Community Transformation

What is the Community Transformation Program?

Scott County Health Department (SCHD) is working with partners in our community to make it easier to live healthy by making changes to where we work and where we play!

Worksite Wellness

People are needed at work, and many workplaces know that one way to keep people at work is to keep them healthy. SCHD staff work with interested businesses to make changes at businesses that can help people eat better and exercise more.  There are many different ways this can be done.  Some include making changes to what is in the vending machines, encouraging people to walk up stairs instead of taking the elevator, or maybe writing a policy that does not allow tobacco-use in the workplace.  Each business no matter how big or small can find something to improve.  SCHD staff asks a business questions to help them identify how to start!
The questions are found in the tools below:

• Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation Tool
• Nutrition Environment Measuring Survey-Vending Machines

Community Wellness

Walking paths, parks, bike trails…these are all things that encourage people to get moving.  What about the things that help keep people safe when using these things…bike racks, cross walks, curb cuts for wheelchair and strollers, etc.?  SCHD staff work with people from Scott County cities and the county to look for ways to improve.  By asking a series of questions, needs are identified and plans can be made.

Staff also works with restaurants who are interested in making healthy changes to their menu.  Some very simple changes are serving skim or 1% milk instead of 2%, switching to 100% wheat bread, or adding a vegetable or fruit as a side dish option.  
The tools used to help identify possible changes can be found below:

• Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation Tool
• Walkability and Bikeability Suitability Assessments
• Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Restaurants

Food System

Ever wonder where the food you did not eat at a restaurant or is not bought at a grocery store goes? So did a group of community partners, the Food Rescue Partnership. The group looked at all the steps involved in feeding our community: how food is grown or produced, how it gets to the stores, where the stores are in our community, what gets sold and where all of the waste goes. One change the group wants to make in the community is to keep more usable food from getting thrown out. This means working with businesses that have food they cannot use to get it to people who can use it. This group is looking at ways this already works in different areas of Iowa and the USA.

For more information on the Food Rescue Partnership, visit:

• www.foodrescueqc.org
• www.facebook.com/foodrescueqc.