The City of Wells Gets ACTIVE!

In support of a new City Proclamation encouraging the citizens of Wells to be physically active and eat healthy, the Wells Area Active Living Coalition is sponsoring a 4 Week Healthy Lifestyles Challenge. Even blizzard-like conditions didn't stop nearly 90 citizens from attending the kick-off event and signing up for the challenge at the Wells Community Building on Wednesday, May 1st. Those attending the kick-off received helpful information from the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Bike Safety, Wells Area Chamber of Commerce, The Grind, Workout 24/7, USC Schools SMART, SPARK and school nutrition, USC Community Education, Safe Routes to School, LANA the Iguana and I Am Moving I Am Learning Early Childhood curriculum.  Bolton & Menk provided a walking map with 6 routes with varying mileage. Delicious and healthy snacks were provided by Wells Marketplace. Registration remained open through May 8th, where an additional 75 participants signed up to participate!

 

Participants in the Challenge received a fact sheet discussing the value of healthy eating and physical activity and a daily log to check off their successes in the following categories:

• No smoking
• 5+ fruits and vegetables
• 64oz water
• 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity
• Stress Management
• Weight Maintenance

The Challenge will end May 29^th 6-8 pm at Half Moon Park with a drawing for prizes and awarding of t-shirts at 7pm for all who check off a minimum of 50 items on the challenge sheet.  Participants are encouraged to bring a healthy picnic lunch and take a walk around the park.

 

 

 

 

Garden Court Apartments in Winnebago Holds Successful Resident Presentation

 

 

Garden Court Apartments in Winnebago implemented a smoke-free building policy that will cover 36 apartments within the building, common areas and the 25 foot perimeter of the building on May 15, 2013.  E-cigarettes are also included in the definition of tobacco products. 

Lois Busse, Apartment Manager for Garden Court Apartments is very excited to be able to provide safe and a healthy environment for its 40 residents.  Busse stated “We knew that we had overwhelming support from our residents to go smoke-free.  The survey we conducted this past winter indicated that over 90% wanted our apartment building to be smoke-free or had no preference.  We also have support from the Theis and Talle, Inc, who is the company that owns our building.”

SHIP staff working with Garden Courts, Bonnie Frederickson, stated, “Lois came to one of our lunch and learn events and wanted us to help them implement a policy.  By working with Live Smoke-Free- a non-profit program that promotes smoke-free apartment living throughout Minnesota-we have the support and resources we need to make this great thing happen at Garden Court Apartments.”  Frederickson stated, “We offered a presentation on April 15 at Garden Court Apartments and had 17 residents attend.  They were surprised to learn about all the damage that secondhand smoke does and what is in secondhand smoke.  Residents are supporting management in this new smoke-free policy.”  Busse noted that cleaning out a unit where the resident has smoked is expensive and is hard to remove the smell of smoke. 

Reba Flanders, a resident at Garden Court Apartments is excited about the policy.  She states, “I feel that making this a smoke—free building would protect me and others from breathing the secondhand smoke that is harmful.  Secondhand smoke affects my sinuses and my lungs.  I should not have to be exposed to these unhealthy conditions that affect my body.  We are looking forward to a smoke-free building for everyone.”

Garden Court Apartments will be working with Frederickson and Live Smoke-Free on the components of implementation including the residents lease addendum (outlines the smoke-free policy), enforcement guidelines, signage options to inform visitors and residents on the new policy, community awareness and promotion of the policy.  A celebration of the Garden Court Smoke-free Building Policy was held on May 15.

Kids Eat FREE This Summer in Windom!

 

Windom Area Schools will be providing Summer Meals for children beginning May 28.  After recently begin approved as a summer meal site, the district will provide nutritious meals for all children ages 1-18 at the Windom Middle School.  Kids can just show up and enjoy a meal that is tasty and nutritious.  Elaine Deutchman, Windom Area Schools Food Service Director said, “We are really excited to be able to offer a nutritious meal for children in Windom.”  The meals will follow Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the MN Department of Education provides suggested lunch meal patterns, but the choice and preparation is the responsibility of the District.  Deutchman said the kids may be served a Sloppy Joe or a turkey sub sandwich with a variety of fruit and vegetable and milk. 

 

One of the really great things about this program is that any child can participate, and you just have to show up.  There is not registration, so if kids are in the area, they can eat a healthy meal at the Middle School.  All children who are part of community education or summer recreation programs can eat free, if grandparents have grandkids visiting, they can eat free, daycare providers can bring children, and kids who live in the area or who are home without parental supervision can enjoy a nutritious meal and eat free.

 

The meal site will be open Monday through Friday from 11:30-12:30 for all children ages 1-18.  Deutchman said, “We do not need any registration, and parents can come with the children, but we do not provide adult meals, and adults cannot eat off the children’s trays.”  Watch your local paper for more details. 

 

Park Apartments goes Smoke Free!

On April 1st, 2013, a smoke-free policy went into effect at Park Apartments in St. James, MN. The policy includes all units, common areas and provides provisions that exclude tobacco use within 25 feet of the building. Linda Blackstad, Executive Director for the St. James HRA/Park Apartments felt it was essential to provide education to the residents on the benefits of the new policy. "The health and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority. A smoke-free building is safer and contributes to a better living environment" she said. An educational session as held on January 16 with several residents in attendance. They were surprised to learn about the 4000-7000 toxic chemicals in secondhand smoke and want others to know they are breathing in these chemicals when around smoke.

 

 

 

 

Starting April 1st. Park Apartments in St. James are telling residents to put out their cigarettes. The adopted policy bans smoking in all apartment units. Residents will be allowed to smoke on the patio and about 25 feet from the front door.Bonnie Frederickson says, "It creates a healthier and safe living place for the residents." Frederickson is a registered nurse and now works as a community specialist with the local SHIP project. During today's workshop she explained how secondhand smoke has more than 4,000 chemicals which can affect heart and respiratory functions.

The apartment staff says they forward to this change not only for the health benefits but also because the turnover will be much faster and cheaper. They say it can cost up to $3,000 to fix up a unit if the renter was a smoker. Linda Blackstad says, "When we have a smoker who is moving out we have often have to pull the carpet, scrub all the woodwork and we paint and it gets expensive the blinds everything needs to go out."

Residents who are supportive of this policy are not only looking out for their own health, but for the health of their friends and family that visit them. Kay Lang says, "I think it's great, other people who smoke heavily, they are not going to their it's so great, but I can't worry about them. I want to make sure when my grandsons come here they aren't inhaling smoke."

In addition to the tenant education, a celebration was held to kick-off the smoke-free policy at Park Apartments in April!  Here are some photos from the event! 


 

Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training Offered to Medical Providers

 

 

CJFMW in its effort to strengthen the tobacco cessation skills of health care providers and reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, an American Lung Association (ALA) “Freedom from Smoking” Facilitator Training was held in St James on Tuesday, March 26, 2013.  This day long training provided tools to help smokers develop a plan of action leading to quit day and providing the support they need to remain smoke-free.

The trainer was Erin Simmons, Program Manager, from ALA of Minnesota.  Registration materials were sent to area health care providers in the five county region.  SHIP offered to pay the tuition of $100 per person for those attending.  Three health care providers- 1 health coach from Sanford Jackson, a private psychological counselor, and a LPN from the Windom Area Hospital attended along with one MSU Community Health Intern and Bonnie Frederickson, CJFMW SHIP Community Specialist.  Each person attending received the training, a comprehensive facilitator manual, and sample participant packet. 

Those that attended commented on the value of the training and how it will better equip them with the skills and materials to work with their clients who use tobacco and want to quit.  Attendees were very appreciative of having our SHIP project offer this program and hope it can be offered again so more health care providers can attend.  They also thanked Erin Simmons for sharing her skills and insights to implement the program in the settings where we work.

Growing interest in gardens at Fairmont Elementary School!

On Wednesday March 20th, Fairmont Area Schools held a Youth Wellness Council meeting and our main focus was Community and School Gardening. Fairmont Area Schools has created a Youth Gardening Program and we felt the Youth Wellness Council would be the perfect group to kick start this program! We asked the students how they felt about gardening and the excitement began! The students came up with a long list of flowers and vegetables that they would like to garden. A Master Gardener from the U of M Extension came to the meeting to help discuss what can be gardened within Minnesota and provided many tips and tools for gardening in small plotted boxes! It was fun to see how excited the students became when we brought up the topic of gardening and how familiar they already were with the different types of seeds. Our next meeting we are hoping it will be warmer so we can place the plots down on school grounds!

Madelia ECFE Hosts LANA/IMIL Parent Night!

 

 

 

 

 

On February 12^th Madelia ECFE hosted a Family Fun Night. Families who participate in Madelia ECFE were invited to attend the Family Fun Event. This night was filled with activities from the LANA (Learning about Nutrition through Activities) and IMIL (I am Moving I am Learning) programs. Families who participate in Madelia ECFE were invited to attend the Family Fun Event. SHIP hosted two trainings last summer on these curriculums to help improve nutrition and increase physical activity among childcare settings. Madelia ECFE showed how affective these trainings were and how implementation of these curriculums has been sustainable. Traci Henry of Madelia ECFE set up stations for Parents and their children to taste test recipes from LANA. They had a bagel station with veggies and fruit but the biggest hit was the sweet potato smoothie! Once taste testing was completed the IMIL activities began! Parents and Children were dancing and moving all around. We had one facilitator comment “I don't know who enjoyed it more....the kids or the adults."

 

Here is the Sweet Potato Smoothie Recipe! 

(Tastes like Pumpkin Pie!)

2 tbsp. OJ

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup mashed canned sweet potatoes

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

 

Mix in blender, makes 4-1/2 c. servings.