Columns
Friday, June 3, 2005
active communities, healthy iowans
Currently, 75 percent of health care costs in the United States are accounted for by chronic conditions and diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The good news is that, in so many cases, these diseases are preventable by changes in lifestyle – simple things like cutting out tobacco use, eating more fruits and vegetables, and taking a 30-to-45 minute walk four or five times a week. Everywhere I travel around our state, I see more and more Iowans committed to eating right, getting more physical activity, and staying healthy. I’m encouraged by the growing interest of Iowans in taking charge of their own health. By staying in shape, Iowans can stay out of the hospital.
But I also believe in community responsibility. Local governments and other entities can take a more active role in creating environments that support physical activity and healthy living. Individual’s efforts to take charge of their own health can get a powerful boost when communities integrate healthy habits into the fabric of our daily lives. Some examples include building bike paths, getting junk food out of schools, and setting up workplace wellness programs to encourage employees to exercise, eat right, and quit smoking.
To jumpstart community-wide planning to encourage healthy lifestyles, I have secured $3 million in federal funds to finance Harkin Wellness Grants here in Iowa. My goal is to help dozens of local governments, agencies, and non-profits to develop creative approaches to promoting wellness.
The grants must focus on one or more of four priority areas: nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and smoking cessation. Projects should encourage local matching grants and have quantifiable goals. And because the aim is to develop “healthy community” models, preference will be given to grant applications that bring together a consortium of entities – public and private – in a given geographic area.
The Harkin Wellness Grants are just one facet of a broad focus on wellness and disease prevention. The grants will be awarded and administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). Applications are due by July 15, 2005, and grant awards will be announced in August. Grantees will be eligible for up to $250,000 in funding. For more information, go to www.idph.state.ia.us, or call IDPH at 515-281-7689.
