Vanderburgh County Health Department Offers Food As Medicine
Thanks to funding provided by the Indiana Department of Health, the Vanderburgh County Health Department has implemented a brand new Produce Rx program. In recent…
Ivy Tech Honors Former Staff Member with “Gloria’s Garden”
In an effort to honor it’s former Wellness Director, Ivy Tech started Gloria’s Garden in Spring of 2023. It features flowers, produce, and a Monarch…
New Bike Skills Park to Open Fall 2024
The Healthy Communities Partnership is excited to unveil a new project between Purdue Extension, the Evansville Parks Department and the Evansville Trails Coalition. The colloboration…
Nourish-Community Food Buying Club
In March of 2020, the Healthy Communities Partnership, with lead partner Urban Seeds, launched Nourish. Nourish is a community food buying club that offers participants…
MOVING FORWARD IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Healthy Communities Partnership has not stopped working to better the health of Evansville residents. Due to the widespread impact…
Get Lost in a Story at Garvin Park
The Healthy Communities Partnership and lead partner Evansville Trails Coalition is excited to announce the completion of a one of a kind Story Trail at…
Lincoln Elementary Receives Training on “Dynamic Play”
With limited time for kids to be active during the school day, ensuring kids are getting the most out of their recess is very important. …
HCP Creates New Play Opportunities
Have you ever seen a plain black-top area while driving around and wondered why there are no kids playing on it? To ensure kids have engaging physical activity opportunities, HCP partnered with local art studio Snickerdoodle Art, to transform black-tops and concrete into Painted Play Zones featuring fruit and vegetable themed playground games! Our Painted Play Zones were created by sketches from Snickerdoodle Art and then transformed into stencils that can be traced onto blacktop or concrete and then painted with long lasting road paint. In 2018, HCP launched its first Painted Play Zone at St. Mark’s Preschool. We are excited to create more in the future and give kids more opportunities to be active. If you would like information on a Painted Play Zone for your location please click the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page.
Shaping Organizations to Promote Health
HCP believes one of the best ways to ensure a healthy community is to make sure organizations that serve the community lead by example with policies and an intentional environment that promotes making the healthy choice the easy choice. In 2018, HCP partnered with the Community Action Program of Evansville, who oversees Head Start, to conduct an assessment of their organization with the goal of identifying opportunities within their policy, systems, and environment, which can improve the quality of life for their employees and the community members they serve. HCP is currently looking for more organizations that serve youth that may be interested in participating in this process. For more information please click the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page.
HCP Collaborates with Larkins Produce
The 2018 growing season brought many new opportunities for families in Evansville to access locally grown food. A shining example of partnership through HCP, brought Larkins Produce, a local grower, to the parking lot across the street from The Vanderburgh County Health Department and WIC office. This “Pop up Produce Stand” sold produce once a week to the community at large but also accepted WIC Famers Market Vouchers. The produce stand was very successful for the Larkins and even played a role in increasing WIC Farmers Market Vouchers redemption rates by 12% in 2018. Based on the success in 2018, HCP and the Larkins will be opening a second “Pop up Produce Stand” located on North Main Street for the 2019 growing season.
HCP releases Screen Time Guidelines PSA
Do you know how much Screen Time is appropriate for you child? Watch our PSA to find out.
HCP Enlists National Organization to Create Dynamic Play
One of the Healthy Communities Partnership’s early successes showcased a great partnership between funders, HCP, and multiple after school community centers. In January of 2017 HCP was able to provide training to Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation employees as well as multiple after school community centers that focused on how to make play time for youth more engaging and inclusive. Playworks, an organization that provides support and training to schools across the country, provided an extensive three day training in Evansville. Funding provided by the Indiana State Department of Health made this training possible. To make this training even more impactful, CareSource provided funding to purchase play equipment for the Dream Center and the YMCA Caldwell Community Center. The Access to Physical Activity Workgroup hopes to continue their success and partnerships further and continue to increase the number of youth participating in dynamic physical activity
Policy and Settings
Do you know what is an acceptable amount of “Screen Time” for your child? Screen time is defined as spent using a device such as a computer, smartphone, television, or games console. Children aged 5 to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen, and most of the screen time occasions the child is being sedentary and not living an active lifestyle.
Healthy Communities Partnership with lead partner 4C’s of Southern Indiana created a Screen Time Awareness flier. This flier will be distributed to all 4C’s childcare providers and Evansville’s