Time for a check-up.
For the population of Oconto County, the results were not all good. Thirty percent of adults are considered obese, and 25 percent reported they participated in no leisure time physical activity. Twenty-eight percent of adults reported excessive drinking in the last 30 days, and 25 percent of high school students reported using a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription.
These were just four data points reviewed by the 39 people who met last week to evaluate the status of a five-year community health improvement plan now in its second year.
Debra Konitzer, Oconto County health officer, said some of the data was eye opening. The plan, launched in 2013 and named Healthy Oconto County 2018, is an ongoing initiative led by Bellin Health Oconto Hospital, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital and Oconto County Public Health.
“We reviewed what’s happened so far and reviewed data about the community’s health, then looked at prioritizing the issues,” Konitzer said.
As a result of the check-up, the top three health improvement goals of 2013 were narrowed to two: to reduce alcohol and drug abuse, and to increase healthy nutrition and physical activity. The third focus, to improve mental health via access and education, was included in the 2013 plan, but Konitzer said having three priorities was “very ambitious.”
“We determined realistically what we can do with the resources we have in Oconto County, and that narrowed down our focus,” she said.
Because mental health and alcohol/drug use are often interwoven, both issues will be addressed, even if the mental health initiative is no longer one of the top three priorities, said David Lally, director of business development at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital.
The next step is to bring together work groups to fine tune and choose the strategies to carry out, she explained. The group issued a call to action and seeks community members and organizations that want to participate in the initiative.
Two years from now, the group will do another community health assessment and adjust the plan for the final year.
“It’s an ongoing process of doing assessments, do a plan, implement the plan, do assessments, plan and implement a plan,” Konitzer said.
One ongoing plan to promote nutrition involved the distribution of healthy food choice information at health fairs, Lally said.
The health system also adopted an Oconto Falls trail project initiated by the chamber of commerce with its Run for the Trails in 2014. Lally said the fun run will return in 2016, and HSHS will look to hire a grant writer and apply for a trails grant. Expansion of the trail system could start as soon as this spring, he said.
The goal of increasing physical activity also is a focus of Bellin Health Oconto Hospital, which runs the Bond Community Center, said Laura Cormier, vice president of operations for the hospital and Bellin clinics.
“We really look at this as a community asset,” she said, noting the center offers gym memberships and specialty classes, such as swim lessons for 600 kids every summer.
As for nutrition, Cormier said the Wisconsin culture of “everything fried, everything about cheese” runs counter to healthy food preparation strategies and meal choices. Limited access to grocery stores, most notably in northern Oconto County, also impacts people’s diets, she said.
“The access to food is just a challenge to this county,” Cormier said.
According to a Feeding America 2013 study, 10.8 percent of Oconto County’s population experienced food insecurity in the past year. This compared to 11.2 percent in the Northeast Region of Wisconsin and 12.4 percent statewide.
Another goal, the effort to reduce alcohol and drug abuse, hinges on educational efforts to change long-standing practices, Cormier said.
“A lot of it is the culture. People maybe don’t realize they’re heavy drinkers because that’s how they grew up,” she said.
A shortage of therapists in the county, plus the stigma attached to seeking help, compound the problem, she added. She said Bellin Health has seen success with telemedicine, a program in which patients in Oconto County can speak to doctors and counselors in Green Bay via TV.
Outreach to middle school and high school students also can make an impact, she added.
Lally said he left the Healthy Oconto County 2018 checkup feeling very encouraged, due to the community support he witnessed and the uniqueness of the people who attended.
“We really couldn’t have asked for a better turnout, as far as diversity at the tables,” he said. “To be successful, we need these key people.”
Lally and Cormier both noted the success of the collaboration between the two health systems they represent in the county.
“Even though we’re competitors, we cooperate as much as we can,” Cormier said.
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