What does a healthier Austin look like to you? That is the question the Community Wellness Initiative, sponsored by Austin Medical Center and SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program), is looking for answers to. In order to get answers to this question the Community Wellness Initiative has placed large posters (see an example below) around the community for you to write your feedback on and let them know what your main concerns are and how you think the community can be a healthier place to live.

The large posters are placed in the following organizations around the community: Austin Medical Center (and also on their internet web site at www.austinmedicalcenter.org and click on Community Wellness Initiative); YMCA; Hy-Vee; Austin Senior Center; Mower County Health and Human Services; Quality Pork Processors (QPP); Riverland Community College; and Austin Public Library.

The feedback gathered will be given back to the Community Wellness Initiative’s four goal teams, which will review each written response and begin to making recommendations to make our community a healthier place to live. The four goal teams are aimed at: 1) helping people make healthier choices, 2) reduce anxiety and manage stress and enhance mental well-being; 3) commitment and rewards — how do we reward individuals and families for making good choices; and 4) making connections — how do we help people connect with community resources which may benefit them.

Kirsten Anderson, community health intern at Austin Medical Center, is hoping the community supports this initiative and provides as much feedback as possible.

“We need the community people’s perceptions and ideas, from all different areas of our community,” Anderson said. “We need to know what issues people have, and therefore, once we know what some problems areas are, we can then begin to work on those areas and make tremendous improvements in our community.”

The Community Wellness Initiative began in mid June with a kick-off meeting consisting of over 70 community leaders hearing about research conducted in the community on health and wellness issues, as well as federal and state federal reform information. Research conducted found that there are many avenues to promote health and wellness in the community, but many of them are often underutilized. The Community Wellness Initiative is an opportunity to tie groups like Austin Medical Center, the YMCA and Parenting Resource Center, for example, together, similar to the AARP/Blue Zones project in Albert Lea.

“The idea is to connect the many agencies in the community that already provide some level of health care and wellness and then all work together,” Anderson said. “Austin and Mower County is rich in a lot of health and wellness services, but they’re not always connected so people don’t necessarily know how to use what we already have here.”

David Agerter, M.D., president and CEO at Austin Medical Center said at the June meeting that there are many areas that can be addressed, but it’s important to prioritize focus on a few areas to address that can make a significant difference. “We can’t do it all, but I think there’s a piece of it we can do and we can do well. It’s time to promote health, not health care.”

The posters asking for community feedback is just one step in accomplishing goals set forth by the initiative. So please tell your family, friends and neighbors to provide feedback if they see a poster around the community. The posters will be up in the various organizations mentioned for about two weeks so now’s the time to provide your feedback. If you don’t get a chance to provide your feedback on one of the posters, go to the Austin Medical Center web site at www.austinmedicalcenter.org and click on Community Wellness Initiative at anytime.