HEALTHIER TOGETHER's State of the Movement Reception
On November 20th, the HEALTHIER TOGETHER Council of Partners organized a State of the Movement reception for health, education, business, faith and SAFB leaders from our metro-east communities. The event was emceed by Dr. Desarie Holmes (HEALTHIER TOGETHER's Co-Chair) and hosted at the Age Smart Community Resources in O'Fallon.
The evening provided an opportunity to bring together past, current and new volunteer leaders who are helping to shape the HEALTHIER TOGETHER journey and the shared vision that emerged out of the 2017 Health Summit and continued with the 2019 Health Summit. It gave participants a chance to see the collaborative structure developed by the Council and introduced to the Work Groups in July 2019. Work Groups also highlighted their progress and shared hopes and goals for the New Year as they work with their coalitions to address a shared 25 by 2025 vision.
"Never before have so many been so willing to set aside their own interests for the collective benefit of the whole. We must now leverage the momentum we have built to make it a reality!"
—Bob Farmer, MD
Mr. Bill Kreeb (St. Clair County Board of Health) and Mr. Chet Cantrell (Christian Activity Center)
HEALTHIER TOGETHER's 25 by 2025 vision is about working together to make an "All-In" impact on the health and quality of life for the citizens of our St. Clair County and metro-east communities.
Final preparations from our host (Joy Paeth), Co-Chair (Dr. Desarie Holmes) and Council member (Dr. Bob Farmer)
WORK GROUP GOALS
- Promote healthy eating and active living.
- Develop proactive Neighborhood Associations.
- Improve educational attainment and promote health literacy.
- Promote safe-sleep and newborn health beyond one year of life.
- Prevent suicides through public education and professional training.
- Reduce youth substance use and adult opioid-related deaths.
Words of Encouragement by Reverend Dyer (HEALTHIER TOGETHER Co-Chair)
A Reminder for All of Us
Among the most important comments shared with the participants were the reminders by Dr. Desarie Holmes, Dr. Bob Farmer and Reverend Robert Dyer to keep our eyes focused on the fundamental principles of working together. They also emphasized that when it comes to reaching a shared vision of health for our future, taking care of the small things with integrity and shared accountability will lead to bigger things taking care of themselves.
THANKS TO OUR HOST & SPONSORS:
AgeSmart Community Resources; Get Up & Go!, Inc.; Tavern on Main; and BreakThru Beverage Belleville.
