MAYVILLE - Community leaders from across Chautauqua County met recently to start transforming local communities for the healthier.
The group met as part of the start-up of the Chautauqua County Health Department's Community Transformation Grant: Small Communities Initiative.
Those who attended the kick-off meeting are members of a new multi-sector leadership team that will be working in partnership with the Chautauqua Health Action Team to assist and provide guidance to the Health Department and program staff. The groups will be helping to implement a comprehensive plan to prevent chronic disease in early child care, school, and community settings within the geographic areas of the Jamestown, Dunkirk and Silver Creek central school districts.
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Pictured, from left, are: Breeanne Agett, Toni DeAngelo, Theresa Schrantz, Linda Finn, Kristen Kathman, Paula Troutman, Kurt Lindstrom, Virginia Carlberg, Vince Horrigan, Jennifer Irwin, Don McCord, Ann Abdella, Ben Drake, Gregory Szewczyk, Lindsay Ball, Kate Huber, Samantha Vanstrom, Katie Pawlak, David Reinhardt, Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller, Angela Swartzman and Christine Schuyler.
"We are very excited to have school districts, municipalities, health and human service agencies, medical professionals, private-sector businesses, and elected officials as partners in this project," says Christine Schuyler, county's health and human services director. "We recognize the need to work across sectors in our communities to successfully address causes of obesity and other chronic disease and we are fortunate to have these resources to coordinate this effort. Together we can affect real positive change."
Chautauqua County is one of three counties in New York state selected to receive the Community Transformation Grant: Small Communities funding. The state Health Department was awarded the two-year grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address risk factors including tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Broome counties.
"This initiative is about creating or strengthening opportunities for children and adults who live, work, and attend school in the selected communities to live more active lifestyles, to eat better, and to avoid exposure to tobacco. It's really about making the healthier choices the easier choices," said Breeanne Agett, Chautauqua County Health Department junior planner.
Kurt Lindstrom, Silver Creek's mayor, said he is excited about being one of the communities involved.
"I am thrilled to be a part of this terrific group. This is a proactive approach that will lead to healthier children in our communities resulting in healthier families," Lindstrom said. "This project addresses genuine quality of life issues with the Village government, school district and county health professionals taking an active role in the health of our residents."
For more information, call Breeanne Agett at the Chautauqua County Health Department at 753-4771 or email agettb@co.chatuauqua.ny.us.