Weston County making health a priority
I
became aware of the incredible progress Weston County has made in health outcomes about a year ago. I was shocked but proud of how our community ranked in health outcomes. When I began working at Weston County Public Health, 17 years ago we ranked 22 out of 23 counties. Today we rank 3 out of 23 counties. It’s a great example how continuous public health education and interventions from many different agencies can turn the odds around and improve the quality of life in communities.
You have to give credit first and foremost to the residents of Weston County for making their health a priority. The first step in improving the health of a community is raising awareness about causes, consequences and treatment available for a particular problem. Continuous efforts to increase the public’s knowledge about health risks will eventually influence the health attitudes over time. Until people see themselves at risk for illness or injury, they will not change their attitudes. Once people acknowledge their risk, they will begin to weigh the pros and cons of changing their behavior. The hope is that people will put prevention practices in place instead of managing their health in crisis mode. It’s much easier and cost effective to prevent illness and injury than it is to address these issues when damage has already occurred.
One hundred years ago the majority of people died from infectious diseases. Today we are dying from chronic (long term) illnesses. Out of the 10 top chronic diseases that are killing Americans, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes and have two common variables present, it is the condition of obesity and the lack of exercise. We are literally dying from illnesses based on our lifestyle choices. Lack of exercise, “super- sized” or large portions of food are contributing to overweight and obesity. We can turn these statistics around and reduce our risk if we make lifestyle changes with food and exercise.
Our community may be small but Weston County has so much to offer residents to help improve their health and quality of life. There are several local entry points into health care that have been instrumental in improving access to care. Examples of these efforts include having more local providers as well as visiting specialty providers, outreach clinics such as the VA to serve our veterans, cardiac rehab and maintenance programs, mammograms provided by Weston County Health Services and Newcastle Regional Health Clinic providing a same day walk-in clinic.
We are very fortunate to have the presence of a pharmacy, home health, mental health, physical therapy, optometrists, dentists, and chiropractors in our community to provide much needed medicine and care to our residents. Weston County has an Annual Health Fair as well as Community Blood Draws to screen for specific medical conditions. Having these providers and services in our community prevent the need for people to drive outside the county for these
services.
Our schools play an important role in educating our children about healthy lifestyles and choices to include the dangers of drugs and alcohol use. We know that by 11-12 years of age, what a child believes about health- related issues will determine their health choices in the future. It’s imperative to teach and model good health behaviors and attitudes for children at a young age. EWC offers outreach classes in health, exercise and nutrition for those who would like to learn more and play a more active role in their health.
Our community has walking paths around town and hiking trails, access to swimming pools, weight room and community exercise programs with many different exercise classes offered for individual needs.
Weston County has a very active Prevention Coalition (21 Alliance) that is made up of health agencies and concerned residents to focus on prevention efforts related to specific health risks in our community.
The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program offers healthy foods and support to pregnant women, new moms, babies and young children. You may be surprised but not every community has a WIC office. Our WIC office visits surrounding areas who do not have these services in their own communities
At Weston County Public Health, we provide eight essential services. These eight essential services break down into 23 separate programs. Please visit our website at wcph.net or our Weston County Public Health Facebook page for more information about programs and services we provide.
There is no one agency that can do it all. But Weston County has proven that with everyone doing what they can to keep our community healthy, it can be done. Weston County has a lot to be proud of….