Continuing her efforts to raise awareness of the health problems in the county and the newly-formed coalition, “Moving Starke County Forward,” former state representative Nancy Dembowski appeared before the Knox City Council asking them to proclaim 2013 a “Year of Health” for the city of Knox.
Dembowski explained that because the county had come in second-to-last place for health rankings in the state, she said it’s time to see what can be done to improve health in Starke County. She said that a proclamation from all county governments would help spread the word, and she said the organization is also planning a number of county-wide health contests. On top of that, Dembowski said the group is hoping to hold a drug symposium in the spring to raise awareness of the harmful effects of drugs.
The city council gladly approved her request and signed the proclamation.
While the organization does not yet have a president or any regular meeting schedule, she said the group is focusing on finding ways to improve the health in the county. In addition, the coalition is continuing and encouraging progress on four projects that resulted from the forums and the continued involvement of leaders from local agencies. These projects are promotion of a workplace certification and training programs, development of a mentoring program in coordination with the Starke County Youth Club, promotion of 100 percent attendance of Starke County children in preschool, and development and promotion of a series of healthy adult activities.
The coalition has invited all Starke County leaders and residents to an informational session on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox to hear more about these projects, the formation of the coalition, and to give input on what healthy adult programs they’d like to see instituted in 2013. RSVP to Mary Ann Livovich at (219) 462-7173 ext. 2468 or by emailing mlivovich@healthlincchc.org
