HHCC looking ahead ? taking it one goal at a time

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

Healthy Henry County Communities has adopted a multi-year strategic plan to give the program a direction for the future.

The plan, which has been in discussion by the HHCC board for a few months, focuses on six basic goals:

? Reduce the number of overweight/obese residents

? Reduce substance abuse

? Prevent injuries and promote public safety

? Reduce environmental hazards and improve habitat

? Improve parenting skills in family life

? Increase civic and social engagement among all citizens

?That is Healthy Henry County Communities to me,? commented Travis Johnson, community health director, in reference to the six goals.

In the strategic plan, each goal has a list of programs, and in future board meetings the board will be focusing on one goal at a time and examining the programs that fall underneath it. Those who are already on committees or involved in the programs will be invited to come to the meeting to discuss what is being done well that they want to continue and what could be done better.

For example, in July the board will be focusing on reducing substance abuse, and members of the substance abuse coalition will be invited to the meeting.

Johnson pointed out that the strategic plan can be amended as the board looks at each goal and determines which programs are worth keeping.

?If there?s a program in there that we don?t think will benefit us or we don?t think we?ll have the time to focus on, then it probably needs to come off,? said Johnson. ?I don?t know if we can spread ourselves that thin.?

More important than the benefit of a program to the community is having somebody to lead and coordinate the program. Some of the programs on the strategic plan ? such as walking school buses and improving bike-ability through new trail systems ? do not currently have anybody signed up to be on a committee.

?There?s the fallacy right there,? said Todd Meyer, HHCC board chair. ?If nobody?s got a passion to lead that thing, then that energy needs to be moved somewhere else.?

HHCC Coordinator Kelly Carr commented that there are three open seats on the board, and that if somebody attends a meeting to discuss a specific goal and is passionate about a program, they could be added to the board and work on starting the program they are interested in. ­