Changing the Narrative

Photo by Molly Wolf Photography.

It is no secret West Virginia consistently finds itself listed as one of the least healthy states. In a world where Band-Aids cover up deeply rooted health issues instead of looking to the source for healing, true wellness can be difficult to achieve. However, this story can be rewritten, and many organizations throughout the state have dedicated themselves to improving the health and well-being of West Virginia’s people. Their commitment to targeting the fundamental health of West Virginians is slowly changing the tide toward a healthier state.

Many variables play into the overall health and well-being of an individual, and one of those is physical activity. Being active is essential to maintaining a healthy body.

Active Southern West Virginia (Active SWV) is one nonprofit in the Mountain State that is well aware of the power of physical activity.

“Active SWV provides an ecosystem of physical activity for the residents of Southern West Virginia by offering programs led by trained volunteers from within the communities it serves,” says Michael Fisher, workplace wellness director at Active SWV.

Originating in 2015 as a strategic plan to improve the health of the workforce, Active SWV has expanded to inspire all individuals to overcome barriers to living their healthiest and most active lifestyle.

“All of our programming is free, from the trainings we provide to the resources we offer to each community. By using community volunteers, Active SWV can provide these free resources to schools, businesses and communities across the state with our programs designed to reach people where they are and empower each community to access the outdoor resources they have in their area,” Fisher says. “By creating a free path to access these outdoor experiences, Active SWV helps create community, increases positive health outcomes and provides customized well-being options for each population it works with.”

A healthier state is not only good for the people, but it is also crucial for West Virginia’s economy.

“West Virginia regularly leads the country in negative health outcomes ranging from obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyles and poor quality of life. This not only takes a toll on communities but also impacts economic development in the state,” says Fisher. “Healthy people fill jobs and make organizations thrive while helping grow the community around them. For West Virginia businesses to thrive, they need healthy workers and communities to draw workers from. Healthy workers also help to bring out-of-state businesses to the region. If organizations see that our communities have a healthy workforce, they are more likely to bring their businesses to the Mountain State.”

While Active SWV has taken physical activity into its own hands by creating programming and getting out into the community to implement them, the Center for ActiveWV covers a different aspect of the mission to increase physical activity in the state.

“We provide an effective statewide physical activity framework that will promote sector input and collaboration, facilitate physical activity research among multidisciplinary teams and guide state and local policy and practice,” says Sam Zizzi, Ed.D., Pat Fehl Endowed Professor at the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences. “The Center for ActiveWV also houses the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan, which provides a roadmap to improve physical activity access across all societal sectors. Additionally, funded projects through the center focus on screening children’s health, providing teachers with up-to-date training on how to integrate physical activity and providing grant funding to help schools, communities or health care providers improve policies or environments to make physical activity more accessible.”

Dedicated to developing and distributing an official statewide physical activity framework, the Center for ActiveWV works to enact change at the foundational level of communities
and organizations.

“Just in the last school year, the WV CARDIAC Project screened over 14,000 school children for obesity in 188 schools. Of the fifth graders screened, one in six completed enough physical activity to meet guidelines—60 minutes per day—and 51% were overweight or obese,” says Zizzi. “In the last two years, we have awarded over $200,000 in capacity-building grants to 29 community partners all over the state. These projects focused on building policies, systems or environments that make physical activity more accessible to all.”

Targeting physical activity is essential to improve the health of state residents, and organizations like Active SWV and the Center for ActiveWV are imperative for the state’s wellness, but this is just one part of the equation in achieving improvement in the overall health of an individual.

Healthy Harrison, a coalition funded by WVU Medicine United Hospital Center and West Virginia University, focuses on targeting five pillars of health: move, mind, eat, connect and purpose. With these in mind, the organization works to design and implement strategies to impact and measurably improve health disparities in West Virginia communities.

“Our team works diligently to elevate well-being by increasing awareness, driving engagement and producing results,” says Executive Director John Paul Nardelli.

One way the team is accomplishing this is through the Change Your State initiative, which is a statewide effort to impact health metrics and includes the Healthy Harrison Podcast, Change Your State App and Change Your State Challenge.

“The coalition produces the Healthy Harrison Podcast, a weekly show highlighting the projects and benefits related to health and wellness in West Virginia,” says Nardelli. “We also have the Change Your State App, which is health coaching in the palm of your hand. The app provides coaching tips revolving around the mind, physical activity and nutrition, daily micro-goals and other resources to help individuals become the best version of themselves.”

Wild, Wonderful and Healthy West Virginia (WWHWV), a program under the Center for Rural Health Develop­ment, also targets the health and well-­being of all residents of the state.

“An individual’s overall health is determined not only by the health care a person receives but, to a greater extent, by conditions in communities where people live, learn, work, play and age. Thus, we must keep in mind that although access to health care services is crucial to being healthy, the ability to live a healthy lifestyle is just as important,” says Sharon Lansdale, president and CEO of the Center for Rural Health Development, Inc. “West Virginia has stark health disparities when compared to the rest of the nation.”

Through community health improvement planning, a variety of trainings, funding and more, WWHWV works across multiple sectors with communities to identify the collective actions that need to be taken to address the health and economic disparities that exist.

“We must begin the long, hard work needed to change the culture in communities throughout West Virginia so that all residents can thrive—no exceptions,” she says.

One community that has taken the health of its residents into its own hands is Berkeley County. Healthy Berkeley is dedicated to making the area a healthy place to live, work and play.

“Healthy Berkeley is an initiative started by Berkeley Medical Center to improve the health and well-being of residents through prevention and health promotion efforts,” says Dana DeJarnett, chair of Healthy Berkeley. “Healthy Berkeley is a community collaborative that includes several community organizations and residents all coming together with a common goal: a healthy community.”

The organization works to improve access and opportunities for people in the county. It accomplishes this through a multitude of initiatives and projects, such as maintaining a community garden, sponsoring community 5ks and providing important resources on wellness and behavior change initiatives.

Understanding the economic value of wellness, Healthy Berkeley aims to create a healthy culture and a healthy workforce, making the community a desirable place to live and work.

A community, like Berkeley County, striving for a healthier population can benefit greatly from some support, and Try This aims to do just that. The organization aspires to knock West Virginia off the top of the worst health lists, community by community, by building a statewide grassroots network of healthy community leaders who expand opportunities for physical activity and/or healthy food in their communities.

“Try This is most known for our mini-grant projects, which offer up to $3,000 to local grassroots community teams to carry out a healthy community project that increases access to physical activity and healthy food, especially in communities that need it most,” says Brittney Barlett, executive director of Try This West Virginia.

According to Barlett, Try This offers more than funding for communities; it provides the opportunity to gain leadership skills, obtain grant writing and project management experience and network with other public health advocates and organizations that are working toward similar objectives.

“On top of statistics, there’s no denying it just feels good to be healthy. Physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally, being healthy has no downsides,” says Barlett. “Knowing you can have energy for your kids, run around and play games with your family, not feel left out when a strenuous activity
is suggested—these things are invaluable—and having a healthy body filled with healthy food means you feel good, look good and can count on more years of happiness with the people you love.”

West Virginia is blessed to have a variety of organizations all working toward a similar goal. Complementing each other, and each of equal importance, the work these organizations are doing is vital to the health and well-being of the Mountain State.