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Building a HealthierFuture

W Y A N D O T T E

JUNE 2013 UPDATE

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A Message from the Mayor/CEO

AM EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE PROGRESS AND achievements that Healthy Communities Wyandotte has made over the last couple years. I have been involved with our county health coalition since its inception in 2009, midway through my

first term as a Unified Government Commissioner.

Concerned that our residents were dying earlier than others in the state, I chaired the team tasked with creating better environmental infrastructure. Thanks to the hard work of residents and other community leaders, we created solid plans for improving sidewalks and parks, developing more active living programs, heightening safety, and increasing connectivity within and between neighborhoods.

Last year, a $100,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation enabled us to act on those plans and the coalition has made impressive headway. As you’ll read, we are pairing government staff and resources with empowered citizen groups to collectively design on- and off-street bike routes, improve water access for community gardens, and fund healthy eating and exercise programs throughout the county.

I am excited that as Mayor, I have the opportunity to champion the entire coalition and make Healthy Communities Wyandotte one of the cornerstones of my administration. Our hopes for a more prosperous future are dependent upon the health of our citizens and the well-being and readiness of our local workforce.

Much remains to be done. I challenge residents and leaders alike to be catalysts for healthy change within their circles of influence. Let’s strive to make Wyandotte County a healthy place to live, work, learn and play.

Mayor/CEO Mark Holland

IIntroduction to HCW and this report

EALTHY COMMUNITIES WYANDOTTE (HCW) BEGAN AS A response to the 2009 Kansas County Health Rankings report, which listed Wyandotte County as having the worst health in the state. Concerned that residents were dying too young and

suffering from too many chronic diseases, civic leaders convened residents and representatives from over 50 organizations to brainstorm solutions.

After two years of work and the input of nearly 100 community members, HCW published a community health improvement plan called Recommendations for a Better Future in late 2011. The document, meant to guide the county’s health response for decades, outlines actions that the community can take to improve health in the areas of Nutrition, Infrastructure, Education, Health Services, and Communications.

HCW is led by a Steering Committee comprised of community leaders from education, health, housing, business, governmnt and community organizations. Its work is planned and executed by five action teams that correspond to each recommendation area. Each team consists of dedicated residents and professionals and is chaired by an expert in the field. The action teams use the recommendations to select strategies that are timely and impact the entire county. HCW staff assists the coalition by providing expertise on health improvement strategies, supporting partner organizations’ alignment, mobilizing funding, advancing policy, and building public will for health improvement.

In this report, readers will find a welcome letter from Mayor Holland, a timeline of HCW’s history, the organization’s recent accomplishments, and ways to get involved to encourage longer, healthier, happier lives for everyone in Wyandotte County.

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MARCH 2010 The Mayor’s

Health Task Force met for the first time.

JUNE 2010 The Task Force conducted three

community meet-ings to learn areas

of concern and priorities.

NOVEMBER 2010 Healthy Communi-

ties Wyandotte was established through the first

Steering Commit-tee meeting.

JANUARY 2011 Action Team

chairpersons were named, and their objectives were

defined.

FEB. – SEPT. 2011 Action Teams met to review potential policies and build recommendations.

OCTOBER 2011 Recommendations for a Better Future

was released.

JUNE 2012 The Robert Wood Johnson Founda-tion funded HCW

as a “learning lab.” Implementa-

tion began.

AUGUST 2012 HCW recom-

mendations were incorporated into the strategic plan

of the Unified Government.

JUNE 2013 New chairpersons

were selected. Four of five Action

Teams began implementing

recommendatons.

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Notable Accomplishments

2011

APRIL: The Unified Government passed a Complete Streets resolution. Now, every time a street is built or redesigned, the needs of all users, not just motorists, are considered.

2012

MAY: The Mayor, acting on an Education Action Team recommendation, hosted a Wyandotte County Scholars Day to honor high-achieving students.

JUNE: HCW received $100,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create a community health improvement “learning laboratory.”

AUGUST: The Unified Government adopted an updated Sidewalk and Trails Master Plan to increase connectivity and walkability in the county.

AUGUST: Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools removed flavored milk Monday–Thursday, eliminating more than 380 sugar-based calories per week from the diets of elementary and middle school students.

AUGUST: The Unified Government Board of Commissioners adopted HCW and its recommendations into their strategic goals and plans. In the short-term they aim to: “Collaborate with Healthy Communities Wyandotte to improve the health of the people in our community.”

2013

JANUARY: The Unified Government and the Hollywood Casino established a $500,000 annual grant fund (see next page).

JUNE: In line with new community health priorities, Public Works aggressively pursued and received KDOT funding to improve connectivity to Kaw Point Park, and extend the multi-purpose trial on 5th Street further north from Jersey Creek to John Garland Park.

JUNE: The UG’s Public Works Department created a $50,000 grant program to improve water access for healthy food growth in Wyandotte County.

Cultivate KC

In June 2013, the UG’s Public Works Department collaborated with a community group called H2O to Grow to create a $50,000 grant program to improve water access for growing fruits and vegetables in Wyandotte County.

In August 2012, the Unified Government adopted an updated Sidewalk and Trails Master Plan. Pictured here, the document helps to highlight sidewalks in need of repair throughout the city and create priorities for their reconstruction. The plan was made possible by a $190,000 grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City in 2011.

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Annual UG Hollywood Casino Grant Fund

HE UG BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ESTABLISHED A $500,000 annual grant fund in partnership with the Hollywood Casino in January 2013. HCW’s Steering Committee helped set the fund’s priorities to promote healthy eating and active

living programs in Wyandotte County.

Funded programs include:

Associated Youth Services

$50,000Expands the Healthy, Fit and Informed Dottes program, which involves youth in personal goal setting to improve health.

Bethel Neighborhood Center

$50,000Funds the Youth Fit 4 Life project to help youth avoid diabetes and obesity.

Caritas Clinics $47,600Supports qualified, culturally competent, bilingual dia-betes education in the clinic three half-days per week.

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas

$50,000Helps fund New Roots for Refugees, a program in-creasing food production and access among refugees.

Cross-Lines Cooperative Council, Inc.

$26,950Funds Be Healthy, Live Better Wyandotte, an educa-tional project promoting healthy lifestyles in four KCK housing towers.

El Centro, Inc. $13,737Expands Promotores de Salud to include teens as Latino health education volunteers.

Episcopal Community Services, Inc.

$49,949Diversifies and expands services offered at one of the largest food pantries in the county.

Kansas City Community Gardens

$50,000Helps residents, schools, and community groups establish fruit and vegetable gardens throughout the county.

Kansas University Endowment Association

$50,000Expands KCK Organic Teaching Gardens, providing 130 raised-bed gardens at seven urban schools.

Oak Ridge Youth Development Corporation

$50,000Funds integration of an Integrated Health Curriculum into a youth summer enrichment program.

Resurrection Catholic School at the Cathedral

$17,000Creates Fit For Our Future, a program to track student health and wellness through “FitBits” and laptops.

Rosedale Development Association, Inc.

$19,846Supports bicycle and pedestrian programming through the Rosedale Healthy Kids Initiative.

The Family Conservancy $18,000Supports parental education programs at Juniper Gardens and St. Margaret’s Park.

Get Involved

O YOU LIVE OR WORK IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY? Are you interested in improving the health of your community? If so, get involved in HCW! Here’s how:

JOIN AN ACTION TEAM (communication, education, health ser-vices, infrastructure or nutrition) at one of their monthly meetings. Email Wesley at wmckain@wycokck.org or call 913-573-8833 for more information.

Our Action Teams are currently working on:

• Craftingrecommendationsforon-andoff-streetbikeroutesthroughoutthe county.

• Buildingpoliticalwillforhealthyfoodaccesssothateveryresidentcanlive within 1/2 mile of a healthy food source like a grocery store, farmers market or community garden.

• AwebsitetohelppeopleaccessinformationaboutHCWandourwork,health services in the county, and how to lead a healthier life.

• Increasingaccesstohealthservicesbyexpandinginsuranceenrollment.

• Craftingjoint-useagreementstoopenupschoolplaygroundsforneighborhood use after school hours.

LIKE US on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HCWyco

FOLLOW US on Twitter: @HCWyco

READ Recommendations for a Better Future, our community health improvement plan. Available at www.wycokck.org/health.

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Heidi Holliday

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UG Public Health Department619 Ann Avenue, Rm 319Kansas City, KS 66101913-573-6757www.wycokck.org/HCW

Cover Photo: Heidi Holliday Rosedale Development Association

Design: Lizzardbrand Inc. lizzardbrand.com