OWATONNA — We’ve heard it before, exercise, eat right, and don’t use tobacco and we will feel better. It’s hard to find the motivation to make healthy choices. Often, our daily lives and environment make it even harder.
The Statewide Health Improvement Program, also known as SHIP is on the way. This program’s goal is to help Minnesotans live longer, better, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic diseases by addressing physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use.
SHIP was signed into Minnesota law in 2008 as an integral component of Health Care Reform. SHIP is designed to reduce health care costs in the long term by preventing people from getting avoidable chronic conditions in the first place.
Steele County Public Health, along with eight other southeastern Minnesota counties (Dodge, Freeborn, Mower, Houston, Fillmore, Winona, Wabasha, and Goodhue), received state funds to use evidence-based interventions to improve the health of county residents.
Steele County Public Health has been working with a local coalition consisting of representatives from the Owatonna Hospital, Owatonna Clinic – Mayo Health System, City of Owatonna, Steele County, Truth Hardware Corp., Senior Place, Owatonna, NRHEG, Blooming Prairie, and Medford Public Schools, University of Minnesota Medical School, Eat Well Nutrition Therapy, and Wenger Corporation, Hy-Vee, Learning Zone Express, as well as the eight other southeastern Minnesota counties over the last few months to determine which SHIP interventions to implement in Steele County.
The four interventions chosen focus on policy, systems and environmental changes designed to make the healthiest choice be the easiest choice. The interventions focus on four settings – schools, communities, worksites and health care settings.
Funding from SHIP will assist the counties in implementing these interventions starting January 1, 2010.
“The current generation of children is the first generation in two centuries that may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents”, Steele County Public Health director Dee Ann Pettyjohn said. “This cannot continue. SHIP is intended to reduce obesity and tobacco use, two of the contributing factors of this outrageous fact, in Minnesota through policy, systems, and environmental changes. We MUST act and I encourage all Steele County citizens to come aboard”.
The four target areas for implementation of healthy living interventions are:
• Schools: Implement comprehensive nutrition policies including breakfast promotion; healthy lunch and snacks (including classroom celebrations and incentives, fundraising, concessions and vending); school gardens; and farm-to-school initiatives.
Examples: Provide schools with promotional materials and alternatives for healthy classroom rewards and fundraisers; assist schools in staffing wellness committees; purchase software for schools that analyze nutritional content of schools meals.
• Communities: Implement policies and practices that create active communities by increasing opportunities for non-motorized transportation and access to community recreation facilities.
Examples: Use mapping systems (Geographic Information Systems – GIS) that indicate walkability and bikeability of neighborhoods; adopt “Complete Streets” policies for cities; promote signage for pedestrians and bicycles.
• Worksites: Implement a comprehensive employee wellness initiative that provides health assessment with follow-up coaching, ongoing health education, and policies and environmental supports that promote healthy weight and healthy behaviors.
Examples: Provide worksite wellness assessments and surveys; training for employers and employees about the benefits of worksite wellness initiatives; and promote worksite alternatives for healthy food choices in vending machines or catering practices.
• Health Care: Develop relationships among health care providers and community leaders and build partnerships to facilitate active referral of patients to local resources that increase access to high-quality nutritious foods, opportunities for physical activity, and tobacco use cessation.
Examples: Develop a data base of community resources; coordinate connections among health care providers and community resources; and develop systems for assessment and documentation for regular follow-up with patients who want to improve health behaviors.
For more information on SHIP go to http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship/index.html
To join the local SHIP leadership team and help implement interventions, please call Jane at (507) 444-7661. You can also contact Jane if your workplace is interested in participating in the worksite intervention.
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