2017/18 Live Well Goodhue County Partnership

Good health is created where we live, work, learn and play.  Each year Live Well Goodhue County supports community-driven projects in four areas: Community, School, Workplace Wellness and Health Care.  These projects focus on increasing opportunities for active living, increasing access to healthy, nutritious food and tobacco prevention and control.

Partnerships:

Active Living

• City of Cannon Falls
• City of Goodhue
• City of Pine Island
• City of Zumbrota
• United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce Counties
• Live Healthy Red Wing-The Red Bike Project
• Adventures inLearning Preschool
• Cannon Falls School District
• Sunnyside School
• Twin Bluff Middle School
• Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District
• Pro Act, Inc
• Amesbury Truth
• Fernbrook Family Services
  
  
  

Healthy Eating

• City of Cannon Falls
• City of Kenyon
• Hope Coalition
• City of Wanamingo
• Kiki's Simple Abundance
• Pine Island Chamber of Commerce
• Kenyon-Wanamingo Early Childhood and Family Education
• Quiet Waters Ranch
• Every Hand Joined/Pepin Woods Manufactured Home Community
• All Seasons Food Shelf in Kenyon
• SEMCAC
• Three Rivers Community Action
• Cannon Falls School District
• Red Wing High School Agriculture Program
   

Tobacco Prevention & Control

• City of Zumbrota
• Zumbrota-Mazeppa
• Goodhue County

Our new year begins November 1st, and we are excited to announce that we have additional funds to put into action for new projects that will improve the health of our residents! Projects should aim to make lasting change that will affect large segments of our populations, with a priority for those with greater needs, including but not limited to: low-income groups, diverse populations and persons over 60. Mini-grants are reviewed and approved by our Community Leadership Team. Click here for more information about our mini-grant process or contact David Anderson.

The Red Bike Project-Making it Easy to Bicycling in 
Red Wing

Bicycling is a fun activity that connects family and friends, as well as provides a great way to improve your health. Unfortunately not everyone owns or has access to a bike. Thanks to a group of Red Wing High School Alumni, residents and visitors were able to borrow a bike for free to cruise around town, visit parks and explore the Mississippi
River Valley.

Sparked by Elise Leise's visit to Stockholm, Wisconsin where she saw free blue bikes all over town, she fell in love with the idea and brought it up to a group of friends in Red Wing.  The group asked why not create free bikes to scatter throughout Red Wing?  They organized quickly, sending emails to community groups and convincing friends to grab coffee to talk about bikes.

The Red Bike Project was born with the following goals:

• Build a sense of community
• Boost downtown foot traffic
• Increase local business engagement
• Contribute to making Red Wing a bike and pedestrian friendly city

The Red Bike Project team secured bicycles, insurance, bike racks and locks by partnering with the Red Wing Police Department, Red Wing Bike Company, the Sustainability Commission, ArtReach, Downtown Main Street, Live Healthy Red Wing and Live Well Goodhue County.

How Did It Work?It was quick and easy to ride.  Bikes were located at one of four bike racks in downtown Red Wing. Riders sent a text to the bike share number, received a code to unlock and re-lock, and then were free to ride.  When finished, they parked bikes at any of the bike racks with the lock reset for the next user.

Project Results
Designed as a six-week pilot, the Red Bike Project tracked usage from August 21st to September 21st.  During that time 90 bikes were checked out.  Daytime rides were common on Saturday and Sundays, while evening rides were popular during the weekdays.  Several users have come back for a second and even third ride.  The team is encouraged by these results and can't wait to see what happens over the last two weeks.  Participant comments from users include:

• Such a fantastic project! Thanks for putting it together.
• Awesome idea. Love it.
• Thank you so much for putting those bikes out!! Was so convenient.
• IT WAS AMAZING!
• We think this is a marvelous idea...there are so many bike trails in our beautiful Red Wing.

Organizers of the Red Bike Project include: Elise Leise, Meyer Beckner, Joey Haley, Adam Wronski and Adam Kaiser. Additional enthusiastic high school volunteers have joined the effort and the Red Wing High School Sustainability Club has been signed on, so the project can transition from a short pilot to long term program.

If you would like to learn how your community can develop a bike share program, contact David Anderson, Live Well Goodhue County Coordinator.

Supporting Moms, Raising Healthy Children
Breastfeeding is the natural healthy way for mothers to feed their babies.

A mother's mild is a baby's first and healthiest food. New mothers often need good information to get started and to keep going.  Mothers also need support from their family, friends, employer, health care providers, schools and child care providers to be successful.  In Minnesota, breastfeeding rates are higher than national averages with over 90% of women breastfeeding their newborn infants and 66% still breastfeeding six months after births.¹

Why is breastfeeding so important?
Research has shown that breastfeeding supports optimal growth and development for infants, and offers lifelong health advantages. Breastfeeding protects babies from infections and illnesses that include ear infections and pneumonia; breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma, and children who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese.  The American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and many other national and international health organizations recommend d exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months followed by continued breastfeeding during the first year as complementary foods are introduces.  According to the CDC, a baby's risk of becoming an overweight child goes down with each month of breastfeeding.

A "Moment for Mom" at Rose Fest  in Kenyon
In August during Rose Fest in Kenyon, Live Well Goodhue County partnered with Kenyon-Wanamingo Early Childhood & Family Education Program as well as the Breastfeeding Coalition of Goodhue, Wabasha and Pierce Counties, and the Goodhue County WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Program to host "A Moment for Mom" in Depot Park.
The goal of the event was to engage with moms about their breastfeeding knowledge, if they had helpful support to start or continue, and if they would attend a mom's group in Kenyon if one is started.  Mothers were treated to healthy snacks, iced coffee or lemonade and a chance to relax in comfortable chairs while their husbands or significant others took their kids to play in the bouncy houses.

    "We are interested in starting a breastfeeding clinic in the Kenyon-Wanamingo area for a number of different reasons, mainly to support mothers and babies during an important time in their lives. Being a new mother is a vulnerable time  and if we can have a place to support them, we feel everyone wins.  We envision the breastfeeding clinic to be a  place to foster relationships with others in the same stage of life, ask health questions for moms and babies, and a  place where moms can learn about community resources."
                                        -Katie Valek, Kenyon-Wanamingo ECFE Director

Moms attending were asked the following:

  1.  During the first year with your baby, what support was helpful so you could continue to breastfeed?  

• Family
• Lactation Consultant
• Educational materials from the internet
• Friends
• Doctor/Pediatrician/Midwife

2.  If a Breastfeeding/Mother's Support Group was offered in Kenyon, would you participate?

• 82% of the moms stated they would attend 

Next Step

David Anderson, Live Well Goodhue County Coordinator, was encouraged by the turnout and response from the moms.  " Our next step is to bring together the five programs and invite other organizations interested to explore what this might look like", said Anderson.  If anyone is interested in learning more, contact David at david.anderson@co.goodhue.mn.us or call 651-385-6148. 

Evidence-Based Programs-Helping Your community Take Charge of Its Health

Not only is our population aging with each passing decade, but the proportion of persons 75 years and older is growing larger than ever before.  Results show the leading causes of death and disability for older Americans are due to chronic disease and injuries from falling.¹

In fact, did you know?

• Approximately 50% if all U.S. adults (117 million) have at least one chronic health condition.  
• More that 85% of healthcare spending is for individuals with more than one condition.²
• The cost for treating chronic diseases is Minnesota is estimated to be $5 billion annually. ² 
• The estimated medical cost contributed to diabetes in Minnesota in 2012 was $2.3 billion.
• In 2015, 7.6% of Minnesota adults (about 320,000) had been diagnosed with diabetes and now approximately 18,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.^.2   
• 1 in 3 seniors experience a serious fall each year, often leading to complications and deterioration of health.²  
• In Minnesota, falls are the #1 cause of unintentional injury death.  Older adults in Minnesota experienced over 29, 900 falls in 2009, causing 639 fatalities and an estimated medical cost of $255,435,200.²   

WellConnect in Southeast Minnesota

At a 2015 gathering in Rochester, Minnesota, a small group came together with a big idea to improve health care.  Their desire was to create a single unified system that coordinates and supports evidence-based and research-tested programs to help people manage their health and prevent disease.  WellConnect was formed.  The initiative continues to be a partnership of over 30 organizations in southeast community's access to evidence-based health promotions programs (EBPs), integrated with healthcare for improving population health.

What Are Evidence-Based Programs (EBPs)?

EBPs are small group workshops where people meet for two hours once a week for six weeks.  The sessions are highly interactive, focused on building skills, sharing experiences and support.  The goal is to help people gain self-confidence in their ability to control their symptoms, and control how their health problems affect their lives.

In Goodhue Couny, volunteers have been trained to teach the following EBP programs with classes heal in Cannon Falls, Kenyon, Pine Island and Red Wing:

• A Matter of Balance
• Stepping On
• Living Well with Chronic Conditions
• Living Well with Chronic Pain
• I CAN Prevent Diabetes

"I am happy to say there IS a way to live a healthy life making health choices.  When I took this class I was not sure what was going to happen.  Honestly, I went in assuming it would be like any other weight loss guru, but while learning about healthy eating along with exercise, I have lost 27 pounds so far.  My blood pressure is normal due to the innovative meals you learn to make with the simplest ingredients.  After this class you will be able to prepare meals that are sure to tantalize your pallet."
            -Robbin Gust, a 2017 participant in I CAN Prevent Diabetes

Live Well Goodhue County Is Seeking Volunteer Instructors!

Additional volunteers are needed to become EBP instructors.  Live Well Goodhue County provides funds to cover the cost of your training.  If you have the desire to help others improve the quality of their lives, contact David Anderson at 651-385-6148 to learn more.

¹National Council on Aging 

²Well Connect SE MN Partnership  

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