by TaNiqua Ward; TSET Healthy Living Program Specialist
TSET Payne County Healthy Living Program (HLP) has been busy all year. A new year provides the opportunity to reflect on the year prior and to make new goals to work towards in the upcoming months. Last fall, the TSET HLP was active within Payne County getting to know businesses, schools, local government, and community institutions. HLP has partnered and created some programs in Payne County. Some of the recent programs that HLP were a part of included Great American Smokeout (GASO), Gobble Wobble at Oklahoma State University, and the Payne County Health Improvement Plan: Local Public Health System Assessment.
Gobble Wobble
The Gobble Wobble at OSU took place on November 20th recognizing the GASO that took place on November 19th. This event encourages people to quit the habit of tobacco use and stop smoking. Participants met by the Student Union and walked close to a 1 mile radius around campus led by Pistol Pete and the turkey! The first 100 registrants received a turkey sandwich at the end of the walk along with information on how to quit smoking. The Gobble Wobble was sponsored by University Health Services, OSU Department of Wellness, Payne County Live Well Coalition, and OSU Prevention Programs.
Payne County Health Improvement Plan: Local Public Health System Assessment
The Payne County Health Improvement Plan took place on December 10th at the Payne County Expo and was conducted by the Payne County Health Department to improve organizational communication and collaboration. TSET HLP partnered with the Payne County Health Department for this assessment to help strengthen the diverse network of partners within the local public health system. There were participants from Yale, Cushing, Stillwater, Ripley, Perkins, and Glencoe at this event to help identify strengths and weakness to address quality improvement efforts. Participants were divided into work groups and were asked questions based on the 10 essential public health services. The Payne County Health department is thankful for the turnout and ready to show the results of this assessment in January 2016 and begin the strategic plan in March 2016.
New Year Goals
The TSET HLP is looking forward to the New Year and partnering with organizations within the community. We hope to expand our involvement within the community by reaching out to more organizations and learning ways in which we can help. We will also be conducting assessments on wellness policies for tobacco cessation, physical activity, and nutrition for all four of our sectors. This year we hope to reach out to more areas within our sectors to evaluate and develop wellness policies. This allows businesses, schools, community institutions, and local government to provide healthy options and overall wellness that is beneficial to everyone.
If you are interested in creating a healthier community and collaborating with partners across the county, please attend a coalition meeting. The Stillwater LIVE WELL Coalition meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce from 3:30 – 4:30 pm. The Payne County LIVE WELL Coalition meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at the Stillwater Public Library (room 313) from 3:30 – 4:30 pm.