2019 Jackson County Community Health Improvement Plan (e-CHIP)

Alignment

Obesity Prevention, Physical Activity, and Nutrition and the related result, Jackson County Residents are at a Healthy Weight, are aligned with the following Healthy NC 2020 Focus Areas/ Objectives. 

• Physical Activity and Nutrition
  • Increase the percentage of high school students who are neither overweight nor obese
  • Increase the percentage of adults meeting the CDC Aerobic Recommendations
  • Increase the percentage of adults consuming fruits one or more times per day
  • Increase the percentage of adults consuming vegetables one or more times per day
• Chronic Disease
  • Decrease the percentage of adults with diabetes
• Cross-Cutting
  • Increase the percentage of adults who are neither overweight nor obese

Experience and Importance

How would we experience Jackson County Residents at a Healthy Weight?

According to the Healthy for Life Action Team, if this were true then we would see people being active in the community and walking their dogs, and parks would be full.  We would hear healthier discussion amongst people, encouragement between one another, laughter, and the noise of shoes and bikes on pavement.  We would also see healthier menu options in the community and people would be healthier (sick less often, less chronic disease).  Community members would feel less stressed, more motivated and happy, and have more fun. 

What information led to the selection of this health issue and related result?

Healthy eating and physical activity originally emerged as health priorities during the 2011 Community Health Assessment. While much community effort has occurred to combat these issues, there is still much to be done. Jackson County has continued to have high numbers of residents who are practicing unhealthy eating habits and living sedentary lifestyles. In addition, overweight/obesity rates are climbing. During the 2018 Community Health Assessment prioritization process, many community members voted for the following identified health issues:

• Obesity
• Physical activity
• Childhood obesity, ages 5-11

Obesity prevention is important to our community because it greatly effects our community members lives by leading to chronic disease and the overall burden it places on your lifestyle.  We envision a Jackson County where community members are able to feel their very best. 

Additional Progress Made in 2019

In addition to our CHIP strategies, the following progress was made in 2019:

• Planning for a community-wide wellness program
• Physical Activity event planning
• Progress made on breastfeeding-friendly project
• Wrapped up the successful 2019 Diabetes Prevention Program
• Kicked-off the Wild Child Crew youth nature club
• Hosted a successful Healthy Living Festival
• Hosted a successful Healthy Snack Masters Competition
• Promoted the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less Holiday Challenge and saw increase in numbers

What Is It?

Physical Activity initiatives were 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. Formerly the Get Fit Challenge, it was an eight-week challenge that promoted better public and personal health through increased physical activity as well as lifestyle change. This strategy, though not evidence-based, was implemented in Jackson County from 2011-2018 with great success and participation.  Moving forward, the Healthy for Life Action Team will implement the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less Maintain Don't Gain Holiday Challenge in the months of November and December.  It will be a community wide effort to have people sign up and participate during the holiday season to maintain their weight instead of gaining, as most Americans are prone to doing. 

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.

2017 Get Fit Challenge Kick-Off Walk at the Cullowhee Greenway

Partners

The partners for this strategy include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the Physical Activity Initiative through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Physical Activity Initiative: 

• Sustainability Component:
  • Using program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness
  • Demonstrate success to key stakeholders
  • Communicate and engage diverse community leaders and organizations
  • Identify champions who support the program through worksite wellness initiatives
  • Increase community awareness on the issue
  • Demonstrate the value of the program to the public by sharing survey results 

Updates

2020 Updates 

The Healthy for Life Action Team shifted to focusing on a community wide wellness program to encompass more aspects of health, such as nutrition and stress management, and to offer free screenings on a large-scale to the public.  Please see Elevate for additional details. 

2019 Updates

Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, Holiday Challenge: The Holiday Challenge was promoted through a Sylva Herald newspaper article, Facebook, and email.  The challenge was promoted to worksite wellness groups at Jackson County Government, Harris Regional Hospital, and Jackson County Public Schools.  

According to the Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, Holiday Challenge Wrap Up Report, 2019 was the largest Holiday Challenge to date. Across the world, 40,676 people participated in the Holiday Challenge.  North Carolina had the largest number of participants out of all 50 states, with 11,702 participating.  For the Holiday Challenge, Jackson County was in the top 25 counties of participation with 230 participants. Through worksite wellness and the Diabetes Prevention Program, the Health Department received word that the Holiday Challenge was beneficial for Jackson County residents. 

2018 Updates

Get Fit Challenge: As a direct result from past participant feedback, the Get Fit Challenge changed significantly for 2018.  The challenge became individual instead of a team effort, and there were two separate challenges available - one for folks who own fitness trackers and wanted to sync their steps to the Challenge Runner app, and another challenge for people without fitness trackers who wanted to manually enter their minutes via the Challenge Runner app.  With the way Challenge Runner is set up, we had to do individual challenges instead of teams, which really hurt the competitive and team building nature of the Challenge.  Therefore, we had less participation this year with 180 people joining.  

Additionally, we had a kick-off walk at the Greenway, a free yoga event at the Rec Center, a free 20-20-20 class at the Rec Center, and then the overall winners were awarded a free family 4-pack of tickets for a Western Carolina University basketball game.  We no longer did an End-of-Challenge celebration because of the poor turnout in years past even with many participants. The challenge has gone well but we believe it is time to turn our attention in a different direction for a physical activity initiative. 

2017 Updates

Get Fit Challenge: With help from partners, the Action Team led the Get Fit Challenge with 443 participants and 65 teams. Participants are encouraged to get at least the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.  The Challenge is 8 weeks long, from the beginning of September to the end of October.  

This year, we had 3 free physical activity opportunities for participants, as well as the End-of-Challenge Celebration.  Action Team members also wrote articles for the Sylva Herald Newspaper about physical activity resources at the library, and hiking/getting outside in our area during the fall.

The Kick-Off Walk was held Thursday, September 7th at the Cullowhee Greenway.  18 participants walked the 2 mile trail together. 

A free CrossFit demo was hosted by Catamount Crossfit on Thursday, September 28th.  7 participants were involved. 

A free yoga demo was taught at the Bridge Park in Sylva by yoga instructor Marilynn Davis on November 19th.  6 participants attended and were very complimentary of Marilynn's teaching style.  The weather was perfect for an outdoors yoga session. 

The End-of-Challenge Celebration was held on Thursday, November 2nd at the Cullowhee Recreation Center.  There were 13 participants who attended for a walk around the gym together and then the top teams were awarded prizes.  Superlatives were given away this year for Most Creative Name and Most Improved participant.

2016 Updates

New to the Challenge this year, participants were able to log their active minutes electronically through the Challenge Runner website or smart phone app.  The 2016 Get Fit Challenge experienced 490 participants and 74 teams. 

Physical activity opportunities were available throughout the challenge and included a couple of group walks.  The End-of-Challenge Celebration was hosted by WCU Physical Education department at the Cullowhee Rec Center, where students put together an obstacle course for participants.  Press releases promoting the challenge and encouraging physical activity throughout the fall were submitted to the Sylva Herald.  

What Is It?

The Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project was identified by the Healthy for Life Action Team as a strategy, that when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in Jackson County. This is a new program in our community.

• The audience for the Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project are all workplaces, businesses, and licensed child care center in Jackson County. The project aims to make a difference at the individual/interpersonal behavior and organizational/policy change level. Implementation will take place in workplaces, businesses, and licensed child care centers.
• The Project seeks to make workplaces and child care centers breastfeeding-friendly by providing adequate, private space for employees and visitors to express breastmilk or nurse, store breastmilk, and develop policies to ensure ongoing support of lactating employees
• The Project seeks to shift the culture of infant feeding in our rural Appalachian community by making breastfeeding in public a normal behavior.  The Action Team will support local businesses in developing procedures to openly support breastfeeding and pumping patrons. 
• Overall, the Action Team will provide technical assistance and support for workplaces, businesses, and child care centers to achieve the Breastfeeding-Friendly Designations available through the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition and the NC Division of Public Health. 

Partners

The partners for Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures.  Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate successes to funders and other key stakeholders
  •  Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project will track performance measures to share with the Healthy Communities grant of North Carolina.  Key stakeholders will be informed of the effectiveness of the program through the Healthy Carolinians Steering Committee and annual State of the County Health Report
• Communicate and engage diverse community leaders and organizations 
  • The Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Project will open up the door for new partnerships in the community and bring breastfeeding support to small and large businesses, local government, and new organizations
• Identify champions who strongly support the program
  • At each business, child care center, and/or workplace, staff will be trained on breastfeeding support and best practice.  Additionally, champions will be identified to maintain lactation rooms, and resources will be promoted to help with upkeep and replacement of items, etc. 
• Establishing a financial base for the program
  • The Health Department Healthy Communities grant allows for funds to be used to support this project.  In the future, if needed, the Health Department will work with agencies to seek small grants or donations to support their lacatation rooms and needs. 
• Increase community awareness on the issue & demonstrate value to the public
  • A brochure has been created that highlights the importance and benefits of breastfeeding for businesses and workplaces that will be shared with the community
  • Letters to the Editor and articles will be submitted to the local newspaper
  • Breastfeeding will continue to be supported through local social media
  • Any business, child care center, and/or workplace that partners with the project will receive education on breastfeeding support, best practice, and why breastfeeding is so important for good business
  • Surveys will be available to those who use the lactation rooms in order to gather information on how the lactation rooms have supported families and been successful and also identify ways to improve

Updates

2020 Updates

Businesses: The Cullowhee Community Garden has the achieved the NC Breastfeeding Coalition Breastfeeding Friendly designation.  There are no other new business designations, though we have spoken with the Town Manager, who went out on maternity leave as we were starting to discuss the project.  

Worksites: Jackson County Public Schools has completed the Board of Education and two schools Relaxation Rooms.  Two other schools have identified their spaces and they are being cleaned out, updated, and repaired.  Items are being purchased for these rooms. 

• For Jackson County Public Schools "Relaxation Room:"
  • Smokey Mountain Elementary School: A former 1970's style dark room has been completely redone and it is the perfect space due to privacy and amenities.  The room recieved new paint and had new carpet and a new sink installed.  It is now outfitted with a massage chair, side table, lamp and outlets, storage space and artwork.  

• Smoky Mountain High School: This room is in a private locked area of the main hallway and has received updates, such as new paint, a privacy screen for added security (not pictured), brown massage chair (not pictured), storage space, a refrigerator, and rug.  

(before picture above)

(after pictures below)

• Jackson Community School: This school has identified their space and work orders have been placed to have items removed and the room painted.  This room is expected to be completed in winter/spring 2021. 
• Fairview School and Blue Ridge School have identified their spaces. 
• Cullowhee Valley, Scotts Creek, and the early colleges are determining their designated spaces.

• Child Care: The Child Care Health Consultant was working to identify centers who may be ready to take this step, though the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted child care centers and they are unable to work towards these efforts at the moment. 

2019 Updates

Businesses: The Cullowhee Community Garden has applied for the Business Designation through the NC Breastfeeding Coalition

Worksites: 

• For Jackson County Public Schools "Relaxation Rooms":
  • The Board of Education: Designated space was completely cleaned out (was formerly a storage closet in administration), painted purple, had carpet installed, blackout curtains were added for privacy from the window overlooking the parking lot, and drapes were added to hide piping in the ceiling.  A drop ceiling will be added to permanently hide the pipes.  Additionally, a leather reclining massage chair was purchased and placed in the room, and there is a lamp, side table, noise machine, refrigerator, and changing pad with cleaning supplies available.  This is a permanent room for mothers and families to use when visiting the Board of Education.
  •   
  • Smokey Mountain Elementary: Designated space has been cleaned out (was formerly a dark room), had a sink replaced, was painted a neutral grey and has had carpet installed.  A chair, table, and mini fridge will be added.  
  • Jackson Community School: A designated space has been identified and will be completed by the end of the 2019-2020 school year. 
  • Smoky Mountain High School: Designated temporary space has been chosen and is being used.  A permanent space has been identified but walls will have to go up before this space can be used.  The Health Dept purchased a mini fridge for moms to use on-site.  Breastfeeding teachers and students are using this space to privately pump. 
  • Cullowhee Valley, Blue Ridge, Fairview, Scotts Creek, and the early colleges, are determining their designated spaces.

Child Care: The Child Care Health Consultant for Jackson County has reached out to all child care centers for becoming breastfeeding friendly but currently none are interested. 

Additionally, the Healthy for Life Action Team has reached out to the Town of Sylva Mayor about the project in downtown Sylva (a total of 2 square miles).

Brandi Harrison, lactation consultant with Harris Regional, scheduled to speak at the Healthy Carolinians January 2020 meeting. 

What Is It?

The Diabetes Prevention Program was identified by the Chronic Disease Action Team as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, that has a reasonable chance of making a difference in diabetes prevalence and weight status in our community. The Healthy NC 2020 Evidence Based Strategies lists the Diabetes Prevention Program as an evidence-based strategy. This is an ongoing program in our community.

The audience for the Diabetes Prevention Program are adults, age 18 years and older, with pre-diabetes and those who have multiple risk factors for diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program aims to make a difference at the individual change level-- working to increase individual's knowledge and influence over his or her attitudes and beliefs regarding diabetes prevention and weight loss. Implementation will take place in community or clinical settings, like Health Departments, the local library, physician's offices, and more.

The Diabetes Prevention Program targets health disparities. Often, residents of low SES are at greater risk of developing a chronic disease and being unable to manage said chronic disease. This program hopes to break that cycle by helping residents learn to manage their disease at low or no cost.

Pre-diabetes graphic developed by the CDC

Partners

The partners for DPP include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the Diabetes Prevention Program through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures.  Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Diabetes Prevention Program: 

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
  • Evaluate the number of participants who start the program vs the number of participants who graduate from the class 
• Provide adequate staffing
  • Train additional lifestyle coach at the Health Department to improve sustainability efforts and decrease lifestyle coach burnout
• Increase community awareness on the issue & demonstrate the value of the program to the public
  • Submit articles to local media outlets about the risks of type 2 diabetes and the success of the local program 

Updates

2020 Updates

DPP Class: The 2020 year-long class kicked-off in January 2020, with a total of 10 participants.  The 2020 cohort was a partnership between the Jackson County Department of Public Health and the Department on Aging with class sessions hosted at the Senior Center.  Due to a series of inclement weather days, the class began later than usual and only 3 classes were able to be completed before the community shut down happened due to COVID-19.  Related to a series of barriers such as the lifestyle coaches opportunities working from home, poor internet access across the county, and the vulnerable population being served, the class has still not continued at this point.  

The JCDPH has worked closely with MountainWise to identify community champions for the Minorities Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP).  Flyers were created and approved by the Cultural Humility and Social Diversity Team at the Health Department, and also translated by the interpreter.  Community champions were contacted and were interested, though no new lifestyle coaches have been trained.  It is our hope that these classes can be peer-led in the future with administrative support from JCDPH. 

Further, the JCDPH DPP has been accepted into the CDC-sponsored study of the Fresh Tri DPP, LCP, companion digital app.  The next cohort (beginning early 2021) will have access to this interactive lifestyle change app as part of a research study.  

2019 Updates

DPP Class: The 2019 year-long class has 9 participants.  Attendance has been great this year and folks are very engaged in the class.  The class wrapped up December 12th with all 9 participants completing and graduating from the class.  Of the 9, there were 6 who lost a significant percentage of their body weight (multiple lost over 9%).  

2018 Updates

DPP Class: The year-long class had 8 successful participants who completed the course.  The CDC recognition status still stands and we continue to submit data to be analyzed. 

2017 Updates

DPP Class: This year-long class was held from January 2017 - December 2017.  There were 11 participants in the program.  At the conclusion of the class, data was submitted to the CDC and the Jackson County Department of Public Health (JCDPH) achieved full CDC recognition for the program.  JCDPH is the first health department in North Carolina to achieve this status. 

2016 Updates

DPP Class: This year-long class ended in December 2016. Nine participants graduated. Each participant lost weight and lowered their HbA1c significantly. Data was submitted to the CDC with hopes of the Health Department receiving CDC recognition for this program.

What Is It?

The Healthy Living Festival was identified by the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Action Team as a program that, when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in awareness of community resources in our Jackson County. The Healthy Living Festival is an annual health fair that brings together businesses and organizations with a health-theme to offer information, screenings, and more to the residents of Jackson County. This strategy, though not evidence-based, has been implemented in Jackson County since 2011 with great success and participation.

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

As 2019 marked the 10th annual Healthy Living Festival, action team members decided to phase out the Healthy Living Festival as we shift to focus on community-wide worksite wellness in 2020 that will include multiple-site health screenings throughout Jackson County. 

Partners

The partners for the Healthy Living Festival include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the Healthy Living Festival through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures.  Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Healthy Living Festival

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
  • Evaluate the number of screenings conducted, the number of participants, and the pounds of medication received from the Safe Kids Medication Take Back table
• Communicate and engage diverse community organizations
  • Continue to recruit a large variety of community exhibitors and have different focuses each year. Promote a new "draw" each year to increase participation
• Establish a consistent financial base for the program
  • Apply for the Great Smokies Health Foundation grant in 2020, 2021, and 2022 to have funding to pay for food and new aspects of the event 
• Increase community awareness of the program and demonstrate the value of the program to the public
  • Continue strong promotion efforts prior to the event and provide follow up through email, snail mail, billboards, and local media to promote the success of the event

Updates

2020 Updates

It was decided after the 2019 Healthy Living Festival (the 10th annual) that the Healthy for Life Action Team would no longer host an annual festival.  The Action Team planned to host community wide screenings coupled with joining a community wide wellness program (see physical activity initiative for more information) in replacement of the health fair.  

2019 Updates

The 10th annual Healthy Living Festival saw 33 vendors with 171 participants.  Free screenings were provided for BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, and cholesterol and 42 people took part in them.  The WNC Aids Project distributed 18 overdose kits and screened 10 people for HIV and Hep C.  Safe Kids Jackson County took back 22lbs of medication at their Medication Take Back Booth with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.  Western Carolina University Social Work students conducted 44 behavioral health screenings. 

The WNC Aids Project set up at the 10th annual Healthy Living Festival

2018 Updates

The 9th annual Healthy Living Festival had 51 vendors and 228 participants.  There were 49 people who completed screenings, which included BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, cholesterol, HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis. 

Child Care Health Consultants, Cassie Rogers and Meagan Cagle, demonstrate safe sleep practices for infants and young children at the 9th annual Healthy Living Festival

2017 Updates

The Action Team lead a successful Festival with 134 participants and 28 vendors. 44 volunteers completed screenings, which included BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, cholesterol, HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis.

Charles Easton, ISAP Action Team Chair, speaking to participants at the 8th Annual Healthy Living Festival

2016 Updates

The 7th Annual Healthy Living Festival experienced 165 participants, 38 vendors, with a total of 76 exhibitors in the main festival space.  There were 40 screenings completed, which included HbA1c, blood pressure, height/weight, BMI, and cholesterol.  All screenings were free thanks to donations from Harris Regional Hospital and the Great Smokies Health Foundation.  

Outside of the main festival space, the Red Cross brought their blood donation bus and receiving 14 pints of blood.  The Jackson County Animal Shelter was also present, and they administered 15 rabies vaccinations. 

What Is It?

The Healthy Snack Master Competition 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 healthy food consumption as well as weight status in our community.

The audience for this strategy is the community at large. This strategy aims to make a difference at the individual level-- increasing knowledge and influence on individual attitudes and beliefs towards health. Implementation will take place community-wide in Jackson County

The Healthy Snack Master Competition is sponsored by the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and is open to all individuals or groups (i.e. classes, afterschool programs, clubs, etc.) in K-12th grade in Jackson County Public Schools. Students are encouraged to create an original recipe and turn it in to their school's cafeteria manager. Submitted recipes are reviewed by members of SHAC. The top student and group entries go on to compete in the Healthy Snack Master Competition. A panel of judges determines the winning healthy snack based on taste, appearance, healthfulness, and creativity. Superlatives are also awarded for the Best Bite, People's Choice, and Most Creative Name.

Partners

The partners for the Healthy Snack Master Competition include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of Healthy Snack Master Competition through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Healthy Snack Master Competition: 

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
  • Evaluate the number of participants annually, as well as determine the best space for the program since we are trying different locations​​​​​​
• Communicate and engage diverse community leaders and organizations
  • Recruit judges from different areas of the local government and local organizations to keep the program changing and fresh
• Increase community awareness on healthy nutrition for children and demonstrate the value of the program to the public
  • Use local media outlets to promote healthy nutrition for children, promote the program, and show program success at the conclusion of the event

Updates

2020 Updates

Jackson County's 10th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was scheduled for March 26, 2020 at Smokey Mountain Elementary School.  There were 19 students who submitted their recipes to participate, but unfortunately the event had to be cancelled due to COVID-19.  The event has not been rescheduled because of the size and nature of the event.  We were looking forward to implementing a new electronic judging process with the use of ipads.  We hope to safely host the program again in the future.  

2019 Updates

Jackson County's 9th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was held at Cullowhee Valley School.  A total of 29 Snack Masters gathered to compete for overall awards and superlatives.

2018 Updates

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Jackson County's 8th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition was held at the Jackson County School of Alternatives.  This year, 15 Snack Masters gathered in the cafeteria to compete with their healthy, creative dishes.

2017 Updates

For the 7th Annual Healthy Snack Master Competition, 10 students participated in the competition. There were Individual and Group winners, with additional superlatives.

Healthy Snack Master Chefs, with the panel of judges, at the 7th Annual Competition.

2016 Updates

The 6th Annual Healthy Snack Masters Competition received 17 recipe submissions.  After careful review, 12 were selected to participate in the competition.  There were 5 winners selected, who were awarded with cooking kits.  

What Is It?

The Wild Child Crew (a youth nature club) was identified by the Healthy for Life Action Team as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in healthy weight in our community.  The club will combine physical activity and fostering a love and respect for nature to encourage outdoor activity in children.  This is a new program in our community.

The audience for the Wild Child Crew are children in grades Kindergarten - 5th grade.  The Wild Child Crew aims to make a difference at the individual/interpersonal behavior level.  Implementation will take place in Jackson County at easily accessible and safe outdoor locations such as the Greenway Trail. 

Partners

The partners for this Youth Nature Club include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of Youth Nature Club through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for Youth Nature Club:

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
  • The number of youth who participate and what age category they fall into will be evaluated to measure success.  If numbers are low, that will be evaluated to improve effectiveness.  
• Communicate and engage diverse community leaders and organizations
  • We seek to recruit a bilingual co-leader for the group to increase participation across the county and improve inclusion
• Identify champions who strongly support the program
  • An on-going partnership with Western Carolina University Parks and Rec Management ensures that the program will change annually, preventing youth from tiring of the activities
• Increase community awareness on the issue and demonstrate the value of the program
  • Through local media outlets, promotion of the activities and including statistics on the decline of youth spending time outdoors will hopefully spark a revival of youth spending time outdoors.  The evaluations completed at the end of each activity will guide program planning and be shared with the community about the effectiveness and value of the program. 

Updates

2020 Updates

Spring 2020 - Janelle Messer began working with 4 students from the Parks and Rec Management Planning course at Western Carolina University in February.  Students were planning to host a nature event with rock painting on April 3, 2020 at Bicentennial Park in Sylva.  The event had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, as WCU cancelled classes and students did not return after their Spring Break ended in March.  Further, the JCDPH suspended all outreach activities to be in line with public health guidelines and the Governor's executive orders. 

Fall 2020 - JCDPH partnered with 3 students from the Parks and Rec Management Planning course at Western Carolina University.  The 3 students worked diligently to plan a nature program for students.  The First Baptist Church of Sylva had been hosting a Study Buddies program that was essentially a day camp for 35 students in grades Kindergarten - 8th grade while virtual learning was happening.  Jackson County Public Schools went to in-person learning, except for Wednesdays, in September, so the Study Buddies program moved to an after school program.  The WCU students rolled with the scheduled changes and planned the event for Friday, November 6th from 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM at Bicentennial Park in Sylva.  Study Buddies participants (22 total) walked to the park with their adult chaperones and participated in the one-hour educational event.  Students learned the 7 principles of Leave No Trace and the accompanying hand signals.  They then participated in a nature scavenger hunt and had a great time.  At the conclusion of the scavenger hunt, the group came back together and played two physical activities where they had to run from tree to tree or chase each other.  These games were educational.  Social distancing and mask-wearing were implemented during this event, by all.  Below, a child holds a small caterpillar in his hands at the Wild Child Crew event

2019 Updates

Western Carolina University Parks and Recreation Program Planning and Evaluation students began working on the Youth Nature Club, which they named the Wild Child Crew, in their Fall 2019 semester.  Two events were planned, one at the Cullowhee Community Garden and another at the Jackson County Greenway. Even with guidance from their professor and Health Department staff, the students struggled with event planning and especially effective marketing.  The first event at the Cullowhee Community Garden did not turn out any participants.  The second event hosted at the Jackson County Greenway had three participants, though they were younger than the Kindergarten - 5th grade target age.  The children participated in a walk and a nature scavenger hunt.  

The Western Carolina University students did create a great logo for our program going forward.  The Healthy for Life Action Team will continue to work with students to ensure success with this program. 

To include a wider variety of Jackson County's population, all promotional materials will be available in English and Spanish, and an interpreter will be available on-site at the 2020 events. 

Alignment

Substance abuse and the related result, Jackson County Residents are Drug Free, are aligned with the following Healthy NC 2020 Focus Areas/ Objectives. 

• Tobacco Use
  • Decrease the percentage of high school students reporting current use of any tobacco product
• Injury
  • Reduce the unintentional poisoning mortality rate (per 100,000 population)
• Substance Abuse
  • Reduce the percentage of individuals 12 years of age and older reporting any illicit drug use in the past 30 days

Experience and Importance

How would we experience Jackson County Residents are Drug Free in our community?

If Jackson County residents are drug free, we would see youth respecting themselves and others by making healthy choices.  There would be available and affordable resources for mental health services and other support.  We would see a decrease in student absences at schools, STD and STI rates, teen pregnancy, and vaping.  We would experience an increase in teen involvement in local programs and activities and also see a healthier environment through less litter, etc. 

What information led to the selection of this health issue and related result?

Substance abuse originally emerged as a health priority during the 2011 CHA. Topics identified as particularly concerning during the 2018 CHA process were:

• Prescription drug misuse
• Deaths with heroin/fentanyl
• Youth tobacco use (especially e-cigarettes)

In terms of feasibility, the increase of youth tobacco use with the popularity of e-cigarette products has become a main concern of public school officials and families in Jackson County.

Additional Progress Made in 2019

In addition to our CHIP strategies, the following progress was made in 2020:

• All Jackson County Public Schools completed the School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) to determine strengths and areas of improvement in their mental health systems.  For each assessment, a team made up of the school's principal, behavioral health staff, additional pertinent staff, a SHAC representative, and the Director of Student Support Services all met together virtually to complete the tool.  SHAPE looks at the systems across entire school districts and individual schools.  From the results, a mental health curriculum and standard will be put into policy for Jackson County Public Schools, and the School Health Advisory Council will be heavily involved in this policy development and steps forward.  More About SHAPE

In addition to our CHIP strategies, the following progress was made in 2019:

• Working with the school board to evaluate mental health and substance use prevention curriculums provided daily to K-12th grade students, in order to implement evidence-based resources in the future, and include in Jackson County Public School policy. 

What Is It?

The Opioid Awareness Campaign was identified by Jackson County local government, the Jackson County Community Foundation, and the School Health Advisory Council as a program that, when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in opioid misuse and overdoses in Jackson County. The Opioid Awareness Campaign is a community effort raising awareness on this nationwide epidemic.  A large focus of the Campaign is making sure medications are disposed of properly to keep them out of hands of children and anyone who may misuse them.  Substance abuse prevention has been a focus in our community since 2011, however this specific September and October Opioid Awareness Campaign is new in our community.

The audience for this campaign is the community at large.  This strategy aims to make a difference at the individual level- increasing knowledge and influence on individual attitudes and beliefs towards health decisions and substance abuse disorder. Implementation will take place community-wide in Jackson County.  There will also be a community forum for community members and professionals held at Western Carolina University, as well as promotion in Jackson County Public Schools middle and high schools. 

Partners

The partners for this Opioid Awareness Campaign include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the Opioid Awareness Campaign through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures.  Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the Opioid Awareness Campaign

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success to funder and other key stakeholders
• Establish a consistent financial base for the program
• Provide adequate staffing
  • At the conclusion of the 2019 Opioid Awareness Campaign (October 31, 2019), we will evaluate the effectiveness of the program by how many pounds of medication we received at the Medication Take Back events, as well as the number of media completed.  This will guide our efforts for the following year to make this sustainable.  By showing our funders how much we did, it is our hope that they will see the value in the campaign and provide funding next year. Additionally, a contract employee was needed to support this work so we will seek funding for a person in the future as well to make this sustainable.  
• Increase community awareness on the issue and demonstrate the value of the program to the public
  • Already we have seen the community come together for the awareness campaign. It has been implemented in a very crucial time in our County and is shedding light on the issue and impact the issue is having on our community members.

Updates

2020 Updates

The Health Department continued the work that began in 2019 but on a smaller scale due to funding and the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Health Department released a series of articles to local print and social media outlets in Western North Carolina, which includes regional Smoky Mountain News, The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians newspaper - The Cherokee One Feather, The Cashiers Chronicle, and The Sylva Herald.  The articles were:

• Basics of Opioids
• Opioid Misuse During the Pandemic
• Reducing Stigma
• Grandfamilies
• Risks, Signs & Symptoms

2019 Updates

Radio Media

• 14 stakeholders contacted for PSAs and interviews (WRGC)

• Three interviews conducted (WRGC)

  • Major Shannon Queen with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

  • Superintendent Dr. Kim Elliott with Jackson County Public Schools

  • Director Eddie Wells with Jackson County Department on Aging

• Public Service Announcements completed and ran daily during September (WRGC)

• WCU radio interview with Lyndan Jones

Newspaper Articles

• Two submitted by the Health Department to the Cashiers Chronical, Cherokee One Feather, Smoky Mountain News, and Sylva Herald

• One interview and article written by Sylva Herald reporter Beth Lawrence

Newspaper Ads

• Color ad package purchased, with ads printed in each September issue

Billboards

• Two digital billboards on Highway 107 for September and October

Banners

• One at Cashiers intersection

• One at Walmart/Andy Shaw Ford intersection in Sylva

• One on the Qualla Boundary

Medication Take Back Events

• Friday, September 13th at Ingles in Cashiers

• Friday, September 27th at Walgreens in Sylva

Jackson County Public School Assemblies

• September 6th Smoky Mountain High School – 9th and 10 grades

• September 11th Blue Ridge High School – All grades

• September 13th Smoky Mountain High School – 11th and 12th grades

• September 17th The School of Alternatives – 8th through 12th grades

• September 20th Jackson County Early College – 9th through 12th grades

• Additionally, LAW Publications magazines were distributed to students

What Is It?

Youth Tobacco Prevention was identified by the School Health Advisory Council as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in substance abuse prevention in our community. This is a new program in our community.

The audience for this Youth Tobacco Prevention initiative is Jackson County Public School students and their families.  The program aims to make a difference at the individual/interpersonal behavior level as well as organizational/policy level. Implementation will take place in Jackson County Public Schools.

Partners

The partners for this Youth Tobacco Prevention initiative include:

Work Plan

Evaluation and Sustainability

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of Youth Tobacco Prevention through the use of Results-Based Accountability^TM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for Youth Tobacco Prevention

• Use program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate success
• Identify champions who strongly support the program 
  • This will be champions within the public school system (staff and students) as well as community leaders and organziations who support the program
• Establish a consistent financial base for the program and provide adequate staffing
  • The School Health Advisory Council will apply for the 2020 Drug Free Communities grant to secure funding and staffing for a minimum of 5 years
• Increase community awareness on the issue and demonstrate the value of the program
  • Submitting articles to local news outlets, talking on the local radio station, and purchasing billbboards for ad campaigns will raise awareness and demonstrate value

Updates

2020 Updates

2020 has been a unique year that presented many challenges, especially for public school systems.  Most of the tobacco prevention initiatives that were originally scheduled for 2020 had to be cancelled due to health concerns, remote learning, and the banning of outside visitors on school campus due to the virus. 

The peer-to-peer tobacco education program, applying for the Drug Free Communities grant, and the student SHAC survey were put on hold due to COVID-19. 

Different Products. Same Dangers. awareness campaign was promoted at both high schools, the early colleges, and the middle schools in the County prior to the pandemic shutdown.  Bathroom mirror clings were placed in the bathrooms and posters were put up throughout the school.  A video was shown on the Smoky Mountain High School daily news.  

Each Jackson County Public School completed the School Health and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) to identify strengths and areas of improvement in the mental health systems within the district and each individual school.  This will allow the School Health Advisory Council and School Board to create and approve a policy for mental health systems for Jackson County Public Schools. 

Further, the Health Department and School Health Advisory Council continued to promote tobacco and vaping prevention through social media outlets, through approved messaging shared by the Regional Tobacco Prevention Manager. 

2019 Updates

Smokey Mountain Elementary hosted the Regional Tobacco Prevention Manager in fall 2019 to facilitate learning and awareness around the vaping epidemic. 

The School Health Advisory Council Action Team (SHAC) is working with WCU Nursing to begin a peer-to-peer tobacco education program for anyone caught with tobacco products on school campuses, or anyone interested in quitting.  

SHAC will be applying for the Drug Free Communities Grant in 2020. 

In 2020, SHAC will begin promoting the Different Products. Same Dangers. awareness campaign at all middle and high schools in the county.

In March 2020, Jackson County Public School students will take the annual Drug Free Communities SHAC survey on their active and peer-perceived substance use. 

Beginning in 2020, with SHAC's support, each Jackson County Public School will complete the SHAPE assessment.  With the results, SHAC will work with the Board of Education to implement social/emotional and substance use prevention curriculums for Kindergarten - 12th grades.