GetUp Montgomery County
GetUp Montgomery County Healthy Lifestyle Initiative
Q&A’s
What is GetUp Montgomery County?
GetUp Montgomery County is a multi-year, county-wide initiative to address childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles for children and families. GetUp Montgomery County’s goal is to promote healthy lifestyles, mobilize community action through partnerships, and reach out to vulnerable populations.
Who is involved in GetUp Montgomery County?
The Public Health Department has been collaborating with the Montgomery County Family and Children First Council’s Healthy People Outcome Team since 2006 for the initial development of this initiative. Key community partners currently providing strategic direction include Public Health, CareSource, Wright State University Center for Healthy Communities, Children’s Medical Center, and the Montgomery County Commission. These five entities are referred to as the GetUp Montgomery County “hub.”
It is envisioned, however, that multiple sectors will be involved in implementation, including schools, child care centers, community groups, faith-based organizations, county and city governments, businesses, academia, neighborhood health centers, and individuals and families.
What is the role of Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County?
PHDMC will serve as the lead “hub” partner to create a framework for implementation, recruit and link partners, mobilize community action, focus on sustainability and outcomes, ensure consistency and sound practice among all community partners, and create a culture of health.
When does the GetUp Montgomery County initiative begin?
The GetUp Montgomery County multi-year initiative will officially begin in the spring of 2009. The project manager for the initiative has recently been selected, and will begin work within weeks.
What is involved in the GetUp Montgomery County initiative?
Undoubtedly, numerous healthy lifestyle programs and services currently exist within Montgomery County and Miami Valley region. However, some existing programs are isolated and are not very collaborative, few focus on measurable outcomes, and a county-wide inventory of all the available programs is not available.
GetUp Montgomery County intends to:
- Reach the greatest number of children in the shortest period of time with the most efficient and sustainable use of resources;
- Create a culture throughout the County in which children and their families have the motivation, ability, and opportunity to lead healthier lives;
- Develop and support sustainable policy, practice, and behavior changes in places where children live, learn, and play.
Meeting these objectives will require community engagement and participation, and
commitment on behalf of all partners to think long-term regarding strategies. Further, an evidenced-based evaluation framework will be applied to assess the quality and effectiveness of behavior, program, and policy changes.
How will this initiative be funded?
The Montgomery County Human Services Levy Council has provided base funding for the initiative, and a CareSource Signature Grant will provide salary and office space for the project manager. Long-term sustainment, however, will require additional funding either by community partners or through state and federal grants.
What are the major intended outcomes of this initiative?
GetUp Montgomery County’s centralized framework will facilitate community engagement, participation, and commitment to addressing the complex, multi-faceted problem of unhealthy lifestyles and resulting overweight population. Intended outcomes include the following:
- Community-wide recognition and awareness of the relationship between unhealthy lifestyles and obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes;
- Improved opportunities for physical activity for children and families;
- Improved access to healthy foods/beverages, and reduced access to unhealthy foods and beverages;
- Improved coordination of policies and resources aimed at obesity prevention;
- Reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) levels in the Montgomery County population
- Decreased occurrence of overweight and obese Montgomery County children, and a reduction in obesity-related diseases and overall healthcare costs.
Contact Information
Lorraine Russel, Project Manager
Office: (937) 531-2033
Fax: (937) 396-3814
Summit on Public Health: Improving Healthy Lifestyles in the Miami Valley
March 11th, 2009
Presentations:
Keynote Speaker Steven Aldana, PhD, CEO WellSteps: Presentations available at www.wellsteps.com
Why the Miami Valley is Unhealthy – Jim Gross, MPH
GetUp Montgomery County – Jim Gross, MPH
Health Disparities and Cultural Issues – Pat Meadows, M.S.S.W.
Breakout Sessions: The breakout sessions where held so participants could have an open forum to discuss recommendations in the areas of health disparities and improving both nutrition and physical activity in our community. The breakout sessions where just the start of the dialogue! The discussions will continue and your inputs will become apart of future plans. Check back at www.getupmc.org in the coming months to see how you can be part of the healthy transformation of our community.
Nutrition and Physical Activity
Part1 Billie Sanders, MS
Part 2 Patricia Dolan, MS, RD, LD
Health Disparities
Recommendations from Summit participants for diminishing health disparities in our community.
Additional Resources:
The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton 2008 PRC Child Health Assessment as referenced in Dr. Ebert’s presentation: 2008 Child Health Assessment
IOM’s Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? – Read online for FREE
The Federal Government has issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2008
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have updated physical activity guidelines. These guidelines outline exercise recommendations for healthy adults and older adults: Guidelines are avaialble here
This article was referenced in Llyod Laubach, Ph. D’s presentation: Exercise is medicine and physicians need to prescribe it!, R E Sallis, Br. J. Sports Med. 2009;43;3-4
