BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The third annual Try This West Virginia conference came to an end Saturday at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and co-director Kate Long said the organization, the participants, and the newcomers are excited by how far they have come–and even excited by how far they still have to go.
“They are getting very sophisticated about it,” Long said. “They see how these things fit together as building blocks and are looking ahead and saying, ‘Hey, let’s make a three, four, or five year plan.'”
The organization’s goal remains the same: bring together a group of highly committed people from varying backgrounds and try to find solutions to the health problems that plague West Virginia from region to region. Some are public health officials and non-profit employees, but the group includes small-town mayors and other local politicians, business owners, and regular citizens who simply want to play a role in reshaping the state’s health problems.
The conference allows the various groups to, among a litany of other benefits, network and find common ground on solving difficult problems. Try This West Virginia hands out a number of “mini-grants’ ranging up to $3,000. Essentially, it’s a little kick to get a project started while the project managers attempt to find matching funds. It’s a process that Long has said is working–though slowly–on a hyper local level.
“We had one Clarksburg project that took a $1500 grant and turned it into $75,000 worth of donations and resources so far,” Long said.
Long believes improving the public health of West Virginians around the state is a lofty, but achievable, long-term goal. She did say that there is no silver bullet to solve every problem across every region, but that communication between these groups was a first step. Compared to where they were a year ago, Long said the progress is tangible.
“You need to remember that it’s step-by-step,” she said. “To say, ‘Oh, next year we’re going to knock West Virginia off the worst health lists.’ That ain’t going to happen. That’s like saying my five year old is going to get his driver’s license next year.”
And if the first step was communicating and networking–which remains an ongoing process–the next step has been implementation. Long said projects in Morgantown, Clarksburg, and Bridgeport have all been the beginnings of success stories. In Morgantown, a new program helped 70 middle school students increase their physical activity by providing bikes for a five mile bike ride after school. In Clarksburg, Long praised the aforementioned matching donations to help create a community garden in the much maligned Monticello Avenue area. In Bridgeport, the Farmer’s Market created a program for children that allowed them to earn money to spend on local produce. More than double the amount of expected children participated in the program.
Long said those two concepts–physical activity and access to fresh produce–are the building blocks to a healthier life.
“Help them get access to fresh food, and stop eating so much processed food,” she said. “No matter what your economic level is, you can find a way to do that. Walking and running don’t cost a lot. Dancing doesn’t cost a lot.”
Long also touched briefly on the subject of food deserts–rural and urban areas that don’t have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. West Virginia has many, many communities that qualify as food deserts. “Easy access” is usually defined by a number of variables: proportion of households with their own car, access to public transportation, and the distance of the closest grocery store that offers fresh produce options.
“When you talk about fresh food, our great grandparents all raised gardens. People have forgotten how to do that. A lot of people are interested in doing that now, if only to knock 20 percent off of their food bill.”
In 2014, the town of Williamson in Mingo County was named as one of the Robert Wood Johnson winners for the National Culture of Health Prize–citing the town’s big impact on public health with limited resources. Long said the town has made a commitment to making 5K running events every month a reality.
Long wants these stories to motivate others who think they can’t possibly make a difference. In her mind, a person with an idea doesn’t need to revolutionize the whole state; they simply need to help make their small community in the Mountain State a better place.
“It’s like a jigsaw puzzle starting to come together,” she said.
Check out Try This West Virginia for more information on how you can bring a new public health initiative to your community.