A community-wide wellness program was identified by the Healthy for Life Action Team as a program that, when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in physical activity levels as well as weight status in our community. 

Elevate 828 is a 6-month community-wide wellness program that had a
soft-launch in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then fully kicked off in 2021. The program begins with a health screening that includes total cholesterol and glucose, blood pressure, height/weight and body composition, as well as a health risk survey with questions regarding nutrition, physical activity, and stress management. The same screening is conducted at the end of the 6 months for a pre-and-post comparison. During the 6 months, participants complete monthly nutrition and stress management challenges, as well as a 6-month long physical activity challenge. 

The audience for this strategy is the community at large. This strategy aims to make a different at the individual level-- increasing knowledge and influence on individual attitudes and beliefs towards health. Implementation will take place community-wide in Jackson County and will also have a special focus on the public school system as their wellness program.

The partners for this strategy include:

No data on health improvement scores or total pounds lost was collected in spring 2023 for the Elevate828 wellness program due to lack of participant interest. Elevate828 pre screenings were held in September 2023 with over 100 participants signing up for the program. Post screenings will take place in spring 2024, collecting health score information and total pounds lost for participants.