO USE ELIMINATION AND SECOND HAND SMOKE EXPOSURE REDUCTION would become one of the three distinguishing focus of our organization.

We firmly believe that individuals and organizations in Carroll County, MD, with; diverse skills, respectful work relationships, a willingness to be innovative, and a shared healthier community vision; can improve the health and quality of life in our community.

The Partnership has lead the establishment of a Smoke Free Carroll County Coalition, to:
a. Eliminate toxic secondhand smoke exposure from indoor public spaces
b. Educate adults about the particular impact secondhand smoke has on children.
c. Encourage the elimination of tobacco smoke in cars or homes with children.
d. Assist those currently smoking who would like to try to quit that addictive activity.
e. Advocate smoke free lifestyles for everyone in our community

4. Safety

a. Highway Safety Survey - This survey was developed by Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland with the support of the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration and the Maryland Highway Safety Office. The results are being used to identify what citizens of the different Maryland counties perceive as the main highway safety issues. The data will be used in planning to address those issues and hopefully curb them. " For more information contact Mike Rill of the Carroll County Health Department at mrill@dhmh.state.md.us or 410-876-4819.

b. Safe Kids Carroll County is a local chapter of Safe Kids Worldwide (www.usa.safekids.org), which works to promote unintentional injury prevention in children. Serious injuries and fatalities due to unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death to children ages 0 to 14 years. Safe Kids Carroll County works to prevent such unintentional injuries through community education. The group meets bimonthly at the Carroll County Health Department to plan and implement educational programs that address a variety of safety issues, including water safety, child passenger safety, pedestrian safety, falls, bike safety, poison prevention, sports safety, fire safety, home safety, playground safety and toy safety.

The Coalition welcomes new members with an interest in keeping Carroll County kids safe. Please contact Maggie Beatty at 410- 876-4448 for information regarding the next meeting.

c. C.R.A.S.H. Coalition

The C.R.A.S.H. Coalition, Carroll Resources to Advance Safer Highways, is a community group that works to promote traffic safety in Carroll County. Led by Coalition Coordinator Mike Rill, the group meets bi-monthly at the Carroll County Health Department. The Coalition is funded by a grant from the Maryland Highway Safety Office at the Maryland State Highway Administration.

The C.R.A.S.H. Coalition works to promote traffic safety in Carroll County. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and injuries to adults and children in the United States. In addition to its traffic safety community education programs, the Coalition also promotes traffic safety through enforcement. The Coalition supplies grant funds to local law enforcement agencies in order to allow officers to work overtime enforcement shifts specifically devoted to combating impaired driving and aggressive driving.

For more information on the C.R.A.S.H. Coalition’s traffic safety education and enforcement programs, please call (410) 876-4819.

Diabetes

The diabetes indicator in the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County’s Healthy Carroll Vital Signs falls under the P&W workgroup. A sub-group of the P&W workgroup has been serving as the Diabetes coalition for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’ Diabetes Today grant. The FY 08 grant will focus on increasing the number of people with diabetes who receive annual foot exams, eye exams, oral exams and flu shots. A Diabetes Resources Guide has been developed to assist with this effort. Download a free copy of the guide.
We will be working with Access Carroll to accomplish this goal. Contact Barb Rodgers for more information, 443-375-7286.

Childhood Obesity

The Partnership has organized the L.E.A.N. CARROLL campaign to address childhood obesity concerns in the Carroll County community. This information is provided to help children and families reach and maintain healthy weights and increase their activity levels.
Whether your child is currently at a healthy weight, at risk of becoming overweight or is overweight, you can take steps to get or keep things on the right track. Eating right and being physically active aren’t just a “diet” or “program,” they are keys to a healthy lifestyle. It takes time and effort to make them part of a daily routine.

Parents can help their children to make better choices now to impact their health and quality of life in the future.

L.E.A.N. Carroll - A family approach to healthy weight

	Make family centered changes. *Eat breakfast every day. *Have family meals together as often as you can. *Make healthy choices when eating out. *It is best not to use food to comfort, reward or punish your child.
	Teach your children healthy habits. *Set an example by eating nutritious foods and being physically active. *Involve your child in planning meals and snacks, grocery shopping, and cooking. *Make your child aware that peer and media pressure can influence food choices. *Use the Nutrition Facts on the food label to make good choices.
	Support an active lifestyle. *Plan family activities that are fun and provide exercise for everyone. *Aim for 60 minutes of active play time for your child on most days of the week. *Limit “screen time” (television, computers, video games) to 2 hours or less a day for all family members.
	Eat for better health. *Choose more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. *Encourage your child to drink water instead of sweetened beverages like sodas, and fruit and sports drinks. *Find substitutes to replace foods higher in fat and sugar.