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24

BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – May/June 2016

HEALTHY

COMMUNITIES

While the Hoosier state is near the top

of many economic lists, Indiana falls to the

bottom of the pack in most health indexes.

These include obesity, diabetes, smoking and

overall well-being, reports Chuck Gillespie,

executive director of the Wellness Council of

Indiana (WCI). And Indiana’s health care

premium costs were sixth in the nation in 2015,

according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“We are sixth in obesity, bottom 10

overall in well-being,” Gillespie declares.

“We are a high health care cost state.”

An increasing number of companies are

taking steps to correct those measures by

promoting workplace wellness programs and

cultivating healthy environments. But the

problem is deeper than just 40 hours per

week – it will take whole communities

coming together to make real change.

“The influences at home are probably more

influential than at work. We’ve got to understand

if somebody is trying to stop smoking at work,

but their spouse or friends are smoking, their

chance of succeeding goes down,” he notes.

That’s where the Indiana Healthy Community

Initiative (IHCI) comes in: to take health and

wellness to entire communities, and continue

crafting Indiana’s economic success story.

“What we are finding is that healthy

communities are really a manifestation of

economic growth and development,” Gillespie

says. “That’s what the whole premise is about

– really driving economic growth and

development for these workplaces so that

when companies want to relocate to Indiana,

they’re relocating in communities where

health is a priority.”

Achieving together

Through the IHCI, the Wellness Council

has laid out a roadmap for communities

interested in attaining the Indiana Healthy

Community designation. There are eight key

components, such as working with various

community leaders, getting citizens involved,

analyzing political atmospheres and ensuring

environments are best for making healthy choices.

As with the organization’s AchieveWELL

program for individual businesses, the WCI

offers best practices and guidance for

communities to develop or identify their

short- and long-term health goals.

“A lot of what we’re trying to do is work

with key leaders. Be it your county leaders,

your local chamber leaders, your local health

care leaders,” Gillespie confirms. “We want

them to lead the effort – what we want to do

is come in and help manifest or evolve their

existing goals.”

Movement moment

Hancock Regional Hospital and the city

of Greenfield are trying to start a movement.

And the people working to make Hancock

County the healthiest in the state of Indiana

want to be No. 1 – as in the first county to

earn the distinction of being an Indiana

Healthy Community.

“Movement. That is the right word. This

is not a program. This is not a company or a

business. It’s a movement,” asserts Steve Long,

president and CEO of Hancock Regional.

The county was the first to submit an

application to the WCI. It was also the first to

ban smoking in public places. And Hancock

ranks fifth best for health outcomes and sixth

for health factors of Indiana’s 92 counties.

But the challenges remain: obesity is at

35% (state average is 31%), not to mention

that the county’s rural geography (almost half

the population lives in a rural area) makes

getting all citizens access to quality health care

challenging. And the most common health

risks for the state are not unique to Hancock

County: obesity (and related diseases),

By Charlee Beasor

Hancock County Strives to be No. 1

“Top 10” rankings have become

commonplace for Indiana’s

business climate. The state’s

manufacturing job growth is

second to none. Overall job

growth is second in the nation

since July 2009.

But, like any compelling tale,

there is a twist. And unfortunately,

it’s an expensive one.

Indiana Vision 2025

: Attractive Business Climate

Hancock County and the city of Greenfield are working to be the first community designated an

Indiana Healthy Community by the Wellness Council of Indiana.