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BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – May/June 2016
HEALTHY
COMMUNITIES
While the Hoosier state is near the top
of many economic lists, Indiana falls to the
bottom of the pack in most health indexes.
These include obesity, diabetes, smoking and
overall well-being, reports Chuck Gillespie,
executive director of the Wellness Council of
Indiana (WCI). And Indiana’s health care
premium costs were sixth in the nation in 2015,
according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“We are sixth in obesity, bottom 10
overall in well-being,” Gillespie declares.
“We are a high health care cost state.”
An increasing number of companies are
taking steps to correct those measures by
promoting workplace wellness programs and
cultivating healthy environments. But the
problem is deeper than just 40 hours per
week – it will take whole communities
coming together to make real change.
“The influences at home are probably more
influential than at work. We’ve got to understand
if somebody is trying to stop smoking at work,
but their spouse or friends are smoking, their
chance of succeeding goes down,” he notes.
That’s where the Indiana Healthy Community
Initiative (IHCI) comes in: to take health and
wellness to entire communities, and continue
crafting Indiana’s economic success story.
“What we are finding is that healthy
communities are really a manifestation of
economic growth and development,” Gillespie
says. “That’s what the whole premise is about
– really driving economic growth and
development for these workplaces so that
when companies want to relocate to Indiana,
they’re relocating in communities where
health is a priority.”
Achieving together
Through the IHCI, the Wellness Council
has laid out a roadmap for communities
interested in attaining the Indiana Healthy
Community designation. There are eight key
components, such as working with various
community leaders, getting citizens involved,
analyzing political atmospheres and ensuring
environments are best for making healthy choices.
As with the organization’s AchieveWELL
program for individual businesses, the WCI
offers best practices and guidance for
communities to develop or identify their
short- and long-term health goals.
“A lot of what we’re trying to do is work
with key leaders. Be it your county leaders,
your local chamber leaders, your local health
care leaders,” Gillespie confirms. “We want
them to lead the effort – what we want to do
is come in and help manifest or evolve their
existing goals.”
Movement moment
Hancock Regional Hospital and the city
of Greenfield are trying to start a movement.
And the people working to make Hancock
County the healthiest in the state of Indiana
want to be No. 1 – as in the first county to
earn the distinction of being an Indiana
Healthy Community.
“Movement. That is the right word. This
is not a program. This is not a company or a
business. It’s a movement,” asserts Steve Long,
president and CEO of Hancock Regional.
The county was the first to submit an
application to the WCI. It was also the first to
ban smoking in public places. And Hancock
ranks fifth best for health outcomes and sixth
for health factors of Indiana’s 92 counties.
But the challenges remain: obesity is at
35% (state average is 31%), not to mention
that the county’s rural geography (almost half
the population lives in a rural area) makes
getting all citizens access to quality health care
challenging. And the most common health
risks for the state are not unique to Hancock
County: obesity (and related diseases),
By Charlee Beasor
Hancock County Strives to be No. 1
“Top 10” rankings have become
commonplace for Indiana’s
business climate. The state’s
manufacturing job growth is
second to none. Overall job
growth is second in the nation
since July 2009.
But, like any compelling tale,
there is a twist. And unfortunately,
it’s an expensive one.
Indiana Vision 2025
: Attractive Business Climate
Hancock County and the city of Greenfield are working to be the first community designated an
Indiana Healthy Community by the Wellness Council of Indiana.