The Health Improvement Steering Committee is focusing on promoting new attitudes towards health and well being which influence behavior and result in a healthy community. Specifically, the Committee’s outcome options are to:
- Monitor, support, and promote community programs that reduce sedentary lifestyles and obesity while increasing physical activity and healthy eating habits among Genesee County citizens and families.
- Promote and support "active living by design" activities that encourage communities to design and restructure for the enhancement of healthy lifestyles. This includes support for efforts to enhance the Flint River Trail.
- Promote and support the adoption of non-smoking environments throughout the community.
Currently, the Health Improvement Steering Committee activities of the GFHC are focused on developing and implementing Genesee County and the City of Flint's response to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's "County Health Rankings" study, which in 2010 ranked Genesee County as one of the most unhealthy counties in the State of Michigan. Specifically, Genesee County ranked 78th of 82 in health outcomes (morbidity & mortality) as well as health factors. Perhaps most alarming, Genesee County ranked 82nd of 82 Michigan counties in health behaviors - areas such as physical activity, diet/nutrition, smoking, alcohol use, and high risk sexual behaviors.
In April 2011, coinciding with the 2011 announcement of the national County Health Rankings study, the GFHC announced its response in the form of a "County Health Rankings Action Plan," which seeks to strategically improve Health Behaviors & Health Outcomes in Genesee County and the City of Flint. In addition to announcing the Action Plan, GFHC and community leadership have also engaged the community with the GFHC Board's 100% member commitment to improvement of health behaviors in Genesee County while introducing the "Commit to Fit" theme for a new community-wide health improvement / physical activity campaign.
For a copy of the County Health Rankings Action Plan, as well as associated overview materials from the GFHC's announcement of the plan on April 6, 2011, please see the "ADDITIONAL RESOURCES" section at the bottom of this page.
HISTORY OF COMMUNITY IMPACT:
Over its prior history, the Health Improvement Committee has sponsored three campaigns that directly attack Michigan residents' sedentary lifestyles. These campaigns were "Just a Bit Gets You Fit", "Just a Bit Gets YouTH Fit", and "Just a Bit Gets YouTH Fit: Eat Good. Feel Good. Look Good". In 2000, the Coalition won the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health & Sports Getting Michigan Communities Moving Educational Materials of the Year Award for "Just a Bit Gets You Fit".
