1. Community Health Visioning 2017
Chronic Disease
Rebecca Linville, Chicos Community Outreach Coordinator
Dr. John Iacuone, Executive Director Children’s Hospital

2. Chronic Disease
With community partners, develop community/neighborhood clinics for chronic disease prevention, education, management, such as sickle cell, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and asthma. Target populations with greatest need (e.g., African Americans for diabetes).

3. Intro
Thank you for your (participation, interest) and support for (event(s)).
Today I wanted to share with you how the American Heart Association is changing the culture of physical activity and wellness in corporations in (city, county, state) through its newest cause initiative called Start!
But before I explain this cause further, let me familiarize all of you with the organization behind this groundbreaking initiative, the American Heart Association.

4. Status Report: Key Accomplishments
START! Campaign - American Heart Association
LMHS 3-year Sponsorship Commitment
Community Steering Committee of 20 organizations
Co-chairs LMHS and Chico’s FAS, Inc.
Purpose: Inspire Healthier Lifestyles in our Community through Start!
Mission: Achieve heart related risk factors better than state average.
Goals (3 year plan):
Increase Company Participation in Start!
Achieve Healthy People 2010 objective for leisure time physical activity
Increase START! brand awareness

5. Status Report: Barriers/Challenges
Heart Disease is #1 leading cause of death in Lee County
Lee County adults:
64% overweight or obese
36% have high blood pressure
38% have high blood cholesterol
Only 41% of Lee County adults meet physical activity recommendations (intensity/frequency/duration)
We have a long way to go – We have a good START!

6. Status Report: Critical Success Factors
Identify & engage diverse target audiences
Create hub and spoke leadership structure to reach broad community (schools, corporations, small business, medical community, neighborhoods, government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith community)
Identify & share community resources for physical activity
Monitor use of AHA Start! website
Develop and implement comprehensive education and marketing plans

7. Status Report: Next Steps
Corporate Challenge
October 2008
Winner announced at Start Heart Walk Dec. 13th
Quarterly Steering Committee Meetings
Recruit Leaders and Participants
Implement the 3-year plan
INSPIRE CHANGE

8. Increase Physical Activity to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
Introducing Start!, a national cause movement that calls on all Americans and their employers to be a catalyst for change by creating a culture of physical activity and wellness in order to live longer, healthier lives
Start! Walking Program
Start!
Adults (35–54) & Companies
Increase Physical Activity to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
in Americans
My Start! Online Tool
National Start!
Work Day
Corporate Start! Walking Programs
Media Campaign
CEO Event
(June 27th)
Lifestyle Change Award
America’s Fit-Friendly Companies (July 15)
Start! Heart Walk (December 13th)
The American Heart Association recognized the growing trend of physical inactivity in America and thus, Start! was born.
Start! recognizes that people have time constraints and responsibilities that often keep them from taking care of their health. Start! helps people start walking at work. The movement provides tools, resources and programs to help every American begin a personal health revival that can potentially add two hours of life expectancy for each hour of regular exercise.
As I mentioned, Start! focuses on corporations and the workplace – to encourage an environment focused on physical activity and health not found in existing walking programs.
The American Heart Association has built Start! around four key elements to help Americans live longer, heart-healthy lives:
MyStart! Online, a Web-based fitness and nutrition tracker, is the hub for a best-in-class walking program that offers constant, measurable, personal improvement.
The Start! Walking Program in which companies can encourage walking at work and recognize and reward employees who move from being sedentary to a more active lifestyle.
The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition Program officially recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity in the workplace.
A reinvigorated Start! Heart Walk, the American Heart Association’s premier fund-raiser, gives people an opportunity to improve their health through walking while helping fund the fight against heart disease and stroke.

9. Status Report: Key Accomplishments
As a State designated Regional Sickle Cell Referral Center, we have been able to reduce number of hospital admissions and length of stay.
The Children’s Hospital has initiated development of a community based Sickle Cell Clinic model for children.
The Children’s Hospital Child Advocacy Program has taught Mission Nutrition to over 2,900 fourth and fifth grade students each year since 2007 in effort to impact childhood obesity.

10. Status Report: Barriers/Challenges
The unforeseen economic downturn effecting both the state and local financial resources has presented challenges to the successful implementation of some community based initiatives. (e.g. Sickle Cell)
Similarly, drastic reduction in state funding to many of our community based safety net programs has driven a realignment and prioritization of services. (e.g. Safe Kids Florida)

11. Status Report: Critical Success Factors
The Children’s Hospital Advocacy Program success can be directly attributed to seeking community partners to collaborate with and to avoid duplication of programs.
The Children’s Hospital Advocacy Program and its community partners provides non-revenue generating services to the children of SW Florida. Our ability to continue these needed programs will rely on increasing collaboration between community agencies and the Children’s Hospital/Lee Memorial Health System, to maintain existing funding and identify new grant and philanthropic opportunities.

12. Status Report: Next Steps
Identify, prioritize and develop community forums in partnership with healthcare providers to initiate chronic disease management initiatives.
Develop a mechanism to more easily network our multiple isolated agency’s mandates into a coordinated system approach to manage chronic disease in our community.

13. Questions & Answers
What are your top of mind reactions to what you have heard?
Are there other accomplishments for this area you would like to share?