OLMSTED COUNTY SHIP: Stories from the Community

OLMSTED COUNTY SHIP: Stories from the Community

SHIP Implementation began in July 2009. In just over 1.5 years, Olmsted County partners have rallied around the vision of SHIP and have identified and implemented strategies to make Olmsted Count a healthier place to live, work, learn, play and recieve health care. Here are some of their stories…

Growing Together…

Five new community gardens were established in Olmsted County during 2010.

Building Communities to Support Active Living…

In August, SHIP contracted with experts from Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota to facilitate workshops in the communities of Byron, Eyota and Stewartville.  The workshops were intended to show the tangible benefits of a well-designed “walkable community.” The workshops highlighted ways in which local land use, transportation decisions and policies affect walking habits, safe routes to school, personal health, overal physical activity and the vitality of the community.

Physical Activity in Childcare…

In June 2010, SHIP offereed mini-grants to licensed childcare centers adn preschool programs in Olmsted County.  The mini-grants focused on assisting childcare centers in adopting a physical activity policy that adheres to the national best practice recommendations. These recommendations included objectives that address the amount of active time per day (120 minutes), the play environment (equipment and space), staff behavior (staff andparent training of phyusical activity).

Students Love Eating Locally Grown Produce…

The Dover-Eyota school district enlisted local growers to provide fruits, vegetables, bison and ree range turke for their students in the 2009-2010 school year. 

Chef School Gives Lunches A New Flavor…

SHIP sponsored a three-day Chef School workshop for Student Nutrition Serves staff in early 2010.  The objective to increase the capacity of schools to offer healthier food in ways that appeal to students.

Safer Routes to School…

SHIP collaborated with contracted consultants to solicit local data related to wakling and biking to school.

Rochester Community And Technicla Colleges Leads By Example…

In January of 2010 Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) joined 13 other post-secondary schools in Minnesota and 176 other post-secondary schools in the country who implemented a tabacco free policy.

Freedom From Smoking…

In May of 2010, representatvies from 13 area buisinnes attended the SHIP-sponsored Freedom from Smoking (FFS) training. Partcipants gained knowlege and recieved resources and training to teach a bacco cessation program in their worksite.

Nurition in the Worksite…

Successful implementation of healthy worksite nutrition initiatives requires clear communication and team work between a worksite wellness committee, management, emplyees, the person who handles the facility contracts and the contractors.

Wellness Works For All Businesses…

On October 5, 2010 Olmsted County and the Southeast Minnesota SHIP grantees collaborated to sponsor a Worksite Wellness Conference for the regional business community. Local business are recognized for excellence in Worksite Wellness initatives with awards.

2-1-1…

The 2-1-1 Health & Wellness Line is up and running and is an awsome resource for comprehensive healthcare access and wellness information.

For more infomation and stories visit: Stories from the Community

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